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Ultimate Strength of Schedule (Defensive Lineman)

  Updated 8/8 by Clayton Gray, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

Quick Links to Other Positions:   QB · RB · WR · TE · PK · Def · DB · DL · LB

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:

  • Fantasy points driven
    Fantasy football is all about scoring fantasy points, so USOS is based on fantasy points.
  • Removed bias of schedule
    Consider the following defenses: Defense A faced the top 16 offenses while Defense B faced the worst 16 offenses. If both defenses allowed opposing QBs to average 300 fantasy points last season, are they equally strong? Of course not; Defense A is far superior as they faced much better offenses. This bias of schedule has been removed from USOS.
  • Positional breakdown
    If you are looking for a RB, it's much more relevant to see SOS data for RBs (rather than simply rushing data).
  • Comparison of 2008 schedule to 2007 schedule
    On the surface, a team with an easy schedule at RB should see better RB stats this year. Good schedule = bigger numbers than the year before, right? It seems logical. However, sometimes it's not enough to say that a team has an easy schedule. What if they had an equally easy schedule the season before? Equal schedule = similar numbers as the year before. USOS looks at the differences in schedule from this year compared to last season. An easier set of opponents this year points to increased production. A more difficult set of opponents this season points to decreased production.

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 average or on a per game basis (depending on the column).

The "2008" 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 2008 SOS and the 2007 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 "EZ" 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 "TF" 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 "1st3" Column

This is the SOS for the first three weeks of the NFL season. 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 "1st5" Column

This is similar to "1st3" except that it covers the first five weeks of the NFL season (note that some teams only play four games in this time frame).

The "Byes" Column

This is the SOS covering the bye weeks. This value is useful to find a complementary player during the byes as you'll need to shuffle players in and out of your starting lineup. A player with an easy schedule during this time would be nice to have.

The "14to16" Column

This is similar to "1st3" except that it specifically covers weeks 14 through 16.

The "15to17" Column

This is similar to "14to16" except that it specifically covers weeks 15 through 17.

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.

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. (Note: a green / red combo was considered but some people are color blind between those two colors.)

  • Red is a hot team with a good schedule
  • Blue is a cold team with a bad schedule

Ultimate Strength of Schedule - Defensive Linemen

TM
2008
%ch
EZ
TF
1st3
1st5
Byes
14to16
15to17
Ari
19.2
5.4%
2
3
18.1
18.4
19.1
20.4
20.2
Atl
18.9
-4.5%
3
4
19.3
18.7
19.1
17.7
18.7
Bal
19.0
13.9%
5
7
16.7
19.4
19.9
20.0
20.4
Buf
19.3
11.1%
4
3
22.1
21.1
18.5
17.7
19.6
Car
19.2
-0.1%
4
3
18.8
20.0
20.1
17.9
18.8
Chi
19.0
-9.2%
4
5
17.3
17.8
20.3
18.4
17.4
Cin
19.8
17.2%
6
5
21.4
19.4
19.1
17.7
19.4
Cle
19.5
8.3%
5
5
20.6
19.6
19.5
18.9
19.0
Dal
18.8
-8.4%
3
6
16.5
17.1
18.4
21.5
19.4
Den
19.6
0.9%
6
3
20.2
19.7
18.2
19.9
18.2
Det
18.9
-7.7%
3
4
19.3
19.1
19.3
18.5
17.3
GB
19.2
-3.9%
4
3
19.0
18.7
19.6
19.1
19.9
Hou
19.7
1.5%
6
6
22.7
21.3
18.2
21.5
22.3
Ind
19.6
2.0%
6
3
19.8
19.3
20.4
19.1
21.4
Jac
19.1
-1.3%
4
5
19.5
19.9
18.8
17.5
18.4
KC
19.3
-3.9%
4
4
22.2
20.9
18.9
17.0
16.2
Mia
19.9
12.5%
4
0
19.4
19.0
19.1
20.2
20.7
Min
18.8
-7.0%
3
4
17.6
18.8
19.0
20.0
19.7
NE
19.3
6.7%
4
2
18.9
19.2
18.8
21.3
20.4
NO
19.4
0.4%
4
4
18.0
18.8
20.5
20.1
19.4
NYG
19.0
-2.0%
4
6
19.0
19.4
19.0
17.7
18.6
NYJ
19.3
5.9%
4
3
17.5
17.7
20.2
19.5
17.6
Oak
19.0
-6.0%
4
3
19.8
19.3
19.6
18.6
17.8
Phi
19.3
-3.0%
4
4
20.4
19.9
20.0
18.4
17.5
Pit
18.6
5.4%
4
7
17.0
18.6
19.2
20.5
20.2
SD
20.0
-3.0%
7
3
19.2
19.4
19.7
20.9
18.9
SF
19.0
-1.7%
2
3
19.7
19.5
19.0
18.3
18.4
Sea
18.5
6.1%
2
5
19.6
19.6
17.1
20.3
19.6
StL
19.0
6.8%
1
3
19.0
18.8
18.8
19.7
20.7
TB
19.6
2.2%
5
2
19.4
18.7
19.1
19.4
21.3
Ten
19.2
-0.1%
5
5
18.3
19.3
19.4
19.1
19.6
Was
18.9
-7.7%
3
6
18.6
18.0
19.1
18.4
17.9

Week-By-Week Look

TM
W1
W2
W3
W4
W5
W6
W7
W8
W9
Ari
20.1
14.5
19.7
19.6
18.0
16.9
-
19.1
20.9
Atl
20.2
15.2
22.5
19.1
16.3
18.8
-
17.1
25.0
Bal
16.5
17.8
16.0
23.5
23.1
17.4
14.5
25.0
16.0
Buf
20.5
20.7
25.0
20.9
18.4
-
17.6
14.5
19.6
Car
17.6
18.8
19.9
21.4
22.5
15.2
18.1
18.4
-
Chi
17.4
19.1
15.2
17.1
20.2
21.4
19.9
-
20.2
Cin
21.5
23.1
19.5
16.0
16.9
19.6
23.5
-
20.7
Cle
16.9
23.5
21.5
16.5
-
19.5
19.7
20.7
21.5
Dal
16.0
17.1
16.3
19.7
16.5
18.4
20.9
15.2
19.5
Den
25.0
17.6
18.1
22.5
15.2
20.7
20.3
-
14.5
Det
21.4
16.3
20.1
-
18.8
19.9
17.8
19.7
18.8
GB
19.9
20.2
16.9
15.2
21.4
20.5
17.4
-
23.1
Hou
23.5
21.5
23.1
20.7
17.4
14.5
20.2
-
19.9
Ind
18.8
19.9
20.7
-
17.8
21.5
16.3
23.1
20.3
Jac
23.1
18.0
17.4
17.8
23.5
18.9
-
16.0
16.5
KC
20.3
25.0
21.4
18.9
19.1
-
23.1
19.6
15.2
Mia
19.6
18.4
20.3
-
17.6
17.8
21.5
18.0
18.9
Min
16.3
17.4
19.1
23.1
18.1
20.2
18.8
-
17.8
NE
22.5
19.6
14.5
-
20.1
17.6
18.9
20.9
17.4
NO
15.2
19.7
18.9
20.1
19.9
25.0
19.1
17.6
-
NYG
19.7
20.9
16.5
-
20.5
16.0
20.1
23.5
16.9
NYJ
14.5
20.3
17.6
18.4
-
16.5
25.0
22.5
18.0
Oak
18.9
22.5
18.0
17.6
-
18.1
19.6
21.5
21.4
Phi
20.9
16.9
23.5
18.8
19.7
20.1
-
21.4
20.5
Pit
17.8
16.0
17.1
21.5
20.7
-
16.5
19.5
19.7
SD
19.1
18.9
19.6
25.0
14.5
20.3
18.0
18.1
-
SF
18.4
20.5
20.2
18.1
20.3
17.1
19.5
20.5
-
Sea
18.0
20.1
20.9
-
19.5
16.3
15.2
20.1
17.1
StL
17.1
19.5
20.5
18.0
-
19.7
16.9
20.3
18.4
TB
18.1
21.4
18.8
16.3
18.9
19.1
20.5
16.9
22.5
Ten
20.7
16.5
17.8
19.9
21.5
-
22.5
17.4
16.3
Was
19.5
18.1
18.4
16.9
17.1
20.9
16.0
20.2
23.5

TM
W10
W11
W12
W13
W14
W15
W16
W17
Ari
20.1
20.5
19.5
17.1
20.9
19.9
20.3
20.5
Atl
18.1
18.9
19.1
17.6
18.1
15.2
19.9
20.9
Bal
-
19.5
17.1
16.5
19.7
23.5
16.9
20.7
Buf
20.3
16.0
22.5
20.1
14.5
19.6
18.9
20.3
Car
25.0
20.2
21.4
16.3
15.2
18.9
19.5
18.1
Chi
23.1
16.3
20.9
19.9
20.7
18.1
16.3
17.8
Cin
17.8
17.1
23.5
21.5
17.4
19.7
16.0
22.5
Cle
18.9
18.0
17.8
17.4
23.1
17.1
16.5
23.5
Dal
-
19.7
20.1
20.5
23.5
19.5
21.5
17.1
Den
16.0
21.4
25.0
19.6
22.5
19.1
18.0
17.6
Det
20.7
19.1
15.2
23.1
19.9
17.4
18.1
16.3
GB
19.9
18.8
18.1
19.1
17.8
20.7
18.8
20.2
Hou
16.5
17.4
16.0
20.7
16.3
23.1
25.0
18.8
Ind
23.5
17.8
17.6
16.0
16.5
20.2
20.7
23.1
Jac
20.2
23.1
19.9
17.8
18.8
16.3
17.4
21.5
KC
17.6
18.1
18.0
25.0
18.9
17.6
14.5
16.5
Mia
20.5
25.0
20.3
20.9
18.0
20.1
22.5
19.6
Min
16.3
15.2
20.7
18.8
20.2
18.4
21.4
19.5
NE
18.0
19.6
14.5
23.5
20.5
25.0
18.4
18.0
NO
21.4
22.5
16.3
15.2
21.4
18.8
20.2
19.1
NYG
17.1
21.5
18.4
19.7
17.1
16.9
19.1
19.9
NYJ
20.9
20.3
23.1
18.9
20.1
18.0
20.5
14.5
Oak
19.1
14.5
18.9
22.5
17.6
20.3
17.8
15.2
Phi
19.5
16.5
21.5
18.4
19.5
16.0
19.7
16.9
Pit
17.4
17.6
16.5
20.3
16.9
21.5
23.1
16.0
SD
22.5
23.5
17.4
21.4
25.0
22.5
15.2
18.9
SF
18.4
20.9
16.9
18.0
19.6
14.5
20.9
19.7
Sea
14.5
18.4
19.7
16.9
20.3
20.9
19.6
18.4
StL
19.6
20.1
18.8
14.5
18.4
20.5
20.1
21.4
TB
-
19.9
20.2
18.1
19.1
21.4
17.6
25.0
Ten
18.8
20.7
19.6
20.2
16.0
17.8
23.5
17.4
Was
-
16.9
20.5
19.5
21.5
16.5
17.1
20.1
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