Tough Rushing Matchups Could Lead to These 8 Backfields Underperforming in the 2025 Fantasy Playoffs

Kevin Szafraniec
May 22, 2025

Every NFL season is tumultuous, heaving unexpected plot twists at fans on a weekly basis. Predicting how Week 1 will play out in the middle of May can be difficult, never mind looking all the way to the fantasy playoffs. The 2025 season will present us with unexpected injuries, breakouts, and everything in between, but there is still an edge to be gained by attempting to identify teams with schedules to avoid during the defining weeks of the fantasy season.

To find this edge, I’ll look at the playoff schedules of each team and the personnel moves their opponents have made this offseason, along with how their defenses performed against the run last season from both a quality and quantity perspective. The featured teams are not listed in any particular order apart from the final two, who may offer more upside than the rest but still have some red flags to consider.

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Kevin Szafraniec

Full-time Cat Dad, Sneakerhead, Record Collector, LOTR Fanboy, and Jeopardy Enthusiast. Fantasy football writer and beatmaker in my free time. Follow me on X and Bluesky @thecatdadff

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