Greetings! This is the 4th and last installment of an early look-see at the NFL strength of schedule for fantasy players. We have already considered; RB’s, QB’s and WR’s. Last but not least, let’s consider the TE’s

In regards to the TE’s, if you just take into consideration the first few weeks, then really there is nobody that stands out. However, when taking a look at the whole schedule there are a couple players and schedules that do indeed. Before we delve in, please note that we acknowledge that a great deal will change in regards to match-ups and S.O.S. as the season progresses. That being said, here are a couple players to note at this point:

Martellus Bennett

Much could be said about his new team, what his role will be in Green Bay, and what his target share is likely to be. But for now, we’ll just note that the schedule has him facing 6 opponents that are quite favorable. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th most favorable match-ups for TE’s to be specific. In addition, that is with the 1st and 2nd most favorable opponents coming in the first 2 weeks of most fantasy playoffs.

Tampa Bay TE’s

Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard also have an interesting season schedule. The Bucs TE’s have 7 very favorable match-ups. The 7th, 2nd, 6th, 5th most favorable match-ups, in that order, but with games in between. However, during the fantasy playoffs they have; the 3rd, 5th, and 2nd most favorable match-ups, in that order. Of course, Brate and Howard lessen each other’s fantasy value, and much will change between now and the end of the season, but you can just make note that the Buc’s TE’s are something that you may want to take a late round flier on, or at least revisit later in the season.

Kyle Rudolph

Like the other examples, of course there are many other factors that play into whether Rudolph is going to be as good as he was last year for the fantasy owners who had him. In the first half of the season (as it stands now), he will only have 2 match-ups that stand out as favorable. Namely, a week 4 match-up with the 3rd best for TE’s, and a game week 8 that is the #1 match-up for TE’s. That being said, the second half of the season has potential to be great for Rudolph. He ends with;
Week 12 (3rd most favorable) @ DET
Week 13 (5th most favorable) @ ATL
Week 14 (2nd most favorable) @ CAR
Week 15 (4th most favorable) CIN
Week 16 (12th most favorable) @ GB
True that that is a lot of games away. Yet you could also see that all those games have a good chance of being shoot-outs. It’s early, but the early outlook looks good for Rudolph.

Next up;
Rookie Watch