Ultimate Strength of Schedule

By Clayton Gray, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

The advantages offered by the Ultimate Strength of Schedule (USOS) when compared to traditional SOS displays are numerous and include (but are not limited to) the following:

Explanation of USOS Tables

Below, you will see tables for each positions USOS.  Here is a brief explanation of the make-up of these tables.

The “Tm” Column

This is simply the NFL team.

The Values

Each value in the table is the expected number of fantasy points on a per game basis.

The Coloring of the Values

The red values indicate that the team has one of the eight (seven during the bye weeks) best values in that column.  Red was chosen because the team could heat up statistically.  The blue values indicate that the team has one of the eight (seven during the bye weeks) worst values in that column.  Blue was chosen because the team could cool down statistically.

The “2006” Column

This is the average expected fantasy points allowed by each team’s opponents for this season.

The “%ch” Column

This is the percentage of change between the 2006 SOS and the 2005 SOS.  A positive value points to an easier SOS than last year while a negative value points to a more difficult SOS compared to last season.

The “Easy” Column

This is the number of easy opponents each team will face this season.  An easy opponent is defined as one of the eight (seven during the bye weeks) worst defenses.  Obviously, it is preferred to have players with as many easy games as possible.

The “Tough” Column

This is the number of tough opponents each team will face this season.  A tough opponent is defined as one of the eight (seven during the bye weeks) best defenses.  Obviously, it is preferred to have players with as few tough games as possible.

The “First5” Column

This is the SOS for the first five weeks of the NFL season (note that some teams only play four games in this time frame).  This value is useful to determine how players should be expected to open the season. Players with low values could easily stumble out of the gate.

The “Lst5” Column

This is similar to the “First5” column except that it is the SOS for the final five weeks of the NFL season.  This value is useful to determine how players should be expected to end the season.  This is a critical stretch of games as your fantasy playoffs take place here. Players with high values here are likely to perform very well during your fantasy playoffs.

The “W1” through “W17” Columns

These values are the expected strength of each team’s opponent for that particular week (W5 is Week 5, etc).  This is very useful when searching for backups for your stud players. The key is to locate players with easy opponents when your star is on a bye.

Ultimate Strength of Schedule - Running Backs