How To Prepare For Bye Weeks: Players To Add Now Before The Rush

After a relatively tame couple of weeks for NFL injuries, Week 3 was rough. Those looking to replace the likes of CeeDee Lamb, James Conner, Tyrone Tracy, Mike Evans and Terry McLaurin will want to pay particular attention to the early-season bye week schedule when attempting to replace these players for the next couple of weeks.

We took an early look at the Week 5 and 6 byes last week, offering up at least a few players whose stock has risen since then. With Week 3 in the books, let's get back into the best moves to make in both redraft and Guillotine Leagues ahead of the first bye weeks of the 2025 NFL season.

Fantasy Football Bye Week Schedule | Weeks 5-6

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

MORE: Full NFL Bye Week Schedule

Fantasy Football Bye Week Strategy: Looking Ahead to Weeks 5 and 6

If Week 3 taught us anything, it's that it's never too early to hoard handcuff running backs. This time last week, Trey Benson's roster rate at Yahoo was around 50%. After this week's waiver run, Arizona's new RB1 is now up to 80%. With James Conner lost for the season, Benson is the FantasyLife consensus RB23 ahead of this week's matchup with the Seahawks and has massive upside the rest of the way.

With Bijan Robinson, Josh Jacobs, D'Andre Swift, Jaylen Warren, Jordan Mason and Nick Chubb set to miss either Week 5 or 6, it's crucial to continue churning the final roster spots in search of ascending RBs. And, of course, quarterbacks are typically the highest need during bye weeks for managers who only drafted one signal-caller.

Let's go position by position and identify some of the players worth grabbing ahead of the Week 5 and 6 byes. We're looking for players who can be started in a pinch or who have a chance to rise in the ranks with additional playing time or injuries before the byes. As such, we'll generally focus on lesser-rostered players.

Quarterback Bye Week Replacements

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

QBs with a Week 6 bye: C.J. Stroud, J.J. McCarthy/Carson Wentz

Here are the top quarterbacks available in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues, along with their Week 5 and 6 matchups and current rank in fantasy points per game:

Now is the time for Caleb Williams and Jordan Love managers to plan for their Week 5 byes. These options aren't exactly ideal, but with few managers relying on Michael Penix and Aaron Rodgers as their QB1s, there shouldn't be a ton of competition on the waiver wire for Week 5 QBs.

Matthew Stafford is by far the best real-life option available, and the Rams passing offense has been its usually productive self over the first three weeks, averaging 237 passing yards per game (10th) and 24.3 PPG (11th). The 49ers aren't a bad home matchup for Sean McVay & Co. in Week 5, and Stafford is an excellent option for anyone trying to replace C.J. Stroud or J.J. McCarthy in Week 6 when the Rams visit the Ravens. Baltimore has allowed the fourth-most fantasy PPG to opposing QBs.

As a Bengals fan, I'm contractually obligated to include Jake Browning in the chart above, but keep in mind that the Who Deys were thrashed so badly last week they moved on to third-stringer Brett Rypien to finish out the game. Still, the Detroit Lions might put up 50 against the Bengals in Week 5, making Browning a sneaky bring-back option if the Bengals can keep the turnovers to a minimum.

It might not sound like a good idea, but Bryce Young faces the league's second-worst (Miami) and worst (Dallas) defenses against fantasy QBs in Weeks 5 and 6. The Panthers' third-year man only threw for 121 yards with no touchdowns last week thanks to the team's dominant defensive performance. But he threw for over 300 yards and three TDs the previous week against Arizona.

Will the dysfunctional Miami Dolphins put up enough of a fight for the Panthers to air it out? In that case, Tua Tagovailoa would be in play for desperate fantasy managers, though the Panthers have only allowed two TDs through the air this year.

Seahawks QB Sam Darnold is also worth monitoring on Thursday night at Arizona. The journeyman will have plenty of rest before hosting Tampa Bay in Week 5. Seattle's offense is third in the league in scoring at 29.3 PPG.

MORE: Week 4 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds: Tre Tucker, Jaxson Dart and More

Running Back Bye Week Replacements

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

RBs with a Week 6 bye: Jordan Mason, Nick Chubb, Woody Marks

It's last call for anyone interested in the services of Trey Benson (80% rostered), the dynamic second-year back out of Florida State. The second RB selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, Benson was already eating into James Connor's usage before the latter's season-ending ankle injury in Week 3. With a firm hold on the RB1 job in Arizona, expect a similar output to Connor's work, which was good for RB10 last year and RB16 through Week 2. It's worth floating a trade offer for Benson if his manager is suddenly flush with RB options.

Blake Corum (26%) is another riser after putting up an 8-53-0 line on 26% of the Rams' rushing attempts in Week 3. Generally trusted by the Coachspeak Index, Sean McVay says Corum is deserving of more work. Third-stringer Jarquez Hunter doesn't have a touch through three weeks. Corum is a top-five handcuff and one injury away from must-start status.

Perhaps the most intriguing handcuff available on most waiver wires is Texans rookie RB Woody Marks (20%). After breaking off a sweet 37-yard catch and run in Week 2, the rookie out of USC garnered six more carries and two targets in Week 3, cementing himself as the RB2 in Houston. Marks was an older prospect but displayed passing-down chops in college. At 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, Marks is unlikely to siphon short-yardage work from Nick Chubb, but if the oft-injured 29-year-old goes down, there is very little in the way of the rookie taking a Bucky Irving-like hold (!!) on the Houston backfield.

The Chiefs' running back usage is pretty gross, but Kareem Hunt (36%) has the goal line gig and could theoretically take on more work if Isiah Pacheco goes down… Kendre Miller handled nine touches for the Saints in Week 3 and is the clear No. 2 behind Alvin Kamara in the admittedly weak Saints offense… Kyle Monangai (10%) and DJ Giddens (4%) are upside handcuffs who are one injury away from fantasy starting lineups in Chicago and Indy, respectively.

MORE: Fantasy Football Takeaways: Trey Benson Headlines Utilization Report For Week 4

Wide Receiver Bye Week Replacements

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

WRs with a Week 6 bye: Nico Collins, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins

We recommended a long look at Texans WR Christian Kirk (34% rostered) last week, and the veteran saw plenty of work in his return from a hamstring injury. His eight targets in Week 3 only amounted to three catches for 25 yards, but his 12.2 XFP ranked 26th on the week. This usage is a great sign that Kirk is firmly the team's No. 2 WR behind Nico Collins and the slot-man will produce plenty of usable fantasy lines if this type of workload continues. Houston visits the forgiving Ravens in Week 5 before taking their bye in Week 6.

Rashod Bateman (32%) finally showed up for his fantasy managers on Monday night, hauling in five of seven targets for 63 yards and a touchdown. There are a lot of mouths to feed in Baltimore, but the offense has been busy trying to make up for a defense allowing a league-worst 37 points per game. Bateman is who he is at this point — a boom-bust WR4 in a top offense — but Baltimore's Week 5 and 6 opponents both rank in the bottom half of the league in fantasy points allowed to WRs.

Troy Franklin (35%) dudded in Week 3, but Dwain McFarland notes that the second-year man saw solid usage again. After racking up an 8-89-1 line in Week 2, Franklin managed only two catches for eight yards on four targets last week. It is advisable to give the diminutive former Duck another shot this week when the Broncos host the Bengals' porous defense on Monday night.

Three talented rookie receivers are pushing hard for increased roster rates in fantasy land. Luther Burden (11%) emerged from the Bears' clown car of receiving threats to post a 3-101-1 line and 21.8 fantasy points thanks in part to a 65-yard flea flicker TD. Burden isn't running a ton of routes, but they are increasing by the week and he is being targeted when he does get on the field. Ben Johnson is scheming up looks for the second-round pick, making him a candidate to boom even amidst the target competition in Chicago.

Elic Ayomanor (22%) scored again last week and has shined as the WR2 in Tennessee. Tory Horton (3%) took a punt to the house and scored his first receiving touchdown in Week 3, but he's firmly behind Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp in Seattle's passing offense for now. These guys are last-ditch bye week replacements, but they've shown the big-play ability to pop off for 10 fantasy points on minimal volume in a pinch.

Tight End Bye Week Replacements

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

TEs with a Week 6 bye: T.J. Hockenson, Dalton Schultz

Things look bleak on the tight end waiver wire, but Tucker Kraft managers should have their pick of fill-ins for the Week 5 bye. One player to scoop up now is Isaiah Likely (16% rostered), who is coming off preseason surgery for a broken foot but got back on the practice field last week. Mark Andrews got loose for a 6-92-2 line against the Lions on Monday night, but the veteran produced only two catches for seven yards in Weeks 1 and 2.

Chargers rookie third-rounder Oronde Gadsden (1%) saw his first action of the season and looked the part en route to five catches for 46 yards on seven targets in Week 3. Like Baltimore, Los Angeles boasts a wealth of receiving options, but Gadsden's competition at tight end is less than impressive. Gadsden's 13.9 expected fantasy points ranked third at the position in Week 3.

Tampa Bay TE Cade Otton (7%) goose-egged in Week 3 but has an 89% route share on the year. With Mike Evans expected to miss multiple weeks, Otton could step into a red zone role at the very least.

Jags TE Brenton Strange is still available in three-quarters of leagues after catching six passes on seven targets for 61 yards last week, good for a TE7 finish.