Quarterbacks Strength of Schedule 2022

Quarterbacks With The Most Favorable Schedules

The most favorable schedules are not likely to help Daniel Jones, Trevor Lawrence, or Carson Wentz reach fantasy relevance, but it bodes well for Russell Wilson who will be under center for the Broncos this season. He has some fantastic weapons in Denver, and early reports indicate that the tempo of the offense is going to be up to him. Wilson is a solid QB1 in an offense that will certainly throw more than his previous team. While he'll have a tough outing in Week 16 against the Rams, his matchup with the Chiefs in the fantasy championship of Week 17 is exactly the kind of game that will help you claim your title.

Jalen Hurts was a great fantasy starter last year and expectations are even higher for 2022 with surrounding talent including A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. He led all quarterbacks last season in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Add in those points that he'll deliver with his legs and Hurts could flirt with Top 5 production by the end of the season. He'll start the year against four straight defenses that rank near the bottom (Detroit, Minnesota, Washington, and Jacksonville), but he won't be so lucky for the fantasy championship weeks as the Cowboys and Saints gave up some of the fewest points to QB's in 2021.

Dak Prescott lost Amari Cooper during the offseason and Michael Gallup is looking shaky for Week 1, but he does still have the talented CeeDee Lamb leading the receiving corp. Dak is coming off a career-high 37 touchdowns last season along with finishing the year as a Top 10 fantasy QB. His days of scrambling and running for the endzone may be over, but his pocket presence and big arm are enough in this offense to make a solid fantasy QB1. An easy schedule is a bonus here.

Quarterbacks With The Least Favorable Schedules

Lamar Jackson scored nearly a third of his points on the ground last season and could very well do the same this season. He has finished either first or second in rushing yards among quarterbacks each year as a starter. The passing game in Baltimore has steadily progressed from dead last in 2020 to 13th last season. 2021 would have been even better if Jackson hadn't missed five games due to injury. He's a consistent contributor who can deliver for your team. His schedule starts off great in Week 1 against the Jets, but he'll face 13 teams who rank in the top half of the NFL. Six of those teams are Top-5 fantasy defenses this season. You're not going to pass on Lamar as a fantasy QB, but he'll have one of the most difficult fantasy schedules of 2022.

Like Jackson above, Kyler Murray has shown improvement in his passing game while focusing on efficiency. With a fresh new contract, Murray is set to deliver for the Cardinals this year. Despite a tough schedule that includes facing the Rams twice, the Patriots, Broncos, and Saints, he has exceptional weapons at his disposal including newly-acquired Marquise Brown. He'll be without DeAndre Hopkins for some time, but when Nuk returns, his arsenal will be complete. Murray only has three games where he'll face a bottom-ranked fantasy defense, but one of them is in Week 1 against Kansas City and again in the championship week 17 against the Falcons.

Patrick Mahomes remains an elite fantasy QB who hasn't finished less than 5th overall among QB's since becoming the starter. The big question here is what impact will the loss of Tyreek Hill have on Mahomes' production. The offensive line in Kansas City remains solid and the Chiefs added JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Skyy Moore to an offense that returns Travis Kelce, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Mecole Hardman so we're bullish on his fantasy floor. If you were hoping for a favorable schedule, we hate to disappoint you. He has just one favorable matchup and that's in Week 10 against Jacksonville. He'll have a full dose of the Broncos in Week 17. Still - Mahomes is one of those players who can and will produce even against tough defenses.

Did Tom Brady actually retire? Does it matter? He'll be under center in September. He doesn't have a brutal schedule (more average) but he'll start the season with a pair of tough matchups against the Cowboys and Saints. His fantasy championship weeks are better but not by much. The Bucs added Julio Jones to an already target-rich receiving corp and few players can spread the ball around better than the GOAT. Whether this is his last season or not, Brady remains a good bet to finish as a Top 10 fantasy QB regardless of schedule.

After dealing with a ligament tear in his knee, Joe Burrow bounced back last year to finish inside the Top 10. Unfortunately, he wasn't the most consistent QB but did deliver when it counted in the fantasy playoffs. The odds of duplicating that seem unlikely as this year he'll have brutal back-to-back games against the Patriots and Bills in Weeks 16 & 17. His projected stats are slightly below his 2021 production, but some regression is to be expected after higher than expected completion rates and yards per pass attempt in 2021. Still Burrows is likely to repeat as a Top 12 fantasy QB.

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