Camps are almost here. Can you feel it? I’m starting to get really excited about the upcoming season. Every year it feels like the best season yet and I’m my anticipation for the season grows stronger. In this edition of the
Brew Crew Corner, we look at Strength of Schedule at a glance.
One of the key factors I look at when putting together my draft board is looking at the strength of schedule of teams. I first look at the overall strength of schedule to get a feel for what teams are up against heading into the season. I then look at individual positions and how they will perform week to week.
In Part I of SOS 08, we will look at the overall team’s opponents win vs. losses.
2008 NFL STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE FOR TEAMS |
||||
Group |
Team |
2007 Opponent win pct. |
2007 Opponent Wins |
2007 Opponent Losses |
A |
Patriots |
0.387 |
99 |
157 |
|
Chargers |
0.422 |
108 |
148 |
B |
Raiders |
0.438 |
112 |
144 |
|
Broncos |
0.445 |
114 |
142 |
|
Saints |
0.449 |
115 |
141 |
|
Bills |
0.449 |
115 |
141 |
C |
Chiefs |
0.453 |
116 |
140 |
|
Jets |
0.457 |
117 |
139 |
|
Falcons |
0.461 |
118 |
138 |
|
Panthers |
0.465 |
119 |
137 |
|
Dolphins |
0.465 |
119 |
137 |
|
Cardinals |
0.465 |
119 |
137 |
|
Buccaneers |
0.469 |
120 |
136 |
D |
Seahawks |
0.477 |
122 |
134 |
|
49ers |
0.484 |
124 |
132 |
|
Rams |
0.488 |
125 |
131 |
E |
Giants |
0.52 |
133 |
123 |
|
Eagles |
0.52 |
133 |
123 |
|
Cowboys |
0.523 |
134 |
122 |
|
Redskins |
0.523 |
134 |
122 |
F |
Packers |
0.531 |
136 |
120 |
|
Bears |
0.531 |
136 |
120 |
|
Titans |
0.543 |
139 |
117 |
|
Lions |
0.543 |
139 |
117 |
G |
Browns |
0.547 |
140 |
116 |
|
Texans |
0.547 |
140 |
116 |
|
Bengals |
0.547 |
140 |
116 |
|
Ravens |
0.551 |
141 |
115 |
|
Vikings |
0.551 |
141 |
115 |
|
Jaguars |
0.559 |
143 |
113 |
H |
Colts |
0.594 |
152 |
104 |
|
Steelers |
0.598 |
153 |
103 |
As you look at the chart, I have divided them into groups from A-H into colors separated every 5 total wins.
Last years’ AFC Championship game featured the Chargers against the Patriots. This year they each have the easiest schedule. The Patriots, who faced scrutiny all season long for Spy Gate, finished with a 16-0 record and have a good chance to repeat that record as they face the weakest schedule in the league. That’s equivalent to facing teams that are 6-10 all year long. The Chargers who had 11 wins last year have a good chance of matching or surpassing that win total provided their key players can return healthy. Everyone will be looking at their week 6 match-up as
Let us look at the Group B,
Group C has three teams who finished with 4-12 in
This is when the schedule starts getting tough as the teams in Group D face close to .500 teams. All three teams are in the same division but
Group E is the first group that will face teams averaging above .500. Every team in this group is in the NFC East. 3 of the 4 teams made the playoffs lead by the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. This division will be tough again and the teams will slug it out for playoff spots.
Group F has two teams,
Alge Crumpler who will be
Vince Young‘s security outlet if Crumpler can stay healthy.
Group G has the second largest group who face a very hard road. Teams they face average a record of 9-7. Of this group, only
The last group, Group H has two teams,
Strength of schedule can be a very effective Fantasy Football tool to use as you will be faced with juggling your line up to fill holes left by injuries and bye weeks. By using SOS you can select players that will have a better chance to score more points for you.
My next articles will look at SOS by position as the overall Strength of schedule does not always paint the full picture. For instance, the Vikings last year had the #1 run defense in the league giving up just 74.1 yds a game. They also had the leagues #32 pass defense giving up 264.1 yds a game. This would mean your RB would have a very tough game facing this defense but your QB and WR could have a very favorable match up against the same defense. With the addition of
Jerad Allen, the Vikings run defense will remain one of the best in the league in 2008.
Good Luck with your upcoming drafts and thanks again for reading.