NFL

5 Players With Favorable Fantasy Football Playoff Schedules

It's never too early to start looking at the playoffs. These players have optimal matchups when it matters most.

One of the most overlooked aspects of drafting in fantasy football is a player's schedule during the fantasy playoffs.

We're so consumed by who to draft based on a season-long outlook that we forget to look at the early-season and (especially) playoff schedule, which usually runs between Weeks 14 and 16.

Highly sought-after players such as Kirk Cousins can be stuck, for example, facing a horrifying Denver Broncos defense in Week 16. You might start Cousins with comfort throughout the season, only to face the difficult decision of potentially benching him for your fantasy championship.

The season is long, and fantasy rosters change with trades, injuries, and countless other factors, so your roster in Week 1 may differ greatly by season's end. And pinpointing which defenses really will struggle all season is never an exact science, but that doesn't mean studying up on schedules is a useless exercise.

Here are five players in particular to target for their friendly playoff schedules.