by: John Holler

Editor's Note: Below you will find fantasy football schedule analysis for eight NFL teams for 2011.  If you'd like to read the entire article, please click HERE to order our 2011 Pre-Season Draft Guide.

Perhaps just as important as what players a team has, is who and when those teams play their slate of opponents. Last year, it was no surprise that three teams from the NFC South won 10 or more games, because all of them got a chance to beat up on the NFC West – football’s weakest division.

Every year some teams get screwed by the schedule makers and face a gauntlet of opponents that is simply a killer. Here is a breakdown of the 32 NFL teams and how their schedules could impact who succeeds and who fails in terms of fantasy production. Some will be good. Some will be bad. Some will be ugly. Hopefully, after arming yourself with this information will help you rank players for your draft. Following the team name is the final four games of the 2011 season listed in parentheses.

Arizona Cardinals (SF, CLE, at Cin, SEA) – The Cardinals have a lot of questions, but the schedule lays out very nicely for them – both early and late. Although two of their first three games are on the road, they play the Panthers, Redskins and Seahawks – all games they can win. Then it gets a little dicey. Their October-November schedule includes the Giants, Vikings, Steelers, Ravens and Eagles. But, after the Nov. 13 games with the Eagles, the Cardinals don’t face a team with a winning record the rest of the way, including a very favorable fantasy playoff schedule. Larry Fitzgerald could go nuts late. PROGNOSIS: Good.

Atlanta Falcons (at Car, JAX, at NO, TB) – The defending division champs will have to earn their bone early, playing four of their first five games against 2010 playoff teams and the other game being at 10-win Tampa Bay. If they can survive the initial stress of playing three of their first four games on the road, they could thrive later on. The thought of having the Panthers and Jaguars in the first two weeks of most fantasy playoffs is something worth noting and, as they gear up for the late-season run, they will play at Indy Nov. 6 and won’t go back on the road until Dec. 4. Defending division champs usually don’t get that kind of schedule breaks, so the Falcons are pretty fortunate. PROGNOSIS: Too good.

Baltimore Ravens (IND, at SD, CLE, at Cin) – The Ravens don’t have a great slate in front of them. They get stuck with a Week 5 bye and play their first two home games against rivals Pittsburgh and the Jets. Nothing will come easy early on. But, once they get past Pittsburgh in Week 9, they only face one 2010 playoff team in the second half of the season. Their games with Indy and San Diego late could be a problem in the fantasy playoffs. PROGNOSIS: Bad, but not too bad.

Buffalo Bills (at SD, MIA, DEN, at NE) – Weather could play a major role in each of the final three games. They get rid of the NFC East in a five-game span in October-November, but they will likely be underdogs in all those games. They will be division-heavy late in the year – in the final nine games, they play the Jets twice, Miami twice and New England once. They will play a role in who wins the AFC East, whether they are involved or not. PROGNOSIS: Bad.

Carolina Panthers (ATL, at Hou, TB, at NO) – For being the worst team in football last year, the Panthers are like a homecoming stiff opponent that everybody wants. The Panthers don’t have a stiff gauntlet of teams, but, after their bye in Week 9, they play five of their final seven games on the road, including a three-game stretch at Detroit, Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. If they have survived the first half of the schedule, this will likely be the death blow late. PROGNOSIS: Ugly.

Chicago Bears (at Den, SEA, at GB, at Min) – Welcome to hell, Bears fans. Chicago is the defending division champ, but they will have to come out of the gate strong if they hope to repeat. They open with the Falcons, Saints and Packers – a gauntlet they may be lucky to escape from with a 1-2 record. While things ease up after that, the one intangible the Bears have always enjoyed is making teams come into their yard in December and face the most brutal of elements. The schedule makers took that away from them, giving them just one home game in the final four and forcing them to go on the road to Green Bay and Minnesota if they want to repeat as the king of the NFC North. PROGNOSIS: Pretty Bad.

Cincinnati Bengals (HOU, at St.L, ARI, BAL) – The Bengals have a chance to get off to a good start, since they don’t meet a playoff team until the sixth game of the season. The schedule gets worse as the season goes along – they play the Steelers and Ravens twice from Week 10 on. However, they do get three of their final four games at home and, with a young team, they could easily be much better in December than they are in September – making those home games last pretty critical. PROGNOSIS: Pretty good.

Cleveland Browns (at Pit, at Ariz, at Bal, PIT) – The Browns have a chance to make a move early, playing three of their first four games at home, but it is the road schedule that will likely be their demise. Of their first four road games, two of them will be in deafening domes in Indianapolis and Houston and make two West Coast road trips. They get screwed with an early bye week. But it is the end of the schedule that will be a killer. The play five of their final six games against division opponents, including a near-unprecedented three-game road trip, including games at Pittsburgh and Baltimore. In the final five weeks, they play both the Ravens and Steelers twice, which could be a killer. PROGNOSIS: Pretty ugly.

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As mentioned atop this release, if you like to read the entire article, please click HERE to order our 2011 Pre-Season Draft Guide.