NFL Schedule Release: Best Ball Bye Week and Playoff Cheat Sheet
The 2026 NFL schedule is finally out after a week of getting little breadcrumbs about who's playing who... and when. Schedule release night is a massive milestone during best ball season. If you drafted before May 14, you did so with no knowledge of which weeks you were setting yourself up for serious bye-week trouble. And you had no idea what the fantasy playoff schedule would look like.
Trust me, I looked back over my teams last night after the bye weeks were added, and there are some where I'll have to survive having seven players on bye. Tough scene. RIP to those teams.
That's no longer a problem going forward. Below, I've organized a handy cheat sheet with each team's bye week and playoff schedule. I've also added some icons to show dome games and potential cold-weather games. Feel free to bookmark this page as a handy resource when you're drafting your best ball teams.
If you're looking for deeper analysis on how to attack the playoffs in your drafts, my guy Jerry Donabedian wrote up a great piece on Best Ball Playoffs schedule implications.
The schedule release also gives us NFL odds for each week, so we can start mapping out our NFL survivor strategies.
Best Ball Playoff Cheat Sheet
Weather Factors for the Fantasy Playoffs
Weather, or lack thereof, carries a significant impact as we get to the fantasy playoffs. Cold weather with precipitation and/or windy conditions can put a lid on fantasy output, especially through the air. It's not an end-all be-all thing -- I'm not saying you should fade the Patriots because they have three cold-weather games to end the season --but it's something to keep in mind. I'd pay more attention to dome or warm-weather teams that have to brave the cold elsewhere.
Favorable Conditions
Three teams have all three of their playoff games indoors:
- Cardinals: vs. NYJ, @ NO, vs. LV
- Cowboys: @ LAR, vs. JAX, vs NYG
- Raiders: vs. DEN, vs. TEN, @ AZ
Four teams have a mix of either dome or warm-weather games throughout the fantasy playoffs:
- Jaguars: @ HOU, @ DAL, vs WAS
- Chargers: vs SF, @ MIA, vs KC
- Saints: @ TB, vs AZ, @ ATL
- Buccaneers: vs NO, @ ATL, vs LAR
That's Cold
Three teams will be out in the cold for the fantasy playoffs. They're all cold-weather teams by nature, so they'll be used to it, but it's worth noting nonetheless.
- Patriots: @ KC, @ NYJ, vs DEN
- Packers: vs MIA, @ CHI, vs HOU
- Bears: @ BUF, vs GB, vs DET
Week 15 High Totals
- Cowboys @ Rams: 52.5
- Bears @ Bills: 51.5
- Colts @ Titans: 47.5
- Bengals @ Panthers: 47.5
- 49ers @ Chargers: 47.5
All NFL Week 15 odds courtesy DraftKings Sportsbook
Week 16 High Totals
- Bengals at Colts: 52.5
- Jaguars at Cowboys: 51.5
- Giants at Lions: 48.5
- Packers at Bears: 47.5
- Rams at Seahawks: 47.5
All NFL Week 16 odds courtesy DraftKings Sportsbook
Week 17 High Totals
- Ravens at Bengals: 51.5
- Lions at Bears: 49.5
- Rams at Buccaneers: 48.5
- Commanders at Jaguars: 48.5
- Bills at Dolphins: 47.5
All NFL Week 17 odds courtesy DraftKings Sportsbook
