Best and Worst Fantasy Football Schedules Heading Into Playoffs

It's Week 10, and we're entering the final stretch of the 2019 fantasy football season.

Most leagues have a 13-week regular season followed by a three-week postseason, so we have just a month of games left before the playoffs start. So who has the easiest fantasy schedules for the rest of the season, including playoffs? Who has the hardest?

Using data from Pro Football Reference, I've broken out each team's remaining fantasy schedule by position for the rest of the season (Weeks 10-16) and playoffs specifically (Weeks 14-16).

Here are some thoughts I have on how the rest of the fantasy schedule breaks down.

Quarterbacks

Favorable Rest-of-Season Schedule

• Buccaneers: Jameis Winston is slated to have the easiest fantasy schedule of any starter for Weeks 10-16, thanks primarily to A-plus matchups against the Cardinals and Falcons (in Weeks 10 and 12) and above-average matchups against the Lions and Texans in the final weeks of the playoffs (Weeks 15-16).

Unfavorable Rest-of-Season Schedule

• Chiefs: I love Patrick Mahomes, but he has a rough stretch of games to end the year, and he'll offer nothing in Week 12 because of the bye. He has an A-plus matchup against the Raiders to close the regular season (Week 13), but he has the worst playoff schedule of any quarterback with games against the Patriots, Broncos and Bears (Weeks 14-16).

Running Backs

Favorable Rest-of-Season Schedules

• Bears: Rookie David Montgomery is starting to come on, and the Bears have the best backfield fantasy schedule for Weeks 10-16. He has two games left against the Lions (Weeks 10, 13), and then in the playoffs he has good matchups against the Packers and Chiefs to close the year (Weeks 15-16).
• Patriots:Sony Michel has underwhelmed in his second season, but the Pats have the best backfield schedule for the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 14-16) with games against the Chiefs, Bengals and Bills, all of whom are vulnerable against running backs.

Unfavorable Rest-of-Season Schedule

• Texans: They're on bye now, and once they get back, they have the league's toughest fantasy schedule for Weeks 10-16 with games against the Ravens, Colts, Patriots, Broncos, Titans and Buccaneers. Not one of those teams has allowed an average of more than 20 fantasy points to opposing backfields. Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson Jr. will likely struggle down the stretch.

Wide Receivers

Favorable Rest-of-Season Schedule

• Colts: They're without T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell, but Zach Pascal is starting to emerge, and they have the easiest fantasy schedule for receivers for Weeks 10-16. They have tougher matchups to close the year against the Saints and Panthers (Weeks 15-16), but they have an A-plus matchup against the Buccaneers in Round 1 (Week 14), and the Dolphins and Texans are also good draws (Weeks 10, 12).

Unfavorable Rest-of-Season Schedules

• Chiefs: What's bad for Mahomes is bad for his wide receivers, who have the league's worst closing fantasy schedule. It gets particularly rough in the playoffs with matchups against the Patriots, Broncos and Bears (Weeks 14-16).
• Bears: Not that you need much of a reason to be "bearish" (#NailedIt) on Bears receivers, but after the Chiefs, they have the toughest playoff schedule with matchups against the Cowboys, Packers and Chiefs (Weeks 14-16).

Tight Ends

Favorable Rest-of-Season Schedule

• Buccaneers: What works for Winston works for his tight ends. They have a great upcoming "flow chart" matchup against the Cardinals (Week 10) and above-average matchups against the Lions and Texans in the playoffs (Weeks 15-16).
• Seahawks: Jacob Hollister is 9-75-2 on 14 targets over the past three games since taking over for the injured Will Dissly. If you have any faith in Hollister, you might want him for Championship Week, when he faces the league-worst Cardinals.

Unfavorable Rest-of-Season Schedule

• Ravens: Mark Andrews has been great this season, but the Ravens have the league's worst fantasy schedule for Weeks 10-16 with especially unfriendly matchups against the 49ers, Bills and Jets (Weeks 13-15).
• Falcons: Austin Hooper is currently the No. 1 fantasy tight end, but the Falcons have the position's roughest playoff schedule. Matchups against the Panthers, 49ers and Jaguars will significantly challenge Hooper, especially since the Falcons will have nothing to play for by that point of the season.