Schedule strength is a factor that is often overlooked in fantasy football. In many cases this is understandable, but consider the value of extremes in this area.
If two fantasy draft candidates are of roughly equal value and one has a really difficult schedule and the other has a relatively easy one, the percentages say that the latter player is the much better draft-day selection. Having this type of tiebreaker can be very useful, so here are lists of 10 players with highly favorable schedules and 10 with highly unfavorable ones.
For the sake of this analysis, matchup strength is determined by a performance grading of the defenders due to face the fantasy prospect in question (cornerbacks facing wide receivers, strong safeties/strongside linebackers facing tight ends, etc.). In the case of quarterbacks, the measure is of the collective grades of the entire defensive coverage group.
This grading results in a matchup points total for each player, with a higher score being better. In the case of wide receivers, a matchup point total of 20 or higher is considered upper tier and 13 or lower is considered to be extremely difficult. For tight ends, grades of 18 or higher qualify as elite, whereas grades of 10 or lower are considered unfavorable. For quarterbacks, reaching the 90-point mark in this category is a huge plus and anything under 80 points is a major negative.
Ten with highly favorable schedules
Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (25 matchup points)
Patterson's matchup points total is the highest among wide receivers. The lineup matchups have him facing nine green-rated cornerbacks (the most favorable matchup grade) while facing zero red-rated cornerbacks (the toughest matchup grade). It is possible that some of the five red-rated cornerbacks due to face Greg Jennings will move around to cover Patterson, but even if that happens on half of the Vikings' offensive plays, Patterson will still see enough weak coverage to post his share of huge point totals.