QB Strength of Schedule Analysis - Fantasy Football Quarterback Matchups (2026)

November 7, 2026

John looks at 2026 QB fantasy football strength of schedules and the best fantasy football quarterback matchups for the rest of the season. Target these QBs.

The quarterback position is a perennial favorite of super-into-it fantasy football managers who want to focus on skill positions in their drafts. It often pays off.

Not only are there several QBs each year that seemingly "come out of nowhere" and become must-start players at their position for long stretches of the season, but streaming the position can often find great success.

A crucial factor in determining which QBs to start, stream, or trade for is their strength of schedule. So let's do a deep dive into quarterback strength of schedule for the next few weeks, the stretch run, and the fantasy football playoffs!

A Brief Introduction to the SOS Process in Fantasy

There are a number of factors we can look at in determining the strength of schedule for a quarterback moving forward. Obviously, looking at fantasy points allowed to the position so far for each of the defenses the quarterback faces moving forward is an easy way to get a ballpark idea of SOS.

But that's not the entire picture. A defense that's faced a gauntlet of good quarterbacks, such as Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and the like, is likely to have given up more points than one that's faced backup QBs filling in for starters or starting QBs that are likely to lose their job soon.

So there are other metrics that it makes sense to look at. One of the most obvious is passing yards allowed per attempt. This adjusts for facing offenses that may not throw the ball as much as others, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have opted for a slow-paced, run-heavy offense in recent weeks.

Jacksonville's defense is so good that they just haven't thrown the ball a lot. So their QB isn't scoring a lot of points. Defenses that hold him to whatever he scores deserve less credit for just fantasy points allowed.

46 yards AND a stiff arm from Brenton Strange 💪

INDvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/KkpCGQLR0X

— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026

Lawrence averaged a whopping 15 yards per pass attempt, threw three touchdowns, and scored 25.4 fantasy points. The Colts defense deserves even less credit than normal for not letting him score more points, though, as he only completed 10 passes.

Another important thing we should look at is EPA (Expected Points Added) per play allowed. Quarterbacks that run the ball tend to score more fantasy points than those who don't, and rushing yards and rushing touchdowns are much more valuable for fantasy football than passing yards and passing scores.

A QB who runs five yards or completes a five-yard pass is going to score differently in fantasy football, but the EPA of those two plays in the exact same situation should be the same.

I am a fan of a historic franchise that does historic things. Today, they put forth the sixth-worst defensive half in the EPA era (2006-26)! Sixth-worst out of OVER TWENTY ONE THOUSAND HALVES OF FOOTBALL

which is bad...

But we also have the second-worst! and today is the worst second half ever! I love football!

— Jake Kemp (@NotJackKemp) November 2, 2026

The Dallas Cowboys have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, but their EPA/play allowed suggests they might be even worse. They struggled mightily defending check-down passes in Week 8, which is something future offenses could exploit against them.

So those will be our main criteria to determine remaining strength of schedule -- fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs, passing yards per attempt allowed, and EPA/pass given up by the defense.

How to Use the Strength of Schedule Process to Your Advantage

The quarterback position is one of the least important to draft early in fantasy football drafts. It's pretty much Allen and everybody else most years, with maybe one or two other QBs reaching that elite status. But they're not consistent.

So if you don't draft Allen early, you probably won't have a sure-fire weekly starter with week-winning upside. Streaming the position and grabbing QBs that have easier upcoming matchups is a great way to get top-12 production at the position for multiple games.

Tyler Shough finds Barion Brown downfield for a gain of 50!

PITvsNO on NFL Network
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/uBhGCeYGUZ

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026

New Orleans Saints quarterback Shough is a great example of the ever-spinning carousel of good quarterback production. Each season, another handful of unexpected signal-callers have stretches of great fantasy football production that can't be ignored.

While Shough is rostered in most leagues now, he was viewed as a bust of a prospect, entering the NFL at 26 years old without elite college production and after a poor showing at the NFL Combine. Fantasy football is weird like that, though.

The advantage you can find is when fantasy managers lose faith in a QB after multiple games against tough defenses, or don't recognize that the right matchup can make even a quarterback that feels bad to start have solid production.

Unbelievable throw by Gardner Minshew on the final drive of regulation. Look how early the ball is out: https://t.co/ysAQ8pYRmf

— Football Film Room (@FB_FilmRoom) November 2, 2026

In Week 8, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Gardner Minshew II came off the bench and racked up 19.5 PPR fantasy points while playing under 50 percent of offensive snaps against the Dallas Cowboys. Even backup QBs can be good fantasy starters in the right situation.

There is some level of risk, of course, in starting backups or QBs that haven't been productive this season. There is also risk in not drafting the aforementioned Allen and not having a reliable elite QB1. Only one team can have Allen, though.

2026 Rest-of-Season Fantasy Strength of Schedule

It's important not to get completely swallowed up in strength of schedule as your only analysis point. There are quarterbacks that have easy matchups on paper against bad defenses on paper that still perform poorly for a variety of reasons.

Sometimes a specific defense is a bad matchup for a team's best receivers. Sometimes a team simply doesn't need their QB to produce a ton to win games, if they can run the ball heavily and play well on defense. Weather can be a big factor, too.

But on average, QBs will score more against worse defenses. I know, it's a crazy thing to say, and truly stupendous analysis. But if you're splitting hairs between two quarterbacks and one has a significantly easier strength of schedule than the other, that matters quite a bit.

Below is a list of the easiest rest-of-season QB schedules by fantasy points allowed by the opposing defenses, as well as highlights of some of their easiest remaining matchups and those defenses' ranks in FPTs allowed to opposing QBs this season:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars -- Easiest remaining: Chicago Bears (8th-Most), New York Giants (7th-Most), Dallas Cowboys (3rd-Most)
2. Minnesota Vikings -- Easiest remaining: Buffalo Bills (10th-Most), Detroit Lions (Most), Washington Commanders (5th-Most)
3. Washington Commanders -- Easiest remaining: New York Giants (7th-Most), Arizona Cardinals (2nd-Most), Tennessee Titans (11th-Most)
4. Kansas City Chiefs -- Easiest remaining: New York Jets (15th-Most), Arizona Cardinals (2nd-Most), Buffalo Bills (10th-Most)
5. New Orleans Saints -- Easiest Remaining: Chicago Bears (8th-Most), Carolina Panthers (18th-Most), Arizona Cardinals (2nd-Most)
6. New York Giants -- Easiest Remaining: Washington Commanders (5th-Most), Detroit Lions (Most), Dallas Cowboys (3rd-Most)
7. Los Angeles Chargers -- Easiest Remaining: New York Jets (15th-Most), Las Vegas Raiders, (6th-Most), Miami Dolphins (4th-Most)
8. Miami Dolphins -- Easiest Remaining: Detroit Lions (Most), Buffalo Bills (10th-Most), Chicago Bears (8th-Most)
9. Detroit Lions -- Easiest Remaining: Miami Dolphins (4th-Most), Chicago Bears (8th-Most), New York Giants (7th-Most)
10. Buffalo Bills -- Easiest Remaining: New York Jets (15th-Most), Miami Dolphins (4th-Most), Chicago Bears (8th-Most)

Well, that's not super helpful now, is it? Of those teams, you have the Jaguars, Vikings, Commanders, Chiefs, Saints, Lions, and Bills with their QB1 rostered in most leagues.

Good luck if you ever want to start Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, as he's played like one of the worst QBs in the NFL this season. Still, we see Giants quarterback J.J. McCarthy and Dolphins QB Malik Willis as having multiple easy matchups coming up.

2026 Fantasy Strength of Schedule Time Frames

Of course, you're looking to win every game you possibly can, so you're naturally worried about bucketing QBs based on their strength of schedule on a more granular basis. Here are three such buckets we can look at:

• Next Four Games: Weeks 9-12
• Stretch Run: Weeks 13-14
• Fantasy Playoffs: Weeks 15-17

While you should evaluate your roster weekly, it also makes sense to hold on to decently performing QBs if they have an easy matchup in the next week or two, at least.

Strength of Schedule: Next Four Games

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers check in as having the easiest schedule over the next four games. Though they have a bye week in Week 10, soft matchups with the Chicago Bears in Week 9 and the Detroit Lions in Week 11 are ideal for fantasy football quarterback scoring.

What's not ideal is that the Bucs starting QB, Baker Mayfield, is playing through a major thumb injury. He should probably be held out for the rest of the season so it can recover, as it's in his throwing hand, but he's a tough player after all.

The Los Angeles Rams have the second-easiest schedule over the next four weeks due to their upcoming matchups with the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals, two of the worst defenses in the NFL.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (elbow) is dealing with injury issues in his throwing arm and struggled in Week 8, but he's still a top-10 option at his position and should have good performances in Week 9 and Week 10.

Puka Nacua With The Rams Touchdown.

I'm Honestly Just Gonna Call It Early.

The Chargers Are Going To 0-7. 📉⚡ https://t.co/OxWLZFGe22

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) November 1, 2026

It helps to have one of the best receivers in the NFL in WR Puka Nacua.

The No. 3 spot is held by the Seattle Seahawks. Quarterback Sam Darnold (quad) has arguably the best receiver in the NFL in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who elevates Darnold's production to that of a startable fantasy signal-caller.

He won't play in Week 8 due to a quad injury, but in Week 9, he gets the Las Vegas Raiders defense, which is very poor against the pass.

The Washington Commanders are at No. 4, as they see the New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, and Arizona Cardinals in consecutive weeks. All three are solid matchups, with the Cardinals being an elite matchup due to their second-worst-in-the-NFL pass defense.

38-yard TD run! Jayden Daniels is so back

@NYGvsWAS on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/un8ws01KAe

— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

At No. 5, we have the Miami Dolphins. Quarterback Willis is outside the top 15 in scoring at his position, but he's improved in recent weeks and is now a startable fantasy option. Miami has some surprise talent at the WR position, including rookie Caleb Douglas.

Caleb Douglas down to the 6!

NEvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/isSu0BobV9

— NFL (@NFL) November 1, 2026

Checking in at No. 6 is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their starting QB, Trevor Lawrence, just decimated the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8 with three touchdown passes on just 10 completions and 14 pass attempts. He gets to face the Tennessee Titans twice and the New York Giants once.

Trevor Lawrence has reached 15 passing TDs ✅

Season Stats:
1,690 Pass Yds | 17 Pass TD | 4 INT

Season Pace:
4,104 Pass Yds | 41 Pass TD

#DUUUVAL https://t.co/hfQ1x2L8ZJ

— PaceBall (@paceball__) November 2, 2026

No. 7 would be the Indianapolis Colts, with matchups against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9 and the New York Giants in Week 12. Not that you should start Colts quarterback Daniel Jones for any reason.

The New Orleans Saints are at the No. 8 spot. Their starting QB, Shough, has been one of the best in fantasy football this season. He gets favorable matchups with the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals.

What a throw, what a catch.

Touchdown Saints 🫡

#Saints | 📺 FOX https://t.co/wJKYOToT33

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) January 4, 2026

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has the ninth-easiest schedule over the next four weeks, highlighted by the Arizona Cardinals defense mostly, though the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets are also both below average against QBs.

Rounding out the top 10, we have the New York Giants. Quarterback McCarthy is their starter now, but he's thrown just one touchdown pass in two full games as a starter this season. His games against the Washington Commanders and Indianapolis Colts are favorable enough to make him appealing in 2QB leagues, though.

Strength of Schedule: Stretch Run

For the last two weeks of the fantasy football season before typical playoffs start, or Week 13 and Week 14, there are several quarterbacks that have two extremely favorable matchups in a row or at least one matchup against a bottom-5 defense.

The first is Tennessee Titans QB Cam Ward, who will face the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions in consecutive weeks. If there's any stretch for a breakout for him, it's this one.

Lions defensive ranks:

- Total Defense (32 of 32)
- Pass Defense (32 of 32)
- 3rd Down Defense (32 of 32)
- 1st Down Rec% (32 of 32)
- Scrm Plays Against (32 of 32)
- Total EPA (32 of 32)
- Big Plays by Pass (32 of 32)
- Big Plays by Run (32 of 32)
- Pass TDs Allowed (32 of 32) https://t.co/oPOJbKnyMH

— QBgami (@QBgami) October 8, 2026

At No. 2 are the Philadelphia Eagles, who benched QB Tanner McKee and will be starting Joe Milton III.

The No. 3 spot is yet again the Seattle Seahawks. Darnold is a great player to stash for now until he comes back, at which point he can be started in some of these easy matchups, especially in Week 13 against the Dallas Cowboys and Week 14 against the New York Giants.

No. 4 are the Atlanta Falcons, who face the Lions and Browns in that stretch. You pretty much want to be starting any QB that faces the Lions. The Browns defense is tougher, though.

Rounding out the top five are the Dolphins again, who get a nice matchup with the Chicago Bears in Week 14, though their Week 13 matchup with the Denver Broncos is much less than ideal.

The rest of the top 10 are below, along with their ranking in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks so far this season.

• Sixth: Washington Commanders
  • Week 13: Tennessee Titans (11th)
  • Week 14: Houston Texans (12th)
• Seventh: Houston Texans
  • Week 13: Pittsburgh Steelers (29th)
  • Week 14: Washington Commanders (5th)
• Eighth: Cleveland Browns
  • Week 13: Cincinnati Bengals (16th)
  • Week 14: Atlanta Falcons (21st)
• Ninth: Green Bay Packers
  • Week 13: New Orleans Saints (17th)
  • Week 14: Buffalo Bills (10th)
• 10^th: Kansas City Chiefs
  • Week 13: Los Angeles Rams (20th)
  • Week 14: Cincinnati Bengals (16th)

Note that adjustments in the rankings are made due to other factors, such as the Atlanta Falcons rain game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being excluded. The Bucs had no passing production because they didn't need it to win, and their starting QB was injured.

Strength of Schedule: Fantasy Playoffs

The Minnesota Vikings easily have the easiest playoff schedule thanks to their matchups with the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders, who allow 24.8 and 20.0 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, respectively.

So it's probably a good idea to grab Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (hamstring) if you have space to stash him on your bench for now. He's been fine in recent weeks, but should have some really nice games in the playoffs. Murray won't play in Week 9 due to a hamstring issue.

Kyler Murray throws a dot to Jordan Addison.

📺: FOX/FOX One https://t.co/hdeiCJYpiI

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 1, 2026

At No. 2 are the Jacksonville Jaguars. Week 16 against the Dallas Cowboys and Week 17 against the Washington Commanders feature the usual suspects of bad defense.

The New York Giants have games against the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys in Week 16 and Week 17. This is an incredible two-game stretch, and could shift narratives around the Giants' starting QB McCarthy for next season.

https://t.co/OTpIrHIAY2

— Performances (@NotPerformances) October 18, 2026

At No. 4 are the Las Vegas Raiders. Their Week 15 matchup with the Denver Broncos isn't one to get excited about, but then they see the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals the next two weeks. Whoever starts at QB for them is a must-start for that Week 17 game.

Finishing off the top five are the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their starting QB, Aaron Rodgers, has two solid matchups with the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens upcoming.

Fantasy Playoffs schedules:

• Sixth: Cleveland Browns
  • Week 15: New York Giants (7th)
  • Week 16: Baltimore Ravens (13th)
  • Week 17: Indianapolis Colts (14th)
• Seventh: Cincinnati Bengals 
  • Week 15: Carolina Panthers (18th)
  • Week 16: Indianapolis Colts (14th)
  • Week 17: Baltimore Ravens (13th)
• Eighth: Green Bay Packers
  • Week 15: Miami Dolphins (4th)
  • Week 16: Chicago Bears(8th)
  • Week 17: Houston Texans (12th)
• Ninth: Buffalo Bills
  • Week 15: Chicago Bears (8th)
  • Week 16: Denver Broncos (19th)
  • Week 17: Miami Dolphins (4th)
• 10^th: Chicago Bears 
  • Week 15: Buffalo Bills (10th)
  • Week 16: Green Bay Packers (28th)
  • Week 17: Detroit Lions (1st)

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