2023 NFL schedule analysis - Teams with easiest, hardest opponents for fantasy football - ESPN

It's 2023 NFL schedule release day, putting us one step closer to the start of the season.

In this piece, I'll be examining the slate down to the nuts and bolts. How does this schedule impact the fantasy football landscape? Which players have it the easiest and hardest? Which 14 teams will make the NFL playoffs? How about an early look at the 2024 draft order?

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Some housekeeping before I dive into this. First, I'm including Week 18 in the fantasy analysis since removing it would have only a minor impact on the findings. Next, my strength of schedule evaluation is not based on final 2022 records, which is often what you'll see in this type of column. There already has been a ton of roster movement this offseason, and injured players will return to action, so all of that is factored into each team's 2023 prospects. My evaluation of each roster — not last year's production — is what I use to generate the easiest and toughest schedules.

The analysis below is your next step in preparing for the 2023 NFL campaign and the accompanying fantasy football season.

The first season of the Jordan Love era will feature the league's easiest fantasy slate. How convenient is that timing? Green Bay will benefit from six games against NFC North opponents, with none of the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears or Detroit Lions projecting as having top-20 defenses. We're also not super-intimidated by four games against the NFC South, and the toughest defense on the slate (Pittsburgh Steelers) is more than offset by showdowns with the