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As you make plans for your week 16 pickups and starting decisions, it's important to give the schedule a thorough breakdown. I've given you the jump on that task, ranking the Week 16 schedules for all quarterbacks and running backs. This is 100 percent a stat-generated exercise.
Note we are not ranking players here, merely the matchups those players face. I used the data from the past two months, focusing on fantasy points allowed, with a little special sauce formula thrown in. This exercise does not factor a number of things, including but not limited to: home and away biases, weather, scheme changes, personnel changes. We're just trying to figure out who's running downhill and who's running uphill. And to reiterate, there's no observational adjustments at play; I'm just putting out what the spreadsheet offers.
I'll put the rankings out first; comments will follow shortly.
Week 16 Quarterback Schedules: Easiest to Hardest
1. Redskins: MIN - Obviously the Vikings can't cover anyone or anybody
2. Jets: NYG - Communication breakdowns every week
3. Chiefs: OAK - Raiders defense struggles by air and by land
4. Chargers: @DET
5. Panthers: TB - Resume time for Raheem Morris
6. Dolphins: @NE
7. Falcons: @NO - Much of it is volume: you have to throw to keep up
8. Lions: SD
9. Buccaneers: @CAR
10. Bears: @GB - Too bad Caleb Hanie can't play at all
11. Bills: DEN
12. Giants: @NYJ - Ignore the name brand, this unit hasn't been great for a while
13. Eagles: @DAL
14. Cardinals: @CIN
15. Texans: @IND - Hard to trust T.J. Yates after the Carolina mess
16. Cowboys: PHI
17. Raiders: @KC - Carson Palmer is starting to look like Footsteps Falco
18. Jaguars: @TEN
19. Broncos: @BUF - No pass rush, no picks, no chance
20. Vikings: @WAS
21. Patriots: MIA
22. Titans: JAC - Do the right thing: let Jake Locker start
23. Seahawks: SF
24. Niners: @SEA
25. Saints: ATL - You'll play Brees & Co. against anyone
26. Packers: CHI - Aaron Rodgers is obviously matchup-proof
27. Bengals: ARI
28. Browns: @BAL
29. Ravens: CLE - Joe Haden is getting close to shutdown status
30. Colts: HOU - The key is to throw away from Johnathan Joseph
31. Rams: @PIT - If Big Ben is healthy, Steelers are justly the AFC favorites
32. Steelers: STL
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Week 16 Running Back Schedules: Easiest to Hardest
1. Panthers: TB - A sieve you can rely on, but how much work will Newton take away?
2. Ravens: CLE - Ray Rice will not go gentle in that good night
3. Buccaneers: @CAR - Injuries hit early and it's been a tollbooth ever since
4. Bills: DEN - The CJ. Spiller victory parade is over here
5. Broncos: @BUF
6. Falcons: @NO
7. Bears: @GB - Kahill Bell is an intriguing sleeper
8. Raiders: @KC - Love the pass rush and respect the linebackers, but you can run here
9. Texans: @IND
10. Redskins: MIN - Don't lose faith in Roy Helu
11. Chiefs: OAK
12. Chargers: @DET - Big names don't build a rushing defense on their own
13. Titans: JAC
14. Vikings: @WAS
15. Eagles: @DAL - There's been some leakage in the seocnd half
16. Niners: @SEA
17. Cardinals: @CIN
18. Steelers: STL
19. Jets: NYG
20. Lions: SD
21. Packers: CHI - Smart, quick linebackers
22. Browns: @BAL
23. Dolphins: @NE
24. Jaguars: @TEN
25. Bengals: ARI - This entire team has rallied in the second half
26. Cowboys: PHI
27. Patriots: MIA - Too many names to sort through anyway
28. Colts: HOU
29. Saints: ATL
30. Giants: @NYJ
31. Rams: @PIT - Playmakers on all three levels
32. Seahawks: SF - The best run-stoppers no matter how you grade it
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