QB Fantasy Football Playoffs Strength of Schedule - Best/Worst Quarterback Matchups

John looks at QB fantasy football playoffs strength of schedules, the best/worst quarterback matchups for 2025 fantasy football playoffs (Weeks 15, 16, 17).

We've already seen the Atlanta Falcons play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. On Thursday Night Football, the Bucs shockingly collapsed, losing to Atlanta 28-29. If you started Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, you're probably very happy with his performance.

He completed 30 of his 44 attempts for 373 yards and three touchdowns, with all his scores being caught by tight end Kyle Pitts. You'll have to hope you didn't play against either of those guys. Otherwise, your season might be coming to a swift end in the first round of the playoffs.

If you're lucky enough not to have faced them, you'd probably benefit by having one of the quarterbacks talked about in this piece. Obviously, the stud QB we'll cover is rostered in nearly every league already. But it's worth reading on if you're nervous about starting him or if you need him at the position moving forward. Let's dive into the best and worst strengths of schedule for quarterbacks for the fantasy football playoffs in 2025!

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

Best QB1 Stud for Fantasy Football Playoffs

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens 

It's been a rough season for Jackson. He started the year looking like his 2024 self -- highly efficient through the air, mediocre passing yard totals but a high rate of touchdown passes, and a fair amount of rushing to boost his upside. But he got injured in Week 4 and was out of action for four weeks.

Even when he returned, in Week 9, he wasn't his former self. He crushed the hapless Miami Dolphins defense that week but threw just one touchdown pass and two interceptions in his next four games. He also fumbled the ball four times, losing two of them in a disaster against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Lamar Jackson doesn’t throw a lot of interceptions but he does fumble the ball at a very high rate. pic.twitter.com/kWhyynzP6A

— Footballholics (@Footballholics2) November 28, 2025

Jackson's turnovers are, at times, comical. But he seemed to return to form in Week 14, after three straight games with single-digit PPR fantasy points, by throwing for a touchdown and rushing for another, finishing with just under 22.1 fantasy points.

It appears that he's getting healthier. He didn't practice with his team on Wednesday, but returned to practice on Thursday. This will likely be a theme the rest of the season as they manage his workload, but the stats suggest he's getting healthier.

Fantasy Playoffs Strength of Schedule:

The Ravens will face the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, and Green Bay Packers in the fantasy playoffs. The Bengals have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, though they were able to exploit Jackson in Week 13, forcing three turnovers.

Divisional games are strange sometimes, but he should be able to get back on track. He could have had two passing touchdowns in that game, but a tacky offensive pass interference penalty called back a would-be touchdown to wide receiver Zay Flowers, and tight end Isaiah Likely fumbled another would-be touchdown pass through the endzone, resulting in a touchback for Cincy.

Pass Interference on Zay Flowers and it wipes away the touchdown pic.twitter.com/k7XWHC4mXN

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) November 28, 2025

Jackson should have a better game this time around. The Bengals are awful against tight ends, and the Ravens target their TE room quite heavily because they refuse to draft or trade for a true WR1. The Patriots have been similarly bad against quarterbacks in fantasy football despite touting elite cornerback Christian Gonzalez.

They allow an average of 2.1 more schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. The Packers are a tougher defense, so they'll not be so easy for Jackson to carve up, at least on paper. But he'll presumably get healthier each week, so he should be fine for that game.

Honorable Mentions for Best QB1 Fantasy Playoff Schedules:

• Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals - BAL, @MIA, ARI
• Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams - DET, @SEA, @ATL

Best Sleeper QB for Fantasy Football Playoffs

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers 

Purdy is just three weeks removed from an awful game against the Carolina Panthers. He threw for 193 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in an upset loss to what was viewed as one of the worst teams in the league. But their defense has played surprisingly well this year.

His 200-yard, three-touchdown game against the Arizona Cardinals a week earlier is more characteristic of his highly efficient play on one of the best offenses in the NFL. And in Week 15, Week 16, and Week 17, he'll face the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Bears.

Another look at the Brock Purdy Dougie 💀 pic.twitter.com/U5YkC9cuhx

— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) November 30, 2025

In previous seasons (that means one year), Purdy was a clear top-10 QB. But San Francisco has dealt with a huge number of injuries to their offense, and it doesn't seem like the players remaining are all playing at full health. But it's fine to trust Purdy.

Fantasy Playoffs Strength of Schedule:

The aforementioned teams all allow above-average fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. While the Colts have been good at containing the rushing production of opposing QBs, they've been leakier against the pass, and their best cornerback, Sauce Gardner II (calf) might be playing through injury if he even takes the field in that game.

The Bears have struggled with injuries in their secondary, and even though some of their best players are returning, they could be returning early to play through their injuries as well. The Titans, meanwhile, just got absolutely demolished by rookie Browns QB Shedeur Sanders.

a thing of beauty!#TENvsCLE on Fox and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/sX35FjH3sP

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 7, 2025

It should be no issue for Purdy and the 49ers to crush the Titans. We might not see a ton of passing volume there, as that game might be a blowout, but having running back Christian McCaffrey to gain big yardage on screens and dump-off passes helps boost Purdy's stat lines, too.

You should be able to start him with confidence in each game of the playoffs, despite his tumultuous season so far.

Honorable Mentions for Best Fantasy Playoff Sleeper QBs:

• Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins - @PIT, CIN, TB
• Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers -- MIA, @DET, @CLE

Best QB Streamer for Fantasy Football Playoffs

Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders

The Commanders will be rolling with Mariota for at least Week 15. And the way things are going, it's probably better for them to just shut down their starting QB, Jayden Daniels (elbow), for the season. He suffered a dislocated elbow in Week 9, took four weeks off, then re-aggravated the injury in Week 14.

Mariota has been a solid fantasy option when he's played. He still has quite a bit of rushing upside, and the fully healthy WR room of Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel Sr. has helped him be quite effective when all three are playing.

That's Marcus MarioTa to you.

DENvsWAS on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/ogVPb0MAlA

— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2025

He scored over 24 fantasy points against the Denver Broncos in Week 13 by completing 28 of his 50 pass attempts for 294 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, and rushing 10 times for 55 yards. Denver has an elite defense, so having any kind of success against them is quite impressive.

Fantasy Playoffs Strength of Schedule:

The New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys await the Commanders in the fantasy football playoffs. Philly has an excellent defense, but the Giants and Cowboys are absolutely putrid at defending the pass. QBs this year have had a ton of success against them.

Washington's offense is one of the better in the NFL when McLaurin is healthy. It's hard to understate his impact on his team. If Mariota can play well against the Broncos, he can probably put up nice numbers against the Giants and Cowboys. The Commanders have an awful defense, so they're forced into passing situations more on offense, which helps as well.

Honorable Mention for Best Fantasy Playoff QB Streamers:

• Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons - @TB (already played), @ARI, LAR
• Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints - CAR, NYJ, @TEN
• Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers - @NO, TB, SEA
• J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings - @DAL, @NYG, DET

Tough QB1 Matchups for Fantasy Football Playoffs

Patrick Mahomes II, Kansas City Chiefs 

Mahomes is the QB2 in fantasy football right now, but he had just 9.3 fantasy points in Week 14 against the Houston Texans. The team's pass-catchers are simply not suited for producing against tough defenses. WR Rashee Rice is not a typical great route-runner, and tight end Travis Kelce is just too old.

WRs Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy have been very disappointing this year, too. Worthy is looking like a bust of a first-round draft pick. He's fast, but doesn't have much else to offer in Chiefs head coach Andy Reid's scheme. Mahomes has rushing upside, but against good defenses, the whole offense struggles.

Their offensive line has also played poorly this season, largely due to left tackle Josh Simmons (wrist) missing time due to a personal matter and a wrist issue. He's now on injured reserve. He won't be eligible to return to play during the regular season.

Fantasy Playoffs Strength of Schedule:

A Week 15 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers and a Week 17 date with the Denver Broncos are looming. They have two of the best pass defenses in the NFL. That matches up well with the Chiefs offense, which doesn't have much of a run game to lean on.

Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans will be nice, but the other two games will be tough. Mahomes had just over 14.3 fantasy points against the Broncos the first time around, so projecting him for much more doesn't make a lot of sense. While he's one of the best fantasy QBs in football, Week 15 and Week 17 might be games in which you want to have another good quarterback to put in your fantasy lineups.

Honorable Mentions for QB1s with Tough Fantasy Playoff Schedules:

• Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills - @NE, @CLE, PHI
• Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys - MIN, LAC, @WAS
• Jared Goff, Detroit Lions - @LAR, PIT, @MIN

Rookie QB Matchups for Fantasy Football Playoffs

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans

Cam Ward had a solid game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 14, at least by real football standards. And he was able to make things happen in garbage time in Week 12 against the Seattle Seahawks. But Ward has had a miserable first season in the NFL.

His head coach was fired earlier in the year due to the offensive scheme being completely inept, among other things. They're not a well-coached team, and there's very little pass-catching talent on the roster. The offense is a barren wasteland in general, lacking difference-makers at any position.

Devin Bush intercepts Cam Ward!

TENvsCLE on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/adKxo8zSCL

— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025

The narrative around rookie quarterbacks tends to point to a few positive or impressive plays they make and use that to qualify why they haven't been good. Ward has been inconsistent, at times making nice plays, but at other times not throwing with timing and running himself into sacks trying to improvise.

He also throws some ugly interceptions. He'd probably be mostly fine if he had talent around him and a good coaching staff, though. But if the Titans don't get a great head coach and offensive coaching staff in 2025, it might be ugly. They're in the midst of a multi-year rebuild.

Fantasy Playoffs Strength of Schedule:

The San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints will be the Titans' opponents in the next three weeks. Things start fine in Week 15, but the Chiefs and Saints have two of the best defenses in the NFL in terms of shutting down opposing quarterbacks.

Both allow 2.3 fewer schedule-adjusted points per game to opposing signal-callers. The positional matchups are horrendous, too, as the Titans' lack of talent at receiver is biting them hard. There's little reason to start Ward anyway, even in superflex leagues, but the last few games of the season could be a disaster for him.

Honorable Mentions for Rookie QBs:

• New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart has a middle-of-the-road strength of schedule in the fantasy playoffs
• Browns QB Shedeur Sanders has a top-5 easiest strength of schedule for Weeks 15-17
• Saints rookie QB Shough has begun to show upside with his legs and could be a viable streamer in deeper leagues in Week 17, facing the Titans.

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