Fantasy Football Bye Week Strategy: Looking Ahead To The Early-Week Byes

Two weeks down, two to go before the 2025 NFL bye week schedule wreaks havoc on our fantasy lineups.

With four teams hitting their byes in Week 5 and two more in Week 6, now is the time to plan ahead. Throw in a particularly brutal Week 2 for injuries—especially at QB—and many fantasy managers are in a tough spot now.

Let's take a look at how the early bye weeks will affect our fantasy starting lineups in Weeks 5-6, along with some moves to make in both redraft and Guillotine Leagues™.

Fantasy Football Bye Week Schedule | Weeks 5-6

Here are the top fantasy players scheduled for byes in Weeks 5 and 6, with their fantasy football rest-of-season rankings listed.

Bye Week	Team	Player
Week 5	Atlanta Falcons	Bijan Robinson (RB2), Tyler Allgeier (RB40), Drake London (WR8), Darnell Mooney (WR49), Kyle Pitts (TE14), Michael Penix (QB18)
	Chicago Bears	D'Andre Swift (RB25), Rome Odunze (WR27), DJ Moore (WR37), Caleb Williams (QB13)
	Green Bay Packers	Josh Jacobs (RB7), Matthew Golden (WR54), Romeo Doubs (WR52), Dontayvion Wicks (WR72), Tucker Kraft (TE4), Jordan Love (QB12),
	Pittsburgh Steelers	Jaylen Warren (RB24), DK Metcalf (WR30), Calvin Austin (WR75), Jonnu Smith (TE18), Aaron Rodgers (QB30)
Week 6	Houston Texans	Nick Chubb (RB38), Nico Collins (WR7), Christian Kirk (WR62), Jayden Higgins (WR66), CJ Stroud (QB23)
	Minnesota Vikings	Jordan Mason (RB22), Aaron Jones (RB43), Justin Jefferson (WR6), Jordan Addison (WR39), J.J. McCarthy (QB27)

MORE: Fantasy Football Bye Week Strategy Guide for 2025

Bye Week Strategy - Looking Ahead to Week 5

There is good news for fantasy managers facing bye week issues as soon as Week 5: Most of your startable players hitting the bench have played pretty damn well so far. Getting off to a fast start in your league makes the bye weeks much less stressful.

Still, early-season byes are rough, and it's best to get ahead of them with an eye on the waiver wire and trade market a couple of weeks early.

Here are the best ways to get ahead of every position if you're facing a Week 5 bye (We'll hold off on DST recommendations until closer to the bye weeks …).

Quarterback

QBs with a Week 5 bye: Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, Michael Penix, Aaron Rodgers

Daniel Jones' roster rate tripled this week (61% on Yahoo) after the seventh-year man posted a second-straight 20+ point outing in Week 2. Jones is currently the QB2 in fantasy thanks to three rushing scores and a shockingly effective Colts offense. Jones has always maintained a rushing floor, having peaked with 708 yards and seven scores on the ground in 2022. The Colts host the Raiders in Week 5 and the Cardinals in Week 6.

If you missed out on Jones during this week's waiver run, three lesser-rostered options offer upside in Week 5: Tua Tagovailoa (22%), Bryce Young (19%) and Sam Darnold (16%). Tua and Young will go head-to-head in Miami, where the Dolphins have allowed the second-most PPR points to QBs thus far. We'll give the edge to Tua, who managed 18.6 fantasy points in Week 2 and benefits from the team's struggling defense. Darnold and the Seahawks face a forgiving Saints defense in Week 5.

Running Back

RBs with a Week 5 bye: Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Josh Jacobs, D'Andre Swift, Jaylen Warren

The running back free agent landscape is desolate. Kareem Hunt (26% rostered) offers a baseline floor in the Chiefs offense with the potential to take more of Isiah Pacheco's work over the next couple of weeks. Otherwise, it's handcuff city: Trey Benson (50%), Blake Corum (13%) and Woody Marks (7%) should handle 5-10 touches per week with the potential for much more in the case of an injury.

Wide Receiver

WRs with a Week 5 bye: Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin

Waiver wire junkies have been all over Wan'dale Robinson (47%) and Cedric Tillman (36%) in the early going, while Troy Franklin (32%) and Elic Ayomanor (16%) are rising fast. All are solid pickups who could rank much higher by Week 5.

One of the cheaper options at wide receiver right now is Christian Kirk (33%), who is set to return from a hamstring injury in Week 3 and settle into Houston's slot role. He'll be much more expensive next week if he's utilized enough. Other fliers to monitor: Isaac TeSlaa (8%), Dyami Brown (5%), Tory Horton (2%).

Tight End

TEs with a Week 5 bye: Tucker Kraft, Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith, Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet

Anyone who drafted Tucker Kraft does not deserve sympathy for losing fantasy's TE1 to a Week 5 bye (they'll be OK). But those rostering Kyle Pitts will want to monitor the TE landscape looking for both a bye-week fill in and someone with more upside.

Two young players fit the bill: Brenton Strange (27%) and Ja'Tavion Sanders (4%). Sanders is particularly intriguing, having posted the seventh-best expected fantasy points (12.1) at the position so far. If you're in a real pinch, keep an eye on Mike Gesicki (5%) as an underneath option for Bengals backup QB Jake Browning — the Who Deys could be in a Week 5 shootout against the Lions in Detroit.

Players to Trade For and Away Ahead of Week 5 Byes

Drake London: Bet on a bounceback before Week 5, but if London's slow start leaves you 0-3 or 1-2 after Week 3, consider shopping last season's WR5 for the likes of Brian Thomas, Davante Adams or George Pickens.
Rome Odunze: With the Cowboys' bottom-three passing defense on deck, now is the time to trade for fantasy's WR4 if his manager is somehow in a tough spot despite the early-season breakout.
DJ Moore: Slow start makes Moore a trade candidate before the bye week, but it's worth holding through Week 3 vs. Dallas. Then move him before the bye.
D'Andre Swift: Boring plodder might have already put you in a bad spot. Plenty of opportunity (RB12 in expected fantasy points), but RB21 on the season. Worth shopping him now; either way, add rookie RB Kyle Monangai.
Jordan Love: Fantasy's QB13 is a prime trade target leading a Super Bowl contender, bye week be damned. Upcoming schedule: @CLE, @DAL, BYE, vs. CIN.
DK Metcalf: Pittsburgh's underwhelming offense is a legit concern, but Metcalf's volume is fine. He's a high-floor, low-upside player with a great fantasy playoff schedule (@BAL, vs. MIA, @DET). Don't be afraid to move DK after Week 3 if you're desperate heading into Weeks 4-5, but Metcalf is a potential target for those off to a fast start.
Jaylen Warren: Likely your RB4-5, Warren is a solid hold or trade target for teams with no Week 5 bye week issues.

Week 6 Fantasy Football Bye Week Notes:

Houston's offense is last in the league in scoring (14.0 PPG) and fifth-worst in passing (166 yards per game). Still, Nico Collins is looking recession-proof with 14 targets thus far, though he is underperforming his 13.8 XFP by four points. Better days will come for last year's WR9 in fantasy points per game. … Woody Marks flashed his playmaking ability in Week 2, making him a waiver wire flier and a priority handcuff to 29-year-old Nick Chubb. … If this offense picks up, Christian Kirk or Jayden Higgins will have a considerable role. Kirk is a great buy-low for managers with Week 5 bye issues.

Keep an eye on the Vikings this week behind backup QB Carson Wentz. But remember that the veteran will be leading this talented group of playmakers against the Bengals' porous defense in Week 3. J.J. McCarthy should be back by Week 6, but this offense is off to a slow start. … With Aaron Jones set to miss Week 3, Jordan Mason is this week's RB17 in the Fantasy Life consensus ranks. … Anyone who drafted T.J. Hockenson needs to panic-add the likes of Brenton Strange and Ja'Tavion Sanders or try to trade for a boring player with a better role, like David Njoku or Kyle Pitts.