The NFL uses a strict scheduling algorithm to determine which teams play each other from year to year, based on the current division alignments and the final division standings from the previous season. The current formula has been in place since 2002, the last year that the NFL expanded its membership.

During the regular season, each team plays: Teams in its own division twice a year. Teams in other divisions in its own conference at least once every three years, but on average once every two years.

Each team will play: Home and away against its three division opponents (six games). The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (four games). The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (four games).

Fantasy football managers will find an array of pertinent and useful information in the NFL schedule. First and foremost, it can help us gauge strength of schedule (SoS). It allows us to make initial assessments of how favorable or unfavorable every offense's schedule is against the run and the pass. This becomes increasingly important as the season goes on and we begin preparing for the fantasy playoffs over the final month of the NFL season. In addition, we learn when each team will sit out the season due to the NFL bye weeks. All of these factors can help us rank players who might otherwise be very close in value before the season begins. It can be even more important later in the season, when fantasy owners are fine-tuning their rosters and lineups for the all-important fantasy playoffs

Fantasy football managers don't get bye weeks. Instead, they are required to deal with the fallout of the byes -- which means dealing with the weeks our draft picks and waiver-wire acquisitions are forced to sit out.