2026 NFL Schedule

The 2026 NFL Schedule has been released, which you can find here 2026 NFL Schedule. It may initially feel like we are playing last year backwards as the Super Bowl LX rematch is kicking off the 2026 season with the New England Patriots visiting the Seattle Seahawks. With the schedule now out, we have another piece of the puzzle as we gear up for the 2026 Fantasy Football Season. There’s a lot to look forward to!

I use strength of schedule for a player as a way to decide on selection after accessing their Ability, Availability, Opportunity and Consistency. It’s certainly not an initial deciding factor if I select a player to my fantasy football team but can be helpful. Plus, since the 2026 NFL Schedule was just released it gives those NFL/Fantasy Football conversations a little more detail, let’s take a look at what’s ahead.

Favorable start to 2026

Just like the NFL, it is great to jump out to a good start in your Fantasy Football Season. You probably can still recover more often (than NFL teams) if you don’t, but a good start is preferred. Below are a few teams that I noticed have some nice/preferred matchups as they start the 2026 NFL Season.

1. New Orleans Saints – DET, BAL, LV, ATL, MIN, NYG
2. Philadelphia Eagles – WAS, TEN, CHI, LAR, JAX, CAR
3. Cleveland Browns – JAX, TB, CAR, PIT, NYJ, BAL
4. Miami Dolphins – LV, SF, KC, MIN, CIN, NYJ
5. New York Giants – DAL, LAR, TEN, ARI, WAS, NO
6. Cincinnati Bengals – TB, HOU, PIT, JAX, MIA, BAL
7. Houston Texans – BUF, CIN, IND, DAL, TEN, JAX
8. Los Angeles Rams – SF, NYG, DEN, PHI, BUF, ARI
9. Minnesota Vikings – GB, CHI, TB, MIA, NO, IND
10. Dallas Cowboys – NYG, WAS, BAL, HOU, TB, GB
11. Green Bay Packers – MIN, NYJ, ATL, TB, CHI, DAL
12. Detroit Lions – NO, BUF, NYJ, CAR, ARI, GB
13. San Francisco 49ers – LAR, MIA, ARI, DEN, SEA, WAS
14. Carolina Panthers – CHI, ATL, CLE, DET, PHI, TB
15. Arizona Cardinals – LAC, SEA, SF, NYG, DET, LAR

Week 1 & 2 Favorable Matchups

If you need a good spot start to start your season in Weeks 1 & 2 of 2026, I believe the below 2 teams will fit that bill for any offensive players looking for early opportunity:

• Los Angeles Chargers – ARI, LV
• Los Angeles Rams – SF, NYG

To come up with the above summary I used the information below in regard to teams who have given up the most points last season (along with 5 more years of history).

Teams who Gave Up the Most Points in the 2025 NFL Season

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New York Jets
3. Cincinnatti Bengals
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Tennessee Titans
6. Washington Commanders
7. New York Giants
8. Las Vegas Raiders
9. Miami Dolphins
10. Chicago Bears
11. Detroit Lions
12. Indianapolis Colts
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14. Atlanta Falcons
15. Baltimore Ravens

Teams likely to Give Up the Most Points in the 2026 NFL Season

Just a quick snapshot of who I anticipate team wise to give up the most points through the 2026 NFL Season. Referencing the history and mixing in some teams that may not be as strong as they were last year in regards to allowing points.

1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Las Vegas Raiders
3. Miami Dolphins
4. New York Jets
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Cincinnatti Bengals
7. Dallas Cowboys
8. Tennessee Titans
9. New York Giants
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
11. Washington Commanders
12. Carolina Panthers
13. Detroit Lions
14. Chicago Bears
15. San Francisco 49ers

Teams Bye Weeks

Along with finding some good matchups please keep in mind when your fantasy football players have their bye week. You don’t need to necessarily draft with your bye week replacement on your team but be aware of when your starters are going to have their bye weeks during the season. You can plan to pick up a week replacement ahead of time (a week or two if able) so please keep the bye weeks in mind as you go through your 2026 Fantasy Football Season.

Bye Week	Teams
5	Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs
6	Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings
7	Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders
8	Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers
9	Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans
10	Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11	Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks
13	Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets
14	Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys
	Always keep in mind where the Bye Week lands especially as you get multiple players at the same position. Again not a determining factor of who to select but something to be aware of.

2026 NFL Schedule Final Thoughts

Now that the 2026 NFL Schedule is out, we have a framework set for the NFL and Fantasy Football matchups to anticipate this upcoming year. Certainly, consider this as you create your 2026 Fantasy Football teams but don’t forget to consider Ability, Availability, Opportunity and Consistency before their Advantage/Upside – Matchup against a particular team. We have taken another step closer to the start of the 2026 Fantasy Football Season. Who has opportunity for Targets? Who will have the chance for Touchdowns? If you believe a player is in line for either, you know I would be interested in them!

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Targets and TDs Fantasy Football

Find players with: Ability – Availability – Opportunity – Consistency – Advantage/Upside – Matchup

Players on an offensive team that can get many Targets and Touchdowns, you know I would be interested in them! Statistics courtesy of The Football Database , a great resource for your NFL players statistics. If you enjoyed the article please share it with others (via the social media links).

Enjoy the ride throughout the 2026 Fantasy Football Season!