NFL Schedule Release: Strength of Schedule Winners and Losers for 2025

Strength of schedule is a draft tool that can help when making decisions between several players at the same ADP, regardless of fantasy football format. There are several ways to calculate an NFL team’s SOS; the first is by using the combined records of a team’s opponents from the previous season.

This method does have its share of flaws, due to free agency, injuries, trades, and the NFL Draft. Using last year’s winning percentage method, here’s how all 32 teams pan out in terms of strength of schedule.

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All 32 teams' strength of schedule next season 📊 @CaesarsSports pic.twitter.com/1O4bEFH2cl

— NFL (@NFL) May 9, 2025

Sharp Football Analysis offered a different approach, one that uses projected win totals from Vegas. While neither method is perfect, using estimated data from the 2025 season gives us a more focused and current outlook rather than using last year’s information to attempt to predict what’s to come.

*table is taken from Sharp Analysis

Winners

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers do begin 2025 with two road games against Seattle and New Orleans, but could easily be 4-0 before facing a tough Rams team in Week 5. The NFC West gets the NFC South in 2025, which means tilts against the Falcons, Panthers, and Bucs, who are projected to average 7.5 wins between them. Since San Francisco ended 2024 last in their own division, they will also face the last-place finishers in the NFC East (Giants) and NFC North (Bears).

Drafting 49ers is easier this year than in recent seasons, as only two players are being selected in the first five rounds in Underdog best ball, with perennial first-rounder Christian McCaffrey falling to the top of Round 2 as the RB5, and George Kittle leaving boards as the TE3 at spot 5.04. The WR corps is all lumped in close together as fantasy WR4s, with Jauan Jennings, Rickey Pearsall, and Brandon Aiyuk's ADPs checking in as 6.06, 7.07. and 7.10, respectively.

Their signal caller, Brock Purdy, is the QB12 at 10.01, making him easily stackable with CMC and at least one or more of his WRs. We can't forget about Isaac Guerendo, who, as the RB 2 in a Kyle Shanahan offense, is always in the conversation. Guerendo averaged 11.8 per contest in half-PPR scoring when starting for McCaffrey in 2024, and he's a solid value right now as the RB44 at spot 12.11.

Buffalo Bills

Three of the Bills' first four games in 2025 are at home, and their one road contest is still in-state against the Jets. The AFC East has yet to find an answer for Josh Allen, as he scored 11 touchdowns in five games against the Jets, Dolphins, and Patriots in 2024 (Allen sat out in Week 18 vs. NE). You'll have to pay up for the reigning MVP, though, as he's the QB1 with an ADP of 3.11 in Underdog drafts.

As the RB10 in half-PPR scoring on a per-game basis last year, James Cook is leaving boards as the RB14 at 4.05, with sophomore Ray Davis very much in play in best ball formats as the RB46 in the early 13th round. As they have been since Stefon Diggs left, the Buffalo WRs are inexpensive and not the easiest to figure out. Khalil Shakir should be a key part of the passing game as the slot guy for Allen, and he's the first off draft boards as WR45 at 7.08. Sophomore Keon Coleman flashed at times last season but sustained a wrist injury that derailed any hopes of a breakout. He's currently 4for4's WR51, and he's being drafted as the WR55. Newcomers Joshua Palmer and Curtis Samuel have settled as the WR66 and WR117, as their May ADPs.

Dalton Kincaid is appearing on plenty of sleeper lists this season as a bounce-back candidate in Year 3, and he's currently the TE14. If he can stay healthy, the 25-year-old makes for a great stack with Allen and could be s steal at 12.04.

New England Patriots

The Pats are sitting pretty in the schedule department in 2025. Mike Vrabel's coaching era starts with three of their four contests at home, with Vegas, Pittsburgh, and Carolina all coming to Gillette Stadium in September. They do face the Bills in Week 5, but then get the Saints, Titans, Browns, and Falcons to follow in the next four weeks. There's also a later matchup with the Giants and, of course, two games against the Jets in the mix.

New England may not be the most trustworthy offense for fantasy purposes, but we can't ignore Drake Maye's value as a dual-threat QB. He showed impressive skills as a rookie in a terrible offense last season, throwing 15 touchdowns and adding 409 rushing yards with two more scores in the games he started. Maye is the QB16 right now on Underdog, but could be a fantasy QB1 if this offense can take off. Rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson is the most expensive piece of the Patriots at RB20 at 6.02, but the rest of the offense presents some low-value high-upside, especially with the cushy schedule.

Honorable Mention:

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: They have arguably the easiest divisional opponents and only have to leave Florida once over the final six weeks.

Losers

New York Giants

The Giants were already down bad roster-wise, but then got an awful schedule draw. They open with two tough division games back to back, both on the road, then come home to face the Chiefs and Chargers. There's also a late Week 14 bye, which doesn't help.

Malik Nabors checks in as the WR5 at the 1.09, with RBs Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy leaving boards together as RB31 and RB32, respectively, in the ninth round. Everyone else beyond that is nothing more than a dart throw as the passing pecking order gets very muddy after Nabors.

Cleveland Browns

We're looking at another kick them when they're down situation for the Browns. It's hard to picture much production from this offense with the current roster this season, then throw in a schedule that starts with the fellow AFC North Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Lions, and Vikings and it's even harder to select these guys in fantasy drafts.

The QB room is five deep right now with no clarity in sight, and Jerry Jeudy is their WR1 being drafted as a fantasy WR4 currently. The RB depth chart is also convoluted with rookie Quinshon Judkins (RB23), Dylan Sampson (53), and Jerome Ford (RB63) all possibly forming some sort of committee. David Njoku could be the safest option, and he's experiencing bad QB bias as the TE12, but he's 4for4's TE5 in the early ranks.

Detroit Lions

This high-powered offense will still be heavily sought after in fantasy drafts, but their schedule won't make things easy. They get the Packers, Bears, and Ravens from the jump, and then their easiest game of the season against the Giants at home is smack between a Sunday Night tilt in Philly and the Thanksgiving contest against the Packers. As if that weren't enough, seven of their nine road games in 2025 are all outside.

Detroit has two first-rounders in Underdog drafts (Jahmyr Gibbs 1.06 & Amon-Ra St. Brown 1.10), followed by Jameson Williams as the WR29 with an ADP of 5.02, then TE Sam LaPorta (6.08), and David Montgomery, who checks in as the RB24. Signal caller Jared Goff is just outside of QB1 territory as the QB13 so far in 2025. Rookie Isaac TesSlaa is an interesting last-round stab as the WR86.

Honorable Mention:

• Minnesota Vikings: As part of the NFC North, they got screwed by having to face the NFC East and the AFC North on top of their own tough division. After an early Week 6 bye, Minnesota gets the Eagles, Chargers, Lions, and Ravens, then ends the season with rivals Lions and Packers.