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Falcons Players Have Easy Fantasy Schedules

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Fantasy football is taking over right now. I'm sure plenty of you have drafts upcoming (including our three different Falcoholic drafts), and you're probably still pouring over notes and statistics to decide who you want to pick this year.

It's an easy enough strategy to go with your favorite players from your favorite team, but this year that strategy is actually looking beneficial. The Falcons have a relatively easy strength of schedule in 2012 for the regular season and for fantasy football. Take a look at some of the all-encompassing rankings:

TEAM QB RB WR TE K DEF DL LB DB PR KR
ATL 1st 1st 8th 18th 4th 3rd 27th 11th 8th 14th 29th
NO 2nd 2nd 9th 6th 17th 15th 19th 22nd 11th 25th 25th
TB 3rd 5th 4th 27th 7th 16th 20th 21st 16th 19th 10th
CAR 4th 7th 12th 13th 15th 6th 22nd 16th 7th 30th 23rd
CHI 5th 18th 3rd 10th 3rd 19th 1st 30th 31st 1st 5th

The chart shown here gives you the teams with the most favorable schedule for players in regards to fantasy. For example, the Falcons are ranked first in the quarterback and running back column. This means the opponents they face this season allowed the most points to opposing quarterbacks and running backs last year. You can only sort the charts one position at a time, so for this particular copy I have the QB list in order. Ignore how everything else is out of order.

According to these numbers, Matt Ryan should be in for a strong season. Turner and Quizz will be matching up against some easy defenses as well. Atlanta also holds the eighth-easiest schedule for wide receivers. Everyone is already hyping up Julio and Roddy beyond belief, so this just fuels that fire even more.

I typically shy away from drafting Falcons, simply because it makes watching every game a bit tougher. Last year I drafted Julio and found myself groaning every time No. 2 threw to Roddy. "Why can't you throw to No. 11 40 times a game?" No exactly the most enjoyable experience.

But, there's no denying the Falcons road ahead. According to ESPN, Atlanta has the 24th toughest schedule and just four quality opponents in 2012 (a quality opponent is a team with at least nine wins in 2011). Sure, some of the franchises they'll face this year have revamped their rosters a bit. You can still be confident, though, in drafting the home team for your fantasy lineup this time around.