2025 Fantasy Football: Top 5 Wide Receivers Strength of Schedule Matchups
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With the NFL schedule release coming later today, fantasy drafts are most excited about late-season matchups as they coin flip comparable wide receivers. Using last year’s matchup data can be a trap due to player movement and incoming upgrades via the draft. In addition, injuries are around every corner, making it even more challenging to predict a player's future value in December, when fantasy football championships are decided.
Here's a look at the top eight wide receiver offenses in 2024, ranked by fantasy points allowed in PPR formats (this data doesn’t include any rushing or passing stats:
The Bengals held a wide edge over 31 teams in scoring at wide receiver (33 touchdowns) in 2024. Despite their success, their wideouts gained only 53.3% of Cincinnati’s passing yards. The Rams’ wide receivers led the NFL in catches (268), receiving yards (3,357), targets (404), and percentage of receiving yards (73.0%). Baltimore finished 25th in wide receiver fantasy scoring (147/2,282/17 on 238 targets) but led the NFL in yards per catch (15.52).
Here's a look at the bulk of each team’s schedule – six division games, plus one other AFC division and one NFC division:
AFC East: AFC North/NFC South
AFC North: AFC East/NFC North
AFC South: AFC West/NFC West
AFC West: AFC South/NFC East
NFC East: AFC West/NFC North
NFC North: AFC North/NFC East
NFC South: AFC East/NFC West
NFC West: AFC South/NFC South
Based on this structure, the NFC West should have the best wide receiver schedule in its two AFC/NFC division matchups.
1) Los Angeles Rams (Puka Nacua)
Four dates against Carolina (24), New Orleans (25), Tampa (28), and Atlanta (30) set the stage for a favorable wide receiver schedule for the Rams. In addition, matchups with Indianapolis (17), Houston (23), and Jacksonville (29) offer upside to a high-volume passing offense. Outside of their division opponents, Los Angeles faces Detroit (31), Baltimore (27), Tennessee (3), and Philadelphia (6).
2) Miami Dolphins (Tyreek Hill)
The Dolphins' passing offense was a flop last season, highlighted by a regression in stats by Tyreek Hill and Jayden Waddle. They draw the same NFC South teams while having higher-scoring matchups with Cincinnati, Baltimore, Washington, and Buffalo (2). Miami has two below-par games against the Jets, with four other mid-tier games (LAC, CLE, PIT, and IND). The Dolphins should also have passing success against the Panthers and the Saints.
3) Dallas Cowboys (CeeDee Lamb)
Dallas needs Dak Prescott to bounce back in a big way in 2025. CeeDee Lamb played through injuries last year, leading to fewer big plays. The Cowboys still ranked 9th in wide receiver fantasy points (235/2,782/18 on 395 targets).
They have two primo matchups (MIN and DET) plus potential high-scoring affairs against Washington (2), Kansas City, Denver, Las Vegas, and Carolina. Dallas also faces two top 2024 defenses – the Bears (1) and the Jets (2). Their other games are against LAC, GB, NYG (2), PHI (2), and ARI.
4) Minnesota Vikings (Justin Jefferson)
Justin Jefferson will have a new starting quarterback for the third consecutive season. He is a high-floor player who has yet to produce a historic season. J.J. McCarthey will be a fantasy wild card until the lights turn on for the 2025 NFL season.
The Vikings have eight potential action games (PHI, WAS, CIN, BAL, ATL, DAL, and DET X 2). They have two matchups vs. the Bears, which rank poorly based on last year’s stats. Their matchups against CLE, NYG, SEA, LAC, and SEA are league-average or better. Minnesota has two neutral games vs. the Packers.
5) Arizona Cardinals (Marvin Harrison Jr.)
Other than eight touchdowns, Harrison underperformed expectations in his rookie season. The Cardinals have a much better schedule for their wide receivers in 2025, highlighted by four games vs. CAR, NO, TB, and ATL. Arizona also faces the AFC South (JAC, IND, HOU, and TEN), with the Titans having the best wide receiver defense stats from 2024. The Cardinals have six division games plus GB, CIN, and DAL.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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