2025 Fantasy Football Playoff Schedules: Why The 49ers Offer League-Winning Potential

Discover which NFL teams, led by the 49ers, have the most favorable 2025 playoff schedules from Weeks 15–17 to maximize your fantasy football edge.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

My recent venture into finally drafting some DraftKings BestBall teams, with a chance to win a cool two million, led me to finally look at the teams with the best potential schedule from Week 15 to Week 17. In the high-stakes market and the top BestBall contests, posting the top scores from over the final three weeks of the season leads to huge paydays, with potentially life-changing money.

Despite the quest to have success late in the year, a drafter must develop a roster that makes it to the championship rounds of the postseason. Predicting which teams will have the best success late in the year tends to be a tiresome waste of time due to injuries changing the direction and dynamics of each NFL franchise. In addition, there are always some outlier teams that end up scoring a boatload of points in multiple games in the three-week playoff run, setting the stage for fantasy sweats in Week 17.

The Best Fantasy Football Playoff Schedule

Based on winning percentages (.415) from last season, the San Francisco 49ers have the easiest schedule in 2025. That information was easy to find, but I didn’t even look until Monday night (8/26) because I was working in so many other fantasy aisles this summer.

From Week 15 to Week 17, San Francisco draws these three matchups:

• Tennessee Titans – Putting last season’s offensive and defensive stats aside, the 49ers playing at home in this matchup has a winning feel. Based on the early Vegas betting line, San Fran is favored by 7.5 points, the second-highest spread of the week behind the Eagles (-10) at home against the Raiders.
• Indianapolis Colts – This game is played on the road, with the 49ers predicted to win by three points. In comparison, the Chiefs face the Titans away from home, and they are favored by seven points (This info shines more light on San Fran’s Week 15 matchup). The Colts have some offensive weapons, but unknown quarterback play may lead to a grinder run game, suggesting plenty of touches for Christian McCaffrey.
• Chicago Bears – San Francisco is only a 3.5-point favorite in this matchup, suggesting that Vegas believes they are only a slightly better team than the Bears in their preseason view. Chicago has a young, talented, developing offense, but their defense needs plenty of work.

After seeing the 49ers’ playoff schedule, I had a head-scratching moment. Christian McCaffrey is my bust of the year, but he appears, along with his teammates, to have the best late-season schedule. My next move was to look at San Francisco’s schedule over their first 14 games. Here’s their matchups: @SEA, @NO, ARI, JAC, @LAR, @TB, ATL, @HOU, @NYG, LAR, @ARI, CAR, and @CLE. 

The only team that projects well on both sides of the ball appears to be the Houston Texans. All division games have a chance to have some scoring, and a date with the NFC South division has a high-scoring feel.

My excitement should be brewing for McCaffrey, but my gut says he isn’t on the field late in the year due to suffering another injury. Does this suggest that Brian Robinson is a must handcuff? His ADP is now in the early RB4 range after his trade to San Francisco.

Former Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (8) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Isaac Guerendo flashed last year, but he has some injury risk. As the new third wheel in the offense, Guerendo could bring fresh legs late in the season, with a favorable price point in drafts.

Maybe the best approach to take in BestBall events is to stack George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall, and Brock Purdy. Any investment in Jauan Jennings and/or Brandon Aiyuk could lead to multiple zero weeks due to their recovery time from injuries, suggesting those fantasy rosters fall short of a playoff berth.

More Offenses With Favorable Late-Season Schedules

Here's a quick look at some other teams with potential winning late-season schedules:

• Washington Commanders (@NYG, PHI, and DAL) – I don’t like them playing three division games, but two are at home. The Commanders’ quarterback is a special player, and his two top wide receivers give him more winning firepower in the passing game. 
• Cincinnati Bengals (BAL, @MIA, ARI) – Many overall championships were won last year by rostering multiple Bengals players. Joe Burrow dominated the Ravens last year, and their other two games look very winnable on the scoring side.
• Baltimore Ravens (@CIN, NE, and @GB) – Weather could be a factor in any or all three of their games over the final three weeks in December, and two games are on the road. The Ravens were so good offensively last year, suggesting another promising scoring season.
• Miami Dolphins (@PIT, CIN, and TB) – Stacking the Dolphins in 2024 was popular in BestBall, but it was easy to execute, creating a higher ownership. This draft season, no one is fighting for Miami's offensive players. I don’t like their first matchup on the road, but the latter two project to be high scoring. Hopefully, the Dolphins have their best receiving talent in the field late in the year.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ATL, @CAR, and MIA) – The offensive structure for the Buccaneers was great last season, and Baker Mayfield was a difference-maker in Week 17. They have a very winnable schedule late in the year.

Sleeper Offenses

• Carolina Panthers (@NO, TB, and SEA) – Their two games at home should have some scoring, and a matchup with the lowly Saints bodes well late in the year.
• Tennessee Titans (@SF, KC, and NO) – The Titans should be playing from behind in their first two games, while a date with New Orleans is very favorable. The key to their scoring success is the development of their offense.