Week 6 Bye Week Guide for Fantasy Football: Replacements For C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins and More
Danny Cross breaks down how to approach the Week 6 byes for fantasy football and looks ahead to Weeks 7-8 to prepare ahead of time.
With the first bye week of the 2025 fantasy football season behind us, it's time to look ahead to Week 6 and beyond. Only two teams take respite in each of the next two weeks, but Bye-megeddon looms in Week 8 when six teams have byes—the most this season.
This week, the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans are sitting out, followed by the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens next week. Whether you're pressed for replacement players in Week 6 or not, staying ahead of your leaguemates will be massively helpful once your byes hit, especially at the QB and TE positions. And, of course, bye weeks and injuries present opportunities to make league-winning trades.
Let's take a look at the fantasy football bye week schedule for Weeks 6-8 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 6-8, with their FantasyLife rest-of-season positional rank listed.
MORE: Full NFL Bye Week Schedule
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Fantasy Football Bye Week Strategy
Last week, we nailed a few QB/TE replacements for fantasy managers in a pinch, with C.J. Stroud putting up the overall QB1 performance with 28.8 points against the decimated Ravens defense. We'll want to keep an eye on Baltimore's schedule against QBs and pass-catchers alike over the next few weeks: vs. LAR, BYE, vs. CHI, @MIA, @MIN. Tua Tagovailoa will get a shot at this unit in Week 9, and the lefty managed a QB9 finish last week without Tyreek Hill at his disposal. Those rostering Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, Justin Fields and Dillon Gabriel should take note for their byes in Week 9.
Jets tight end Mason Taylor continued his ascent with nine catches on 12 targets and a two-point conversion for 17.7 PPR points and a TE8 finish in Week 5. With a roster rate that only jumped to 17% this week, we'll touch on the New York rookie's prospects again today.
Below, we will go position by position, looking at players available in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues (and much less in many cases), looking for players who can fill in during a bye week or have a chance to rise in the ranks with additional playing time or injuries.
The usual caveats apply: If you're 5-0 or 4-1, there's not as much to sweat. Check your opponents' rosters looking for difficult bye weeks, and use them to your advantage in trade talks. If your fantasy team is already struggling, you might need to move the likes of Nico Collins, Justin Jefferson or Jordan Mason (all on bye in Week 6) for a player who can help you this week.
Quarterback Bye Week Strategy For Week 6
Week 6 isn't going to hurt many fantasy managers at quarterback with only C.J. Stroud and Carson Wentz taking a seat. But Lamar Jackson's fantasy managers might still be trying to replace last year's QB1 — plus, he and Josh Allen have byes next week.
Who's left on the wire:
Sam Darnold (31%) is QB12 over the last four weeks after throwing for 341 yards and four TDs against the Buccaneers in Week 5 (28.6 FP, QB2). Darnold sits just outside the top-10 in passing volume (258.8 yards/game) on the year, but has been incredibly efficient, leading the league with 9.3 yards per attempt. With breakout star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba at his disposal and an offense that ranks top-10 in success rate and second in EPA per pass, Darnold is a solid high-floor option.
Bryce Young (19%) has been decidedly mediocre this season, finishing with a weekly QB rank that starts with a 2 in four out of five weeks thus far. But the third-year signal-caller gets the gift that is the Dallas Cowboys defense this week. Dallas has allowed 27.1 fantasy points per game to opposing QBs, the worst mark in the league. A forgiving Jets defense is on deck for Young in Week 7.
Monitor:
Before the Falcons' bye last week, Michael Penix (23%) showed signs of life in a Week 4 win against Washington with 313 passing yards and two TDs. With only three passing touchdowns on the season, fantasy managers will need to see continued improvement in this week's matchup against the high-powered Buffalo Bills. If Penix & Co. look the part, the second-year QB could be worth an add ahead of a visit to San Francisco in Week 8 and a home game against the struggling Dolphins defense in Week 9.
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Here is the upcoming schedule of the bottom three NFL defenses vs. fantasy QBs ...
Running Back Bye Week Strategy For Week 6
Our multi-week obsession with Texans rookie RB Woody Marks (75% rostered) did not yield results in Week 5, but the Texans spent the day blowing out the undermanned Baltimore Ravens and let Nick Chubb handle most of the heavy lifting. Still, if Marks hits the wire during the team's Week 6 bye, he's absolutely worth an add (or trade?) as we wait to see how the Texans RB rotation looks in a more competitive environment.
Running back injuries are a bigger problem than the byes this week, and the waiver wire options are looking bleak. Still, every RB room is just one injury away from a massive shakeup (see: Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Chargers, et al).
Who's left on the wire:
Michael Carter (41%) took complete control of the Cardinals backfield with Trey Benson out, racking up 18 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown while snagging all five targets. The workload was good for RB5 on the week in expected fantasy points (XFP) and RB9 in real life. Fellow back Emari Demercado didn't do himself any favors by dropping the ball inches before scoring a 72-yard touchdown and pretty much costing the Cardinals the game.
Carter seems destined for the team's early-down role until Benson returns, and he's a capable pass-down back fresh off a ridiculous 89 utilization score. The Colts (Week 6) and Packers (Week 7) are not the most ideal spots for the Cardinals' new lead man, but the Cowboys are on tap in Week 8 during Bye-Megeddon. Carter is worth a stash and could be a perfect add-on in trades over the next couple of weeks for those looking ahead to the fantasy playoffs.
It's last call for those interested in Saints RB2 Kendre Miller (30%), who continues to eat into Alvin Kamara's workload. The third-year back handled more carries than the 30-year-old in Week 5 and ran a route on 28% of the team's passing attempts, a season high. The former third-round pick is 6-foot and 220 pounds and could very well be the Saints' lead back sooner than later.
Blake Corum's 17% roster rate is on the downswing after the second-year man lost a fumble and two-thirds of his snaps in last week's overtime loss to the 49ers. Kyren Williams took complete advantage en route to a 30-burger with a 14-65-0 line on the ground and eight catches and two TDs through the air. Still, Corum showed plenty of juice while eating into Kyren's workload over the previous three weeks and would be an empty-the-FAAB type of option if anything happens to Williams. Consider Corum back atop the fantasy handcuff rankings.
Hassan Haskins (10%) and Kimani Vidal (6%) are set to fill in for Chargers rookie Omarion Hampton, who is destined for IR and will miss at least the next four weeks. Vidal is the better pass catcher and could scrounge up 10 fantasy points here and there if the Chargers continue to throw the ball at the league's second-highest pass rate over expectation. These are temporary, low-paying gigs, but the price is right.
Top RB handcuffs: Kenneth Gainwell (39%), Brian Robinson (37%), Tyler Allgeier (32%), Ollie Gordon (21%), Ray Davis (13%), Will Shipley (4%), DJ Giddens (2%), Kyle Monangai (5%)
Wide Receiver Bye Week Strategy For Week 6
Week 6 isn't so bad for wide receiver byes, with Justin Jefferson, Nico Collins and Jordan Addison representing the only top options off the table. But there are some intriguing early-round WRs who have not lived up to expectations this season who could be available in trades: Think A.J. Brown, Ladd McConkey and even Drake London or Collins himself (on bye this week).
Who's left on the wire:
Hmm… not much.
- Kendrick Bourne (15%) busted out for 24.2 FP this week (WR6) behind a 25% target share from Mac Jones. If Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings remain out, Bourne is worth another go.
- Troy Franklin (28%) is a small receiver with only a small chance of scoring 20 points most weeks, but the second-year man is averaging 10.6 PPR points per game on the young season. The Broncos' passing offense is a bit crowded, but there's volume to go around.
- Tory Horton (7%) is looking like a usable fantasy asset — in the future. When Horton is on the field, he's earning targets and scoring touchdowns (10+ FP in three of four games, 3 TDs). But Seattle is running 12 personnel at the 10th-highest rate in the league, and it's working. Horton is a player to monitor as Cooper Kupp's production continues to dwindle.
- Darnell Mooney (33%) is flying under the radar because no one really cares that he is down there. But last year's WR31 should see a half dozen targets per game when healthy.
Trade targets: It's getting late to pry CeeDee Lamb from his fantasy manager, but still worth a shot if said manager can be politely reminded that Lamb has a Week 10 bye looming. … We're only two weeks away from the return of Chiefs WR Rashee Rice, who will also sit during a Week 10 bye after two weeks on fantasy rosters. … This could be the week to fire off trade offers for Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Nico Collins. Addison is obviously the more attainable target, but if he can stop getting in trouble, the former first-rounder could pay dividends during the first week of the fantasy playoffs when the Vikings visit the Cowboys.
Looking ahead: With the emergence of Emeka Egbuka headlining breakout articles across the land, maybe Mike Evans' managers are willing to come off the 32-year-old, who still hasn't practiced this week and could miss Week 6. … The 49ers don't have a breakout rookie or many healthy wide receivers, so it's worth monitoring Brandon Aiyuk's rehab process. Kyle Shanahan's offense somehow provided Kendrick Bourne a WR9 finish in XFP last week with Mac Jones at the helm. Aiyuk won't be at full strength immediately upon return, but could very well be a menace in the fantasy playoffs.
Tight End Bye Week Strategy For Week 6
TE2s and 3s continue to emerge as top-10 options in both fantasy scoring and expected points. We are nearly a third of the way through the NFL season, and some of these players are going to help long-term. This week, it's all about the rookies who appear to be earning regular volume.
Who's left on the wire:
There's no reason Mason Taylor (17%) should be so widely available after earning 25%+ target shares in each of the last two weeks. The Jets rookie is TE9 over this stretch without the benefit of a TD catch, thanks to 14 catches on 19 targets (plus a two-point conversion). Taylor's 82 and 90 utilization scores in Weeks 4 and 5 are astronomical for a tight end, Jets rookie or not.
Theo Johnson (11%) broke out in Week 5 with six receptions on seven targets and two TDs en route to TE3 on the week. Johnson has run routes on more than 70% of dropbacks in four of five games this season—a clear part of the passing offense. With Malik Nabers out for the year, there's not much competition for Jaxson Dart's targets, especially in the red zone—where Johnson cashed in twice last week.
Harold Fannin (27%) finally got to spike the ball last week and is worth a hold while we see where the Browns offense goes with QB Dillon Gabriel at the helm. The rookie threw both of his TD passes to tight ends this week, although David Njoku took a big step in utilization and caught a touchdown of his own. The Browns designed plays for both of their talented tight ends, and Gabriel finished with a 6.1 aDOT—more than a yard less than Flacco produced this year.
Seahawks second-year tight end AJ Barner (2%) is up to four TDs on the season, thanks in part to a 29% end zone target share. Seattle's balanced offense—and the presence of rookie TE Elijah Arroyo—lowers the ceiling for the team's tight end for fantasy purposes, but Barner has Darnold's attention near the goal line.
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