We’ve previously published an article series analyzing and grading all the NFL defenses, division by division. Now we’re going to look at the strength of schedules of each NFL team, division by division, to help you identify players with the best matchups vs. the league’s weakest defenses.

Today we provide NFC North strength of schedule analysis. For each team, we will identify players that we like and don’t like. You will see four categories: players to target, players to avoid, players to buy and players to sell. Let’s get to it.

Editor’s Note: Be sure to read more about fantasy football strength of schedule (SOS) analysis, broken down by division and team, to prepare for your drafts and dominate your leagues. 

 

NFC North – Strength of Schedule Breakdown

NFC North Opponents in 2015: NFC North, NFC West, AFC West

 

Minnesota Vikings – Players to Target and Avoid

The best move the Vikings made this off-season wasn’t necessarily a move at all. It was getting their best player, and arguably the best player in the entire NFL, back on the field. The 2015 season will usher in the return of Adrian Peterson after a year long absence and should immediately change the face of what was an average Minnesota offense a year ago. The addition of speedster Mike Wallace on the outside won’t hurt either, and neither will a full off-season of work for youngsters Teddy Bridgewater and Charles Johnson. All in all, we could very well see a scary offense rise in Minnesota this coming year, which is good, because the Vikings’ schedule is demanding.

Minnesota opens the season at San Francisco, then embarks on a rough month and a half in which the young team faces the Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos, and Lions twice. If the defense doesn’t hold up, that could mean plenty of playing from behind which doesn’t bode well for Peterson and the running game. Matchups against Oakland and Chicago make the middle of the season alright, but a Week 13 tilt against the Seahawks and a Week 14 matchup at Arizona prove ugly fantasy playoff matchups.

Players to Reach For

Charles Johnson lit it up near the end of last season, and has continued to show a great deal of chemistry with Bridgewater this preseason. He offers WR2 potential with an even higher ceiling yet is going as a WR4 or WR5 in some drafts.

Players to Avoid

Injuries are the bane of any fantasy football player’s existence, and Kyle Rudolph has proven himself brittle time and time again. The TE class is weak this season—like usual—but any TE is better than one on IR.

Players to Look to Buy Low

It sounds almost insane to say it, but if the Vikings struggle in that rough start to the season you could see fantasy player’s who drafted Peterson high looking to sell. That's a long shot, though.

Players to Look to Sell High

If Bridgewater is allowed to air it out in the first few weeks of the season, the sophomore QB could put up numbers good enough to make him a valuable trade chip come bye weeks. He’s worth snagging if he goes undrafted purely for that purpose.

 

Green Bay Packers – Players to Target and Avoid

Losing Jordy Nelson for the season was certainly a blow to a high powered Green Bay passing attack, but a plethora of young talent waiting in the wings could more than make up for it. Aaron Rodgers remains a top-3 pick at the QB position, and the Packers offense remains one of the most dangerous in the entire NFL. Faults in the defense, though, may hurt the running game.

As for the Packers’ schedule, it proves a bit more front heavy than the Vikings and offers a lot more hope come fantasy playoff time. The Packers will take on the Seahawks in Week 2, then the Chiefs the week after, and could plausibly find themselves 1 – 2 heading into a Week 4 tilt against the 49ers. A Week 13 matchup at Detroit and a Week 14 matchup against the Cowboys could prove fruitful for fantasy owners, though, as both games could very well be shoot outs.

Players to Reach For

Whoever mans the Packers’ outside WR position in the wake of Nelson’s injury, whether it be Jeff Janis or Davante Adams, is certainly someone to reach a bit for. Everyone else knows that, though, so don’t get caught reaching too far.

Players to Avoid

The Green Bay TE position always seems to be an inconsistent one. The team simply has too many talented receivers to feed every pair of pass catching hands out there, which makes Richard Rogers a guy to think twice about this coming season. And with Eddie Lacy set for a solid workload, any of the Packers’ backup RB likely aren’t worth the draft pick as well.

Players to Look to Buy Low

Randal Cobb’s recent shoulder injury could have him less than 100% come Week 1, which could hurt his production early on. If that happens, don’t hesitate to swoop in and buy low.

Players to Look to Sell High

Whichever WR steps up to replace Nelson will likely start out strong. That’s the nature of this offense. Season long production is harder to find, though, which could make either Janis or Adams sell high candidates early on.

 

Detroit Lions – Players to Target and Avoid

The Lions morphed into a run-heavy, defensive team in 2014, which severely hurt the statistics of Matthew Stafford and the passing game. That may not be the case in 2015, however, with Ndomokung Suh in Miami and Calvin Johnson fully healthy. Golden Tate also brings a lot to the table, having shined in Johnson’s absence last season, and the addition of Ameer Abdullah through the draft could add give the Lions what they had a few years back in Reggie Bush. Overall, a defense minus its best player and an offense fully healthy and fully loaded should usher in the return of the volatile offense we’re used to in Detroit—and they’ll need it.

Detroit opens up 2015 against the Chargers, Vikings, Broncos, Seahawks, and Cardinals in that order. There are a whole lot of good NFL teams that would find themselves 2 – 3 or worse after a stretch like that, and the Lions offense, as talented as it may be, could find rough sledding early in this coming season.

It gets easier from there, though, with a couple of matchups against the Bears and tilts with the Raiders and 49ers as well. Week 13 has the Lions up against the Packers in what could be a lucrative shoot out, and Week 14 brings the Rams.

Players to Reach For

One lost season seems to have made people forget that Megatron has been the best receiver in the game for the better part of the last decade. Sometimes going fourth or fifth amongst WR, Johnson could be well worth a slight reach.

Players to Avoid

I actually don’t like Tate this year. Yes, last season’s stats looked great as Tate flourished in his first season with the Lions, but the former Seahawk was an average wide out at best whenever Johnson played, and may not live up to last season’s numbers.

Players to Look to Buy Low

If Stafford struggles through that brutal early season stretch—and he likely will—the QB should prove a great option to buy low on. Plenty of matchups against weaker defenses could make Stafford a valuable player down the stretch.

Players to Look to Sell High

If Joquie Bell gets off to a hot start, it’s safe to trade him. Abdullah is younger and more explosive and will likely eat into Bell’s playing time at some point this season, it’s just a matter of when.

 

Chicago Bears – Players to Target and Avoid

Losing Brandon Marshall didn’t seem so bad when the Bears drafted Kevin White, but with White out for an extended period of time Chicago could hurt in the passing game this season. Jay Cutler still has a rocket arm, though, and Marquise Wilson was touted in the past as a future breakout candidate, which should at least present the Bears with enough weapons to be respectable. Matt Forte should also fall back into more of a true RB role with Mark Trestman gone to Baltimore, which seems bittersweet for the fantasy stud’s production in 2015. Either way, a defense that’s bound to give up points helps the outlook of nearly every Bears’ offensive player.

Same as their division rivals, the early season schedule for Chicago seems a bit daunting with games at Seattle and Kansas City. Week 13 and 14 matchups against the 49ers and Redskins, respectively, may be the most promising fantasy playoff matchups in the division, though.

Players to Reach For

Wilson has accrued a great deal of hype ever since White went down for the majority of the season, and could be well worth the reach. Martellus Bennet, a relatively underrated TE as it is, could also be worth reaching for.

Players to Avoid

Like I said earlier, Forte could fall back into more of a traditional RB role this season without Marc Trestman calling the shots. Given the team’s rough schedule and poor defense, that could be a pretty long fall. Forte isn’t necessarily a player to avoid, but not one to reach for above other top RBs.

Players to Look to Buy Low

It seems more likely than not that Forte and Bears running game struggle a bit over the first chunk of the season, so instead of spending a top draft pick on the RB simply wait and hope to buy low.

Players to Look to Sell High

A rough start to the year suggests any Bear who breaks out early and often will likely sustain a semblance of that pace for the rest of 2015. Hesitate to sell high, especially in the passing game.

 

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