Teams in the NFC North learned Thursday which teams they will face in the regular season. Now that we have the concrete info and know who is playing whom and when, we have new data to analyze and projections to run.
Regarding the NFC North, here are the four biggest takeaways from the release of the fantasy football schedule for the 2026 season.
How the 2026 NFL Schedule Release Impacts Fantasy Football
Why the 2026 NFL Schedule Wasn’t Kind to Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears
The Bears were the biggest surprise of the NFC North in the 2025 season, and big things are expected out of this group led by Caleb Williams. However, the star quarterback might also be the reason the Bears don’t live up to their fantasy potential in 2026.
The Bears will have to face three of the best six defenses against opposing quarterbacks in fantasy in the upcoming campaign, which includes facing the top-rated Minnesota Vikings defense twice, as well as the Green Bay Packers (12th), the Buffalo Bills (4th), and the Carolina Panthers (6th).
The Bears have decent pieces on offense, such as D’Andre Swift and a group of wideouts with upside, but this team will only go as far as Williams can take it. The end of the season is particularly rough for Chicago. Their last four games are against the Bills (away), Packers (home), Detroit Lions (home), and Vikings (away). Colston Loveland, who has the potential to be one of the first TEs off the board in most drafts, should also be impacted by a less-than-favorable schedule.
Assessing How the Schedule Looks for the Detroit Lions
The 2025 season was a disappointing year for the Detroit Lions, as they opened the campaign with Super Bowl expectations but didn’t even make the playoffs. That led to roster changes, with David Montgomery heading to the Houston Texans and Isiah Pacheco landing in Motor City as his replacement.
With Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta as a steady offensive core, however, the Lions should have some positive regression after thriving on offense but slumping defensively.
The Lions will have to be at the best of their ability. They’re a prime candidate for positive regression in fantasy, with St. Brown, Gibbs, Goff, and even LaPorta all having top-10 upside at their respective positions if they stay healthy. The RBs will be the biggest beneficiaries of a favorable schedule, as they open the season with four plus-rated matchups in the opening five weeks of the campaign.
What to Expect From Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers in 2026
The Packers will have some favorable matchups, including the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets, on their 2026 schedule. However, they’ll also have to deal with the Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills, three defenses that ranked among the top four with the fewest fantasy points allowed per game to opposing signal-callers.
In other words, even if Jordan Love stays healthy for the entire season, it’s hard to see him navigating a tough schedule, particularly since the matchup against the Texans comes at an inconvenient Week 17.
The Packers didn’t have many standout weapons in the passing game in 2025, with their top wideout, Romeo Doubs, having WR2 upside at best, meaning Love and star RB Josh Jacobs will have to lift the Packers through what looks to be a complicated schedule.
Quarterback Issues Are More Important Than Schedule Strength for the Minnesota Vikings
It’s hard to see the Vikings being impacted by the schedule as much as they’ll be by their quarterback situation. Do we know for sure that J.J. McCarthy is the answer under center? If not, what will Kyler Murray bring to the table after an underwhelming 2025 season in Arizona?
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Regardless of who’s under center, the biggest question is what will happen with Justin Jefferson, who went from being a reliable WR1 to a flex option in best-case scenarios as the season progressed due to the team’s struggles under center.
The Vikings will face four of the six worst defenses against wideouts in fantasy football in 2025, so the team needs to address its issues under center as its main priority ahead of the 2026 campaign. Players like Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and Jordan Mason should all be boosted by a favorable schedule as long as the Vikings get things right at the QB position.
