Worst schedules for the fantasy football playoffs

No matter how stacked your fantasy football team may appear on paper, if your players struggle in Weeks 15, 16 and 17, it'll be almost impossible to win a championship. Here is one quarterback, running back, wide receiver and defense with a fantasy playoff schedule that could potentially ruin your season.

Quarterback: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Matchups: at Las Vegas Raiders (Week 15), vs. Buffalo Bills (Week 16), at Denver Broncos (Week 17)

While Herbert is a promising bounce-back candidate, especially since he's coming off the board as the QB6 on ESPN, his challenging fantasy playoff schedule can't be overlooked. Luckily, Herbert's opening-round matchup is against the Raiders, who allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks last season (18.5). Nevertheless, in the following weeks, Herbert is in for a harsh awakening.

Los Angeles hosts Buffalo in Week 16 in what could be a potential playoff preview. The Bills' defense made life difficult for opposing signal-callers last season, allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to the position (13.4). Then, during championship week, the Chargers travel to Denver, which allowed the seventh-fewest points against quarterbacks last season (237.26), in a game that could see snow.

Leading an offense that is expected to be one of the NFL's most dynamic should help Herbert score enough fantasy points not to lose you a fantasy playoff matchup. Even so, if wide receivers Keenan Allen or Mike Williams missed any of the games, Herbert would be an unreliable starter as he could underachieve without them, similar to last season.

Running back: Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks 

Matchups: vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Week 15), at Tennessee Titans (Week 16), vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 17)

With the lack of pass-catching upside and the addition of second-round rookie running back Zach Charbonnet, there was already plenty of concern about selecting Walker in drafts this season. The RB18 in PPR formats last season, Walker probably won't live up to the RB17 price tag ESPN is giving him. Seattle's regular season schedule is brutal for its running backs and the fantasy playoffs should be no different. 

Philadelphia possesses the most advantageous matchup from a fantasy perspective since it allowed 17.2 points per game to running backs last season, the 16th-most among teams. Still, the Eagles' defense should continue to be regarded as one of the NFL's top units, making the team far from an easy adversary. Tennessee awaits Walker in round two and will be his toughest opponent, as it allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2022 (276.4).

If your Walker team reaches the finals, you'll have to hope Pittsburgh, which averaged 16.7 fantasy points per game to running backs last year, underperforms. Regardless, unless Charbonnet suffers an injury, he's going to be heavily involved throughout all of these late-season games, capping Walker's production when it's needed most.

Wide receiver: Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns

Matchups: vs. Chicago Bears (Week 15), at Houston Texans (Week 16), vs. New York Jets (Week 17)

Despite finishing as the WR10 in PPR scoring formats last season, Cooper's production saw a stark decline when quarterback Deshaun Watson returned from suspension. From Week 13 to the end of the season, Cooper was the WR38 on a points-per-game basis and although he should improve as Watson shakes the rust off, there's always a chance he won't. 

Cooper might be able to be effective in the first game of the fantasy playoffs, facing off against a subpar Chicago Bears defense, but his last two opponents present little opportunity to excel. In Week 15, the Browns take on the Texans, whose defense surprisingly allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers last season (16.9). 

During the biggest game of the fantasy season, Cooper will be covered by one of the NFL's top cornerbacks, Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner. The second-year pro headlines a Jets defense that was the least favorable matchup for wideouts a season ago (343.2 total fantasy points allowed.) And since Cleveland has upgraded its receiving corps this offseason, Watson has several viable weapons with better matchups to target instead of Cooper.

Defense: Miami Dolphins

Matchups: vs. New York Jets (Week 15) vs. Dallas Cowboys (Week 16), at Baltimore Ravens (Week 17)

There are plenty of defenses with more challenging playoff schedules, such as the Arizona Cardinals, who face San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia. However, nobody is going to roster a team like the Cardinals' unit, so let's focus on defenses you'd actually consider rostering instead. 

Although the Dolphins have revamped their defense over the last year and a half with notable names like OLB Bradley Chubb and CB Jalen Ramsey, the unit is a risky start for the season's final weeks. Last season, Miami allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks (341.6), and it's difficult to imagine the unit not being a strong matchup for signal-callers again, especially against competent passers such as Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson.