RADIO
In my early years playing fantasy football, I approached bye weeks with the same strategy I use to prepare for an early morning after letting Netflix autoplay choose my bedtime: drink too much coffee and hope it won’t be as bad as it seems. Fortunately, my methods have evolved, and I now welcome bye weeks as an opportunity to break away from the pack. Skillfully navigating the moving puzzle of byes can separate the fantasy playoff contenders from the early-season juggernauts.
Week 6 gave unprepared fantasy managers a taste of the pain that comes with NFL bye weeks. Alphas stacking wins with Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs were humbled by the impact of a week without their studs. The week served as a wake-up call to other managers with their bye “hell weeks” still on the horizon.
Week 7 of the NFL season presents a new challenge as the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles are all on bye. You may have just scanned your Week 7 roster and realized the bye schedule is about to wreck your momentum with a blindside block. You can play this like a pro with a little finesse, so don’t throw in the towel just yet. Here are some ideas to help you greet your upcoming bye week from hell with confidence.
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Step 1: Panic. I Mean... Assess The Situation
Take a quick look at your weekly schedule to get a feel for any particularly challenging weeks.
Do your top two running backs have overlapping bye weeks? Do you have multiple starters from the same NFL team? Maybe you’re only rostering one quarterback or tight end who’s too valuable to drop for a bye-week fill-in.
View your schedule from a long-term perspective and try to gauge how each week could impact your playoff chances. Are you missing your star QB and WR1 for the last week of the fantasy regular season? Prepare to make some changes if you expect a tight playoff race and hope to sneak into the last spot.
Step 2: Evaluate Strengths And Weaknesses
“This is my fantasy team. There are many like it, but this one is mine.” We put blood, sweat, and tears into customizing our rosters, and those guys deserve our loyalty… but we must be willing to adapt.
There are likely a few players on your bench who still haven’t worked into your starting lineup. They could have late-season breakout potential, or you’re emotionally attached to the WR2 on your favorite NFL team. Draw the line between your legitimate undroppable players and those you can cut loose.
Evaluate depth at each position. Maybe you roster two top-ranked running backs with one flex-tier backup on your bench. Is your collection of WR2 options there to stay or could you use a bench spot for a high-upside RB handcuff?
*Special Case For Fantasy Managers Whose Vocabulary Doesn't Include The Word "Defeat"
If you put on a master class display of draft strategy and managed to stack your bench, you may be comfortable with punting a heavy bye week and gambling on continued dominance. When playoff seeding comes down to the wire, be mentally prepared if that seemingly insignificant Week 7 loss comes back to haunt you.
Step 3: Execute Like You've Been There Before
A. Waiver Weaving
We already know it’s impossible to find a replacement for Cooper Kupp when he’s off the field, although Matthew Stafford came pretty close when he married Kupp’s doppelganger.
Working around bye weeks introduces another element of precision to the waiver wire. You’re not just chasing the latest breakouts; you’re threading the needle between preserving long-term value and finding a short-term setup.
Establish your goals for each specific waiver claim. Maybe the fantasy gods set you up for failure against the highest-projected scorer for the week. The 7 points from your low-ceiling bench player probably won’t be enough. This is when you throw a Hail Mary and hope that deep-threat WR scores a touchdown on one of his three targets.
Instead, you might be facing a mid-level opponent and you’d be satisfied with double digits from your replacement. Scoop up a player with consistent volume who can serve his role without explosive plays.
Always check that your replacement candidates are in favorable matchups. A manager in your league could have dropped an expected stud after a frustrating start, and a weak defense could set him up for a breakout right when you need it.
B. Wheeling And Dealing
Put some feelers out for trades. Even if you don’t have a specific idea, shoot out some texts to let managers know you’re open to trade discussion. Ask if they’re interested in anyone from your squad and set the wheels in motion for mutually beneficial trade ideas.
Keep your mind open to combination trades involving several players. It can be difficult to lock down a 1-for-1 trade for a last-minute bye replacement, but you can find creative ways to build value with a blend of players from different positions.
If you have the luxury of planning ahead for next week and beyond, invest in potential. Maybe you have your eye on a lottery ticket RB who’s one injury away from being a weekly starter. Try to work them into a combo trade by leveraging a low-ceiling bench player who could benefit your trade counterpart.
In the spirit of bye weeks, look ahead at the schedule to see if your intended trade partner has any upcoming bye week challenges. You don’t want to toss your opponent an alley-oop of a bye fill-in for the week you’re against them.
Pro Moves: The Best Offense Is A Good Defense
Sometimes playing on the surface just doesn’t cut it and you must step into the shadows. I would never condone breaking the rules or looking for an edge through collusion, but you can take your game to the next level with some moves behind the curtain.
Anticipate what you can expect from your opponents during your problem weeks. Will their roster be missing any key assets? Do they have serviceable replacements on the bench or are they likely to target a waiver add?
Look at the waivers from their perspective and adjust your strategy. If you have a higher waiver claim priority than your opponent, exploit that position by blocking them from a valuable claim, even if you just plan to keep them on your bench.
Your opponent two weeks from now has their only TE on bye… grab the fringe play with a strong matchup one week before they need him. Maybe their weekly D/ST starter has a bye week… will they pass on more valuable skill players to overshoot on a rental D/ST for the week?
Don’t be afraid to get a little cheeky. Let’s consider a scenario in which a top RB is questionable to play with a short-term injury. The backup RB would provide immediate value for your opponent. If you don’t have the bench to support that speculative backup, you could make space by temporarily dropping your kicker. Once there is more clarity on the starting RB’s availability, you can restructure the bench and add another kicker. Assess the risk/reward ratio here. You might miss out on a few points from your preferred kicker, but you prevent your opponent from starting a potential top waiver add.
Fantasy Football Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint
You deserve to win a championship this year. It’s a long road to the playoffs, and most of us can’t afford to eat a loss without putting up a fight. Some of you are feeling the pressure with a mid-tier record but can still feel the distant warmth of the fantasy playoffs.
It’s easy to succumb to the sense of despair brought on by running a gauntlet of brutal byes. If you’re feeling defeated before your bye week from hell even starts, try to embrace the challenge and approach it methodically.
This guide should help you weather the storm and increase your odds of success… or your season could take a wild turn causing everything to fall apart. Either way, find solace in the fact that you can look back on your fantasy football season and know that you didn’t let the bye weeks determine your fate.
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