Fantasy Football Bye Week Strategy For Week 7: Staying One Week Ahead of Bye-Mageddon
Danny Cross breaks down how to prepare for the Week 7 byes in fantasy football and also looks ahead to the looming Week 8 bye week headache.
After a relatively painless first two weeks of byes for fantasy football, things are going to get much more difficult sooner than later. Only two teams are taking a break in Week 7—the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills—and by now, fantasy managers are well-versed in setting lineups without Lamar Jackson available. Add in the Bills' seemingly random target distribution, and we're not fully screwed by the loss of Josh Allen & Co. in Week 7, either.
Still, Bye-mageddon looms in Week 8 with six teams sitting out—the most this season. Now is the time to start covering any holes in your Week 8 lineups, especially at the QB and TE positions. Luckily, there are some solid matchups ahead for a few lightly rostered players.
Let's take a look at the fantasy football bye week schedule for Weeks 7-8 with an eye on waiver wire fill-ins, trade targets and other options for both redraft and Guillotine Leagues™.
Fantasy Football Bye Week Schedule | Weeks 6-8
Here are the top fantasy players scheduled for byes in Weeks 7-8, with their FantasyLife rest-of-season positional rank listed.
MORE: Full NFL Bye Week Schedule
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Quarterback Bye Week Strategy For Week 7
The Dallas Cowboys continue to be a free square for fantasy quarterbacks, ranking dead last in fantasy points to opposing QBs by nearly 5 points over the league's fourth-worst defense. Dallas can't help us in Weeks 7 or 8 versus the heavily rostered Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix, but Kyler Murray (or Jacoby Brissett?) gets the privilege of a visit to Dallas in Week 9.
Week 7 QB byes: Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen
Week 8 QB byes: Kyler Murray, Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence, Geno Smith, Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold
Who's left on the wire:
The fantasy community didn't buy Aaron Rodgers' four-TD game in Week 1, and for good reason. The 41-year-old has been steady if not spectacular in leading the 4-1 Steelers into Cincinnati on Thursday night, scoring between 12.4 and 12.8 fantasy points in three of four contests after starting the season with 25.7 (QB7) against the New York Jets. Rodgers is rostered in only 25% of Yahoo leagues after efficiently dispatching the other Ohio team last week. The Bengals' inept offense should allow Rodgers plenty of possessions and short fields, and the defense struggles to get off the field while allowing the fourth-highest rate of third-down conversions in the league (46%). Equipped with an alpha WR1 in DK Metcalf, shifty-enough tight ends and a pair of quality receiving backs, the 41-year-old is set up for a spike week in primetime.
Sam Darnold (46%) and the Seattle Seahawks continue to look like one of the more professional operations in the league right now. Darnold threw for another 295 yards and two scores last week, and the Seahawks maintained their NFL lead in dropback EPA. Darnold has taken only seven sacks this season and is locked in on breakout WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (37% target share). On paper, Houston looks like a solid enough passing defense, but they've faced Trevor Lawrence, Cam Ward and Cooper Rush in three of their five games. Seattle has a bye in Week 8 after hosting the Texans this week, but Darnold is still severely under-rostered and is a safe option in Week 7.
Looking ahead: Since somehow losing 30-0 to the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, the Atlanta Falcons have knocked off the Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills in convincing fashion. Michael Penix (24%) hasn't blown up in the box score with 19.7 and 14.6 fantasy points in these matchups, but the second-year QB has bumped his yards per attempt to 9.7 in those wins compared to 6.1 in Weeks 1-3. The Falcons are humming, and they have the pleasure of hosting the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, the second-worst defense against fantasy QBs. … Speaking of Miami, those looking ahead to Week 9 byes might want to consider the other side of Miami's passing game when Tua Tagovailoa (28%) and the Dolphins host the Baltimore Ravens. Tua will be a solid replacement for Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield or Justin Fields in Week 9
Running Back Bye Week Strategy For Week 7
For the second week in a row, a running back came off the bench to post the RB9 week in PPR leagues. With the bye weeks in full effect, it's crucial to hoard handcuff running backs with as many free bench spots as possible.
Week 7 RB byes: James Cook, Derrick Henry
Week 8 RB byes: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Travis Etienne, Ashton Jeanty, Kyren Williams, Kenneth Walker, Zach Charbonnet
Who's left on the wire:
Kimani Vidal (67%) is clearly the top priority in leagues where he's available after erupting for 22.7 fantasy points (RB9) in Week 6 thanks to 18-124-0 on the ground and 3-14-1 through the air against the Dolphins. The second-year back absolutely dominated the usage in the Chargers' first game without Omarion Hampton, handling 72% of the team's rushing attempts with an 11% target share. Fellow back Hassan Haskins only saw six carries and one target. We knew Vidal was the better pass-catcher of the two, and this type of workload suggests a Hampton-like floor and ceiling if the Chargers continue to lean on the passing game.
In his second game back from a high ankle sprain, Tyjae Spears (29%) settled into his familiar (and effective) role in Tennessee. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound back posted 9.0 PPR points on only five carries and four targets, but his nine opportunities only trailed starter Tony Pollard by three (10-34-0, two catches). The Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan this week just six games into his second season—there are trailing game scripts ahead and considerable contingent value if something happens to Pollard.
The Arizona Cardinals are making it grosser every week to start their fantasy dudes, but Bam Knight (21%) found the end zone on 11 carries and two targets in Week 6 (12.4 FP, RB15). Knight was a last-minute start after Michael Carter (49%) fared well in the role the previous week (18.8 FP, RB9). Trey Benson won't return from his meniscus trim for another two to four weeks, making this RB room one of the least-bad last-minute options (if that makes any sense).
Looking ahead: Trey Benson (57%) is a smart stash (or trade target!) if he's dropped during the bye weeks—the Cardinals face the Bengals in fantasy championship week. … Kenneth Gainwell (46%) showed in Week 6 that he might just have FLEX value even after the return of Jaylen Warren. The veteran scrounged up 9.0 PPR points in Week 6 after blowing up for 31.4 with Warren out the previous game.
Top RB handcuffs: Tyler Allgeier (38%), Kendre Miller (32%), Brian Robinson (34%), Ollie Gordon (17%), Ray Davis (12%), Will Shipley (3%), DJ Giddens (2%), Kyle Monangai (5%)
Wide Receiver Bye Week Strategy For Week 7
Most fantasy managers aren't in dire straits this week with only a couple of top-40 WRs watching the games from home in Week 7 (Zay Flowers, Khalil Shakir). And that's a good thing because the waiver wire is barren at wide receiver at this point in the season—any early breakouts were sniffed out (or snuffed out) during the first month of the season.
Week 7 WR byes: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman
Week 8 WR byes: Marvin Harrison, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Brian Thomas, Jakobi Meyers, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp
Who's left on the wire:
Troy Franklin (24%) appeared on the waiver wire radar back in Week 2 (24 FP, WR7) but has looked like a WR3 in a crowded offense since then. Still, Sean Payton likes to hear himself call passing plays, and the Broncos face the league's third-worst (Giants) and worst (Cowboys) defenses against fantasy WRs over the next two weeks. Anyone with a Week 8 wide receiver bye should consider adding Franklin now, just to have first dibs if he pops off again in Week 7. Franklin is tied for seventh in the league in red zone targets among wide receivers.
Elic Ayomanor's (24%) utilization score officially passed teammate Calvin Ridley this week, albeit in part because the latter left the team's Week 6 contest with a hamstring injury. The rookie has at times looked like the future of the Titans' passing attack, scoring touchdowns on modest target shares in two of his first three NFL games. With Ridley likely to miss time—and an interim head coach presumably looking for answers to a stagnant offense—opportunity knocks for the fourth-rounder out of Stanford.
Kendrick Bourne (47%) looks to be usable as long as the 49ers are dealing with multiple injuries to starting WRs. The 30-year-old racked up exactly 142 receiving yards for the second straight game in Week 6 on a 24% target share. On the season, Bourne trails only Ricky Pearsall in wide receiver usage. With Jauan Jennings also banged up, Bourne looks like the team's WR1 until Pearsall returns and could be startable in a flex capacity even afterward.
We're flying a little bit blind when it comes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' plans for life after breakout rookie Emeka Egbuka hits the injured list, but we know that there are targets to be had from Baker Mayfield this week. Tez Johnson (10%) stepped into a near-every-down role in Week 6 when Egbuka joined teammates Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the sideline. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound rookie only caught one of three targets, but it was a 45-yard bomb for a touchdown. Evans could return this week, but Egbuka is likely to miss multiple games. Tez is worth a dart throw to see how this plays out, largely because Mayfield is operating as one of the most fantasy-friendly gunslingers in the league.
Looking ahead: Monitor any ascending rookie WRs, including Matthew Golden (consistent volume but target competition on the way), Jayden Higgins (TD in Week 4, season-high four targets in Week 5) and Luther Burden (growing role + effectiveness). … Green Bay WRs Christian Watson (11%) and Jayden Reed (37%) could be worth a stash with an eye on the following late-season schedule: Week 14 vs. CHI, Week 15 @DEN, Week 16 @CHI, Week 17 @BAL. … Christian Kirk (26%) continues to be the most widely available receiver, seeing solid usage and volume as the bye weeks get busier.
Trade target: Garrett Wilson could be out through the Jets' Week 10 bye. Justin Fields' dismal performance in Week 6 forced the question of whether he'll even finish the season as the starter. Any Wilson manager in a pinch should consider moving the current WR10, and we know he can produce fantasy points in this less-than-ideal situation.
Tight End Bye Week Strategy For Week 7
Injuries continue to open the door for familiar faces to join the weekly fantasy top-10 at tight end. Last week, Dallas Goedert (TE1), Zach Ertz (TE5) and Michael Mayer (TE6) each outperformed their expected fantasy points thanks in part to receiving TDs.
Week 7 TE byes: Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Dalton Kincaid
Week 8 TE byes: Trey McBride, Sam LaPorta, Brock Bowers
Who's left on the wire:
Tyler Warren has received the lion's share of hype among rookie tight ends in 2025, but Harold Fannin Jr. (45%) has quietly kept pace with the first-rounder. After last week's seven catches on 10 (!) targets for 81 yards, the Browns' TE1b trails Warren by only seven expected fantasy points on the year. Recall that Cleveland looked the rookie third-rounder's way nine times in Week 1, handing him a carry to boot. There is a clear plan for Fannin in this offense, and David Njoku left last week's game with a knee injury. Any fantasy manager with an upcoming tight end bye should be scooping up Fannin as quickly as possible.
Mason Taylor (36%) dudded in the box score in Week 6 as part of the Justin Fields/Aaron Glenn meltdown week in London, but the second-round rookie should bounce back with Garrett Wilson set to miss multiple weeks with a knee injury. Those looking ahead to Week 8 should circle Taylor's matchup with the Bengals, who have allowed a league-high 17.8 fantasy points to the position per game.
Oronde Gadsden (2%) is yet another rookie ascending as we quickly approach midseason in fantasy leagues. With Quentin Johnston out of action, the wide receiver-turned-tight end stepped into a massive role in the passing game, running routes on 77% of the team's dropbacks and earning a 22% target share. The resulting seven receptions for 88 yards on eight targets were good for TE12 on the week. There are a lot of mouths to feed in this fairly aggressive passing offense, but Gadsden has already put quite a bit of distance between himself and TE2 Will Dissly.
Looking ahead: Evan Engram (56%) has disappointed after the highly anticipated move to Denver, but the veteran gets a shot at the Cowboys in Week 8. … With the Ravens hitting their bye week, Isaiah Likely (7%) makes sense as a stash to see how the Baltimore offense looks once Lamar Jackson returns. There have been trade rumors surrounding starting TE Mark Andrews.
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