Bye Week Blues: Navigating a Bye Week Heavy Strategy

Bye weeks are a boon for NFL teams, but a headache for fantasy owners. If you want to get them all out of the way at once, here's what you need to remember.

Aug 7, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) was up on the sideline during the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

One of the biggest differences between NFL coaches and fantasy owners is how they view bye weeks. Coaches love them because it lets players heal, gives them more practice time and lets their veterans get a few days away to mentally recharge.

Fantasy owners hate bye weeks because it means one of their biggest weapons is gone for a potentially important game. If you're fighting for a playoff spot and you've got to play without Ja'Marr Chase, that could come back to haunt you.

In most leagues, you'll lose anywhere from eight to 12 players to bye weeks, depending on roster sizes and starting positions. And there's a strong argument for taking all of those losses at once instead of spreading them out. It's a bye week heavy strategy, and it's a potentially great way to maximize your team's strengths for most of the year.

What Is a Bye Week Heavy Strategy, and Why Do Owners Use One?

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) makes ac catch at practice during training camp at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Monday, July 21, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A bye week heavy strategy means that you get almost all of your byes out of the way at once. You intentionally target players with the same bye week, knowing that you're almost certain to lose that one week.

The trade-off is that you don't lose any important players in any other week of the season. If your team can stay healthy, you're putting out your best lineup every other time out that season. The thinking is that while other owners are scrambling to fill one or two holes a week, you've got your best lineup almost every time out.

When your bye week comes, you know you're in for a blowout loss. But because we play week-to-week, that doesn't matter. You won't take a second loss no matter how much you lose by, so you take the loss and move on.

What Teams Do I Target For a Bye Week Heavy Strategy?

Jul 26, 2025; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) catches the ball at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Thanks to the NFL's bye week distribution, Week 8 is the only week with six teams on a bye. But most of those teams are not great fantasy options, as Jacksonville and Las Vegas struggled last season and Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams have quarterback issues. Only Arizona and Detroit project to be solid fantasy options.

However, you could build a lineup around Jahmyr Gibbs, Brian Thomas, Trey Benson and Jared Goff. Snag Brock Bowers with your second pick, and you've got five players on a Week 8 bye.

Go into Week 10, and you might target players from Cincinnati and Kansas City. Almost anyone on the Bengals' offense will be worth using, and the Chiefs have plenty of depth that you could use for this strategy. CeeDee Lamb is the best option out of Dallas, and even Tennessee could have some value if Cam Ward hits as a rookie.

Finally, Week 12 is one of the best weeks on the board for a bye week heavy strategy. Denver, Miami, the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington all have several weapons worth rostering through the season. Plus, by this time, you'll know if you can afford to take a loss and still make the playoffs, or if you need to swing a trade or two to survive.