Fantasy Football: 7 Quarterbacks With Favorable Early-Season Schedules

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

Let's circle back to the aforementioned draft kit app for a second. If you're a premium member, peep Matthew Stafford's schedule on there. Starting to drool? You probably should be.

Not only does Stafford start the year with relatively easy foes (which we'll expand on in a second), but he's got four consecutive green matchups from Week 13 through Week 16. That's also known as the fantasy playoffs. If you believe in utilizing schedules, Stafford may be your boo thang.

The Detroit Lions open up against the Indianapolis Colts, a matchup that just got a bit easier this week. Colts cornerback Vontae Davis will miss all of September with ligament damage in his ankle, leaving the team without its top secondary option. They were 20th in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play last year with Davis playing all 16 games (though he did deal with multiple injuries); losing him will make this a defense to target in both daily fantasy and season-long leagues.

It's fair to worry about Stafford in the post-Calvin Johnson era. He should see decreased efficiency through the air, and that'll hurt his fantasy stock. But the favorable schedule may allow you to use him, anyway, evaluate what his new value is, and then proceed as you deem necessary.