FANTASY FOOTBALL ARTICLES

This page is the biggest change against the Ease of Fantasy Schedule featured in the Fantasy Football Handbook 2005. While in the past years defenses were measured against what they allowed wide receivers and tight ends separately, after 2004 - that's just not nearly accurate. There are numerous teams - Chiefs (Gonzalez), Cowboys (Witten), Chargers (Gates) and Falcons (Crumpler) that have a tight end that is the primary receiver. That in turn affects what defenses turn in for statistics.

So this year and ongoing, the tight ends and wideouts are combined because that truly is what should be. These numbers are then applied against whatever position each individual team uses primarily for insight into what players will have an easier schedule. There are now enough "tight end heavy" teams that you cannot hope to split them out and expect any accuracy. I just didn't determine that until right after the Handbook was finished.

Nevertheless, it is important to understand that the EOS for receivers is always the least reflective of what happens for a simple reason. Not only does it depend on the per-game need to throw, but those passes will be distributed among several players.

FULL SEASON: In what is the biggest oddity in all the nine years of performing EOS analysis, there are only two teams with any measure of easier schedule. The Colts - who clearly do not need any help anyway and the Eagles - who may not have any wideouts again this year if Owens continues to be... well... "Owens". The toughest schedules belong to the Cowboy wideouts who do not get used much (though it could affect Witten with a new quarterback) and the Saints where Joe Horn defies aging while making long distance calls from the endzone.

THE DOREY RULE / FIRST SIX WEEKS: There are no receivers that escape meeting at least one top 11 defense in those initial six weeks (or a bye week which is also considered as "bad" since you get no points). Chad Johnson, Terrell "maybe" Owens, Hines Ward and Santana Moss appear to have the lightest schedule to start the year. Eddie Kennison, Laveranues Coles and Chris Chambers have the toughest, especially Chambers who never once goes against one of the easiest 11 defenses in those opening weeks.

PLAYOFFS: Always hard to rely on, the schedule suggest that Derrick Mason, Roy Williams, The Colts Receivers-O-Plenty, Jimmy Smith and Darrell Jackson may have an edge. Those Patriot wideouts are always hard to call from week to week and are the only team that has all three games against top 11 secondaries.

Best WR/TE Schedules - Full Season

Worst WR/TE Schedules - Full Season