Week 8 Bye Week Strategy Guide: Replacement Ideas For Bye-Maggedon
Danny Cross goes position by position to walk you through Week 8's bye-maggedon in fantasy football.
If you're reading this article, it's likely that you woke up today and checked your fantasy football team only to find a ridiculous amount of Week 8 byes littering your lineup. With six teams taking a seat this week, fantasy managers across the land are strapped for replacements.
Lucky for you, we've been at this for weeks, preparing fantasy managers for the toughest bye weeks of 2025 and earning the search-engine juice pop-up first when someone googles, "bye week hell 2025, kill me now."
As such, here's a look at the fantasy football bye week schedule for Weeks 8-9 with an eye on waiver wire fill-ins, trade targets and other options for both redraft and Guillotine Leagues™.
All roster rates denoted are from Yahoo leagues.
Fantasy Football Bye Week Schedule | Weeks 8-9
Here are the top fantasy players scheduled for byes in Weeks 8-9, with their fantasy football rest-of-season rankings listed (positionally).
MORE: Full NFL Bye Week Schedule
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Bye Week Trade Strategy For Week 8
Heading into Week 8, fantasy football standings are starting to separate the contenders and pretenders. If you're 6-1 or 5-2, you can afford to set a less-than-ideal lineup once or twice during the bye weeks. But for those battling for a final playoff spot, it's now or never to improve their teams.
Always monitor your opponents' rosters looking for trade opportunities. This week is an ideal time to kick the tires on Las Vegas Raiders rookie RB Ashton Jeanty, who has disappointed largely due to team context. If Jeanty's manager needs help this week, he's an intriguing addition who could certainly perform better down the stretch.
You could say the same thing (to various extents) for the likes of Brian Thomas, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jameson Williams. Each will be watching the games from home this weekend instead of scoring fantasy points.
Quarterback Bye Week Strategy For Week 8
In single-QB leagues, bye-mageddon isn't nearly as bad as it could be. We'll touch on a couple of widely available names here and then look ahead to Week 9 when Jalen Hurts and Baker Mayfield will be MIA.
Week 8 QB byes: Kyler Murray, Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence, Geno Smith, Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold
Week 9 QB byes: Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, Dillon Gabriel, Justin Fields/Tyrod Taylor
Who's left on the wire:
Jaxson Dart's 56% roster rate is entirely too low. The QB4 since becoming the starter in Week 4, the rookie has shown the type of dual-threat ability and aggressiveness fantasy managers dream of. Dart went off for three passing TDs and a rushing score on the road in Denver last week, earning his second-straight QB3 finish. Dart and fellow rookie Cam Skattebo have completely flipped the vibes in New York, even with star WR Malik Nabers on the shelf. Every fantasy manager could use QB insurance with this type of upside during the bye weeks.
Last week, we pointed out that Falcons QB Michael Penix has a cushy matchup with the Miami Dolphins in Week 8. With a roster rate currently sitting at 28% at Yahoo, not enough fantasy managers have taken notice. Penix didn't light up the box score in a Sunday night loss to the 49ers (241 passing yards, 1 TD) in Week 7, but the Dolphins are in dire straits these days, having allowed 2.5 QB TDs per game over the first six weeks of the season before Dillon Gabriel & Co. found a way to score zero last week (Quinshon Judkins went off for three rushing TDs). If the Browns can rack up 31 points against Miami, so can the Falcons …
It doesn't make a ton of sense, but Bengals QB Joe Flacco (35%) turned back the clock on Thursday night to the 2024 season when Cincinnati seemed to be racing teams to 30 points most weeks. The 40-year-old Flacco went 31-of-47 for 342 yards and three touchdowns, good for QB6 on the slate. Somehow, the Bengals' offensive line held up against the Steelers' defensive front and actually opened running lanes for forgotten man Chase Brown. With the reeling New York Jets on tap, firing up Flacco in Week 8 no longer sounds ridiculous but actually kind of fun.
Desperation Superflex play: Andy Dalton (3%) will take over for the injured Bryce Young this week. Dalton has hardly been a downgrade over the past three seasons in Carolina, tossing 10 TDs against seven INTs in parts of 12 contests (five starts). In one quarter of relief in Week 7, Dalton went 4-of-7 for 60 yards with every completion going to Xavier Legette. Tetairoa McMillan and Legette managers should be just fine with the Red Rifle at the helm.
Looking ahead: Carson Wentz (6%) disappointed in fantasy and real life last week, throwing for 313 scoreless yards with two interceptions in a loss to the Eagles. But the schedule opens up for either Wentz or rookie QB J.J. McCarthy (25%) after a so-so matchup with the Chargers in Week 8. From Weeks 9-11, Minnesota goes @ DET, vs. BAL, vs. CHI—all bottom-six defenses against QB scoring thus far.
Running Back Bye Week Strategy For Week 8
There were no drastic running back injuries this week, leaving the Week 8 waiver wire barren at the position. But there are still handcuffs to hoard and a couple of timeshare backs who are usable in a pinch.
Week 8 RB byes: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Travis Etienne, Ashton Jeanty, Kyren Williams, Kenneth Walker, Zach Charbonnet, Bam Knight, Michael Carter
Week 9 RB byes: Saquon Barkley, Quinshon Judkins, Breece Hall, Bucky Irving, Rachaad White
Who's left on the wire:
The only under-the-radar RB to join the Week 7 top-10 in PRR leagues was Bears rookie Kyle Monangai (31%), who nearly worked in tandem with D'Andre Swift against New Orleans. The Bears ran the ball 37 times in a game they largely controlled, so 13 carries and three targets are unlikely to be on the table most weeks. Still, the seventh-rounder handled 46% of snaps and 34% of carries compared to 52% and 50% for Swift, finishing with 17.4 fantasy points (RB10)—just behind Swift's 20.8 (RB5). Monangai's output was aided by a one-yard TD run, but he looks to have earned a role in the passing game with a 9% target share (4% for Swift). This isn't a full-on 1B situation yet, but Monangai is an intriguing dual-threat back who is one injury away from a lucrative fantasy role.
The Tennessee Titans are not the answer to anyone's fantasy prayers, but Tyjae Spears (29%) is quickly carving out a floor in this (struggling) offense. The third-year back nearly matched starter Tony Pollard's workload in Week 7, grinding out 22 yards on five carries and hauling in three catches on four targets. Pollard's six carries were a season low, and the veteran hasn't scored since Week 5. There's upside here if Pollard were to go down or the new regime decides to lean on the better pass-catcher of the two. Spears' work in the passing game gives him one of the highest floors among RBs who are widely available this week.
Brashard Smith (12%) caught some steam after showing up with four carries and four targets for the Chiefs in Week 4, but the usage flattened out from there. That changed in Week 7's blowout win when the seventh-round rookie only narrowly trailed Isiah Pacheco in carries (15-14) and caught all five of his targets for 42 yards. He also handled the only carry inside the 5, though he did not punch it in. Smith now has at least three receptions in four straight games and just might be showing Andy Reid what the ascending Chiefs offense would look like with a more dynamic back behind Patrick Mahomes.
Longshot option: Isaiah Davis (6%) is a sneaky stash this week with Breece Hall dealing with an ankle injury and trade rumors swirling. Hall briefly left last week's loss to the Panthers in the second quarter due to the ankle, but returned to dominate the rushing work. Still, Davis is the next man up and gets the Bengals' league-worst defense against fantasy RBs this week.
Top RB handcuffs: Tyler Allgeier (42%), Brian Robinson (29%), Kenneth Gainwell (41%), Ray Davis (10%), Will Shipley (2%), DJ Giddens (2%)
Wide Receiver Bye Week Strategy For Week 8
Most fantasy managers have the depth to handle wide receiver bye weeks, so there's not as much competition on the waiver wire. But there's also not a ton of depth, so looking ahead and being proactive is crucial.
Week 8 WR byes: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Marvin Harrison Jr., Brian Thomas, Jakobi Meyers
Week 9 WR byes: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Emeka Egbuka, Garrett Wilson, Jerry Jeudy
Who's left on the wire:
Kayshon Boutte (37%) is up to four touchdowns on the season and comes in as the WR11 over the last two weeks, but the third-year WR out of LSU is relying heavily on the TDs. Boutte posted just a 9% target share in Week 7 compared to Stefon Diggs' 30%, and on the season the youngster sits at just 13%. Still, the end zone looks are coming from Drake Maye (36% compared to 7% for Diggs). With Maye continuing to look like a top-10 QB in real life, snagging a piece of the Patriots' passing offense now offers some upside beyond the bye weeks.
Last week, we preached adding Troy Franklin (25%) to see if his output improved against a friendly Giants pass defense, and it did (sort of?). Franklin saw 10 targets, catching only three, including a random tipped TD that wasn't meant for him. The workload was good for a WR3 finish in XFP for the week, although the second-year WR finished with just 12.9 fantasy points (WR26). This week, the Broncos host the Dallas Cowboys, who are allowing the most fantasy points to opposing WRs. It's certainly on the table for Franklin to see more than five targets and possibly an end zone look of his own.
Darnell Mooney (35%) doesn't have massive upside, but the veteran returned to a full-time role in Week 7 and made a typical go of it with three catches on five targets for 68 yards. Last year's WR38 offers a reasonable floor/ceiling combo for those in desperate need during the bye weeks. Like Penix, this isn't a bad week to take a flier against the struggling Dolphins.
Looking ahead: Keep an eye on injured veterans who are being dropped during the bye weeks, including Chris Godwin (60%), Brandon Aiyuk (41%), Jayden Reed (36%) and Christian Watson (11%).
Tight End Bye Week Strategy For Week 8
Rookies continue to intrigue at the tight end position as bye weeks force us to check the bottoms of our rosters to see if we even have a TE to start.
Week 8 TE byes: Trey McBride, Sam LaPorta, Brock Bowers, AJ Barner
Week 9 TE byes: Dallas Goedert, David Njoku, Harold Fannin, Mason Taylor, Cade Otton
Who's left on the wire:
Chargers rookie Oronde Gadsden (50%) flashed in Week 6 before going nuclear last week, racking up seven catches for 164 yards and a score, his second straight week with seven receptions. Gadsden is a converted wide receiver with the size (6-foot-5, 236) to present serious matchup problems, and he clearly has Justin Herbert's attention. With little competition in the form of Tyler Conklin and Will Dissly, Gadsden is a must-add for anyone who needs a bye week tight and should be rostered in every league either way.
Mason Taylor (33%) has teased fantasy managers early in his rookie season, coming in as TE9 from Weeks 5-6 before the Jets' implosion took him down. Coming off a three-catch day against Carolina on five targets, there exists a very real possibility that Taylor's Week 8 line in Cincinnati looks more like the nine catches for 67 yards on 12 (!) targets he saw against Dallas back in Week 5. The Bengals are giving up the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends by a wide margin—three different Steelers TEs scored against them last week.
Theo Johnson (21%) just looks the part of a red zone weapon (6-foot-6, 264), and rookie QB Jaxson Dart has looked the second-year tight end's way on 43% of his end zone throws as a starter. Johnson's 21% target share in Dart's four games is second only to Wan'Dale Robinson (26%). This is a fairly condensed target tree in an ascending offense.
Desperation plays: Juwan Johnson (32%) returned to a 23% target share in Week 7 after posting 14% or lower marks for three weeks. In the four games he's earned a 20%+ share, the veteran has tallied 15.6, 15.9, 11.1 and 12.9 fantasy points. … Noah Fant (2%) showed up on the fantasy radar last week for the first time since Week 1 with 14.4 points (TE10). With Mike Gesicki out, Fant ran a route on 76% of the team's passing attempts, by far a season high. He should consistently see the field during Gesicki's four-plus games out with a pec injury.
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