Fantasy football is 50 percent luck and 50 percent skill. You never know what’s going to happen with injuries, but all you can do on draft night is make sure you assemble the best team possible, and then you just have to hope everyone stays healthy.

Getting talented players is obviously very important in fantasy football, but so is drafting players with an easy schedule. What good is a top-10 running back going to do for you when they have to play an absolute gauntlet? I’d rather have the RB15 with an easy schedule than the RB9 with a brutal one.

That’s what I’m here to talk about today. I used Full Time Fantasy’s strength of schedule tool to figure out which players have the easiest schedule at every single position.

Do note that these rankings are based on how defenses performed last year. Obviously, there were trades, free agent signings and draft picks that will change how good or bad some defenses are, but for now, this is the best guess we have.

Quarterback

1. Jalen Hurts

Jalen Hurts has the easiest schedule for fantasy football quarterbacks, which is largely aided by the fact that the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders and New York Giants all ranked in the bottom-eight against QBs last year. They all gave up 18+ PPG to QBs, so Hurts gets six games against what should be pretty bad defenses, even though Dallas and Washington improved.

The Eagles will also play Chicago, Tennessee and Arizona this year, all of whom struggled against QBs last season.

While Hurts’ schedule is probably a bit tougher than it appears on paper, based on the fact that Dallas and Washington both got better defensively, he’s going to have a pretty easy go of it in fantasy.

2. Cam Ward

I was pretty surprised to see that Cam Ward is going to have the second-easiest schedule for fantasy quarterbacks, given he has to play Houston twice, but it makes sense. Tennessee finished fourth in their division, so they get to play the Jets, Giants, Browns and Raiders this year, as well as the Bengals, Colts and Cowboys, who don’t have the best secondaries.

Ward wasn’t a great fantasy option last year, but now he has real weapons on the outside in the form of Carnell Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson. I expect him to be a solid backup option in most leagues.

3. Deshaun Watson/Shedeur Sanders

This one is…Yeah, this one probably won’t help you out. I don’t foresee anyone really drafting Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson this year, but if you do, at least they have an easy schedule! But, yeah, I won’t waste too much time talking about this one, because they won’t come into play in 99.99 percent of leagues.

4. Jaxson Dart

But this one is much more exciting! Jaxson Dart, who, when on the field was really good last year, has the fourth-easiest schedule for fantasy quarterbacks. He gets to play Dallas and Washington twice, but they also get to play the Titans, Cardinals, Colts and Lions, who don’t have great secondaries.

A lot of people are high on Dart heading into his second year, and if he can stay healthy, he could have a top-10 fantasy QB season with this schedule.

5. C.J. Stroud

C.J. Stroud has not lived up to the hype since his stellar rookie season in 2023, but he has a pretty favorable schedule, and he knows he needs to be better this year, or else he’s not going to get a lucrative second contract. With some solid weapons, an improved offensive line and run game, and a schedule that includes teams like the Titans, Cowboys, Bengals, Giants and Browns, Stroud could have a sneaky good season in 2026.

Running Back

1. Kyren Williams

Kyren Williams has three straight top-10 finishes in fantasy, but yet he’s never drafted as a top-10 back. That should change this year. Blake Corum isn’t coming for his spot like everyone has suggest for two years, and now he has the easiest schedule of any running back in fantasy, playing defenses such as the Giants, Bills, Cardinals (2x), Raiders, Commanders and Cowboys, all of whom struggled against the run last year.

2. Jacory Croskey-Merritt

Jacory Croskey-Merritt was the talk of the fantasy offseason last year, and while he had some good games, he was largely disappointing in 2025. However, with Jayden Daniels healthy and what should be an easier schedule, he might be a solid backup in 2026. He gets the Cowboys and Giants twice, as well as the Cardinals, Bengals and Titans.

He won’t be an every week starter, but should be a solid depth piece.

3. Travis Etienne

Travis Etienne returned to form last year, rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring 13 touchdowns, and now he’s with Kellen Moore in New Orleans, who was the play caller for Saquon Barkley’s 2,000-yard season. I’m not saying Etienne is going to rush for 2,000 yards, but Moore loves to run the football, and the Saints have a very friendly schedule, facing teams like the Raiders, Giants, Browns, Buccaneers, Bears, Bengals and Panthers, all of whom were towards the bottom of the league in PPG allowed to RBs.

The Saints’ offense should be much improved this year, and Etienne will be one of the main beneficiaries.

4. Zach Charbonnet/Jadarian Price

The Seahawks are one of the teams with the easiest RB schedule, but the hard part is going to be picking between Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price. I’ve never been a big Charbonnet fan, and we all saw how much better Kenneth Walker was than him last year, and I think Price could end up being the lead back by Thanksgiving. Pick your poison, because one of the two could have a big year.

5. Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley is another Eagle on this list, once again largely due to the fact that they get to play Dallas, Washington and New York – all of whom were bottom-five in stopping opposing RBs last year – for six of their games this season. But that’s not all. Arizona was the third-worst RB defense in fantasy last season.

I will say Barkley’s playoff run is going to be pretty tough. The Eagles will face Seattle, San Francisco in Houston in Weeks 15-17, so keep that in mind.

Wide Receiver

1. DeVonta Smith

Yet another Eagle makes it onto this list. DeVonta Smith supposedly has the easiest schedule of any receiver in the league, once again largely due to who’s in their division. I know the Eagles didn’t have a great passing attack last year, but if Sean Mannion can turn the play calling around, Smith could outperform his ADP.

And this is great news for Makai Lemon, too. He may not be super involved early, but by midseason, he could be a sleeper.

2. Malik Nabers

Malik Nabers’s quarterback made it onto the QB list, so it’s only right he makes it onto the WR list. As I mentioned, the Giants get to play Dallas and Washington, along with teams like Titans, Cardinals, Colts and the Lions, all of whom have secondaries Nabers could take advantage of.

The only thing with Nabers is, will he be healthy? He had a second surgery on his knee, and nobody really knows how healthy he’ll be come Week 1. He could be on the field, but will he be 100 percent?

The schedule is there for a top-10 finish in fantasy, but he has to be on the field to make it happen.

3. Carnell Tate

The Titans invested the fourth overall pick in the draft in Carnell Tate, and now it’s his turn to deliver. With the third-easiest wide receiver schedule and a second-year quarterback that desperately needed a receiver like Tate last year, he should be in line for a pretty big rookie season.

This also bodes well for Wan’Dale Robinson, who should see quite a bit of work in the slot for Tennessee. Both of these guys could have really strong 2026 campaigns.

4. Denzel Boston/KC Concepcion

Cleveland’s quarterback situation might not be the greatest, but they have two rookie receivers that have very favorable fantasy schedules this year. Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion were both first-round talents (even though Boston went in round two) who should immediately crack the starting lineup. They’ll have the luxury of facing teams like the Jets, Titans, Raiders, Bengals and Giants, whose secondaries weren’t great last year.

The only question is, will their quarterback be able to get them the ball? That will determine whether or not they’re viable fantasy options.

5. Nico Collins

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Tight End

1. Dallas Goedert/Eli Stowers

What a surprise, another couple of Eagles players.

Dallas Goedert enters the season as Philly’s TE1, but I would watch out for Eli Stowers. He’s a much better receiver than Goedert, and he could be heavily involved in this offense as early as Week 1. They both obviously have easy schedules, so the trick is going to be figuring out which one will be better for fantasy.

2. Pat Freiermuth

Pat Freiermuth will enter the year as Pittsburgh’s TE1 again, and he’s coming off a solid 480-yard, four-touchdown campaign. And while he has more competition for targets with Michael Pittman Jr. entering the mix, Pittsburgh has a very favorable tight end schedule, which includes teams such as Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee and New England, who all struggled to stop tight ends last year.

Freiermuth is a year removed from a top-10 fantasy season, so we’ll see if he can get back to his 2024 form.

3. Kyle Pitts

Kyle Pitts is coming off a career year in 2025, and now he has one of the easiest tight end schedules in the league. His quarterback situation is a bit murky, given we don’t know who will be starting between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, but either way, he should get his fair share of targets. Drake London is the only other pass catcher that should demand a high volume, so look for Pitts to take advantage of a weak schedule and high target share this year.

4. Mark Andrews

Mark Andrews had four straight top-six fantasy seasons from 2019-2022, but he’s fallen off a bit the last three years, finishing outside the top-15 in two of them. However, he has a pretty easy schedule this year, so if he can stay healthy, he could end up finishing towards the top of a pretty thin position group.

5. Harold Fannin Jr.

Harold Fannin Jr. exploded onto the scene as a rookie, and now he’s set to face the fifth-easiest schedule of any tight end in the league. With David Njoku gone, there’s basically no competition in the room, so the only challenge is making sure his quarterbacks can get him the football.