Week 9 Bye Week Strategy Guide: Replacements For Your Eagles and More

The worst bye week of the 2025 fantasy football season is behind us, but that doesn't mean we can take our eye off the upcoming bye week schedule.

Week 9 removes four new teams from the slate: Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns.

Let's take a look at the fantasy football bye week schedule for Week 9 and beyond 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 9-10

Here are the top fantasy players scheduled for byes in Weeks 9-10, with their FantasyLife rest-of-season positional rank listed.

Bye Week	Team	Players
Week 9	Cleveland Browns	Quinshon Judkins (RB25), Jerry Jeudy (WR51), Harold Fannin (TE12), David Njoku (TE25)
	New York Jets	Breece Hall (RB13), Garrett Wilson (WR28), Mason Taylor (TE16), Justin Fields (QB19)
	Philadelphia Eagles	Saquon Barkley (RB8), A.J. Brown (WR12), DeVonta Smith (WR17), Dallas Goedert (TE13), Jalen Hurts (QB4)
	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Bucky Irving (RB10), Rachaad White (RB33), Emeka Egbuka (WR15), Tez Johnson (WR50), Cade Otton (TE17), Baker Mayfield (QB8)
Week 10	Cincinnati Bengals	Chase Brown (14), Ja'Marr Chase (WR3), Tee Higgins (WR20), Joe Flacco (QB20)
	Dallas Cowboys	Javonte Williams (RB11), CeeDee Lamb (WR4), George Pickens (WR10), Jake Ferguson (TE7), Dak Prescott (QB5)
	Kansas City Chiefs	Kareem Hunt (RB59), Rashee Rice (WR6), Xavier Worthy (WR32), Travis Kelce (TE11), Patrick Mahomes (QB2)
	Tennessee Titans	Tony Pollard (RB29), Tyjae Spears (RB36), Elic Ayomanor (WR52), Calvin Ridley (WR55), Tony Pollard (66), Cam Ward (QB28)

MORE: Full NFL Bye Week Schedule

Quarterback Bye Week Strategy For Week 9

With only two top-12 QBs sitting out in Week 9, waiver wire competition shouldn't be too fierce. We'll revisit a couple of QBs we've had our eye on for weeks, along with a pair of under-rostered players worth a stash.

Week 9 QB byes: Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, Justin Fields, Dillon Gabriel

Week 10 QB byes: Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Joe Flacco, Cam Ward

Sam Darnold (43%) has been a popular name in this space, having piloted the NFL's sixth-best scoring offense to date. The resurgent 28-year-old has been the sixth-best QB in EPA/play on the year, but a combination of positive game scripts and rushing success has led to a -6% dropback rate over expected. Darnold has a date with a Washington Commanders defense that allows the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing signal-callers this week.

Tua Tagovailoa (22%) entered Week 8 as the QB31 coming off a 1.6-point meltdown against Cleveland. So, of course, he exploded for 24.2 points and a QB7 finish after a four-touchdown effort in a blowout win over Atlanta. He goes from the second-toughest defense against fantasy QBs to the second-easiest with Baltimore coming to town. Lamar Jackson is suiting up on the other side in a game with the second-highest point total (50.5) on the slate.

Scoop up if dropped: Jaxson Dart (64%) has scored two or more touchdowns in all five of his starts, rushing for 54+ yards or a TD in every game. The rookie is QB6 during this span and has no business being on waiver wires in a third of fantasy leagues. … Kyler Murray (68%) missed two games before the team's Week 8 bye but will return against the Dallas Cowboys this week. Murray was only the QB20 through four weeks before a clunker against Tennessee in which he left early, but the rushing floor remains (34.6 yards per game). More importantly, the veteran gets the privilege of a Dallas Cowboys defense allowing the most fantasy points to opposing QBs (24.9 PPG).

Running Back Bye Week Strategy For Week 9

Cam Skattebo's gruesome knee injury propelled Tyrone Tracy to the top of waiver wire articles this week, and for good reason. Continue to stash clear-cut backup RBs as we inch closer to the fantasy playoffs.

Week 9 RB byes: Saquon Barkley, Bucky Irving/Rachaad White, Quinshon Judkins/Dylan Sampson, Breece Hall

Week 10 RB byes: Javonte Williams, Chase Brown, Isiah Pacheco, Tony Pollard/Tyjae Spears

Titans passing-down back Tyjae Spears (40%) offers a sneaky floor. It's not a massively high floor, per se, but receiving work and a handful of carries for a team destined for negative game scripts is nothing to scoff at during the bye weeks. In Week 9, Spears busted out for 17.2 PPR points and an RB12 finis,h thanks in large part to a 41-yard TD run against the Colts.

If you missed out on Tracy, Dylan Sampson (16%) is a must-watch heading into Cleveland's bye week. Starter Quinshon Judkins left Week 8 with a shoulder injury, and Sampson was the next man up, receiving all three RB carries and six targets after his departure. The rookie is much more explosive than fellow backup Jerome Ford, having posted an RB9 finish and 17.3 points in Week 1 with Judkins out. Rookie QB Dillon Gabriel refuses to throw the ball deep, targeting RBs and TEs on 63% of his passing attempts.

Sneaky stash: Isaiah Davis (10%) smashed in a part-time role against Cincinnati in Week 8. A season-high 17% target share led to a 5-44-0 line, and the second-year man busted off a 50-yard run as part of his 7-65-0 day on the ground. Heading into the Jets' Week 9 bye, this is only a speculative play for those running truly hot, as Davis' fantasy relevance is largely tied to a Breece Hall trade or injury.

Desperation plays: The Cowboys are the fantasy defense that keeps on giving, and Cardinals RB Bam Knight (40%) gets the pleasure this week. … Samaje Perine's (7%) usage has trended up over the past four weeks. The ceiling is low here without a Chase Brown injury, but the veteran spiked it in Week 8 with a 17-point effort thanks to a 9-91-1 line on the ground. … Kyle Monangai (29%) didn't register a target in Week 7 but maintained his 33% share of the carries. The Bears get to visit the Bengals in Week 9—the team that just allowed over 500 yards of offense and 39 points to the Jets.

Top RB handcuffs: Tyler Allgeier (40%), Brian Robinson (25%), Kenneth Gainwell (36%), Ray Davis (9%), Emanuel Wilson (6%), Tank Bigsby (25%), Samaje Perine (7%), Will Shipley (2%), DJ Giddens (1%)

Wide Receiver Bye Week Strategy For Week 9

The wide receive waiver wire is thin, as usual. Target WRs in potent offenses, and keep an eye on players eventually returning from injury.

Week 9 WR byes: Garrett Wilson, Jerry Jeudy, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Emeka Egbuka

Week 10 WR byes: Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Calvin Ridley

It's apparently not too late to add one of the more fun depth WR pieces in fantasy land. Troy Franklin (45%) has drawn between eight and 10 targets in half his games this season, and the second-year man broke out for 26.9 points and an overall WR1 finish in Week 8. Franklin has pulled well ahead of Marvin Mims and Evan Engram in the Broncos receiving hierarchy, with a 20% target share and 29% of the end zone targets from Bo Nix (college teammate) on the year. The Broncos have a favorable schedule for wide receivers down the stretch.

It might be the last call for fantasy's WR10 over the past three weeks. Kayshon Boutte (48%) continues to come through as Drake Maye's big-play threat, scoring four touchdowns in his last three contests and posting target shares of 21%+ in two straight. Boutte appears to have established himself as the No. 2 option in the passing game ahead of TE Hunter Henry.

Christian Watson (26%) returned from an ACL repair and promptly demonstrated his big-play ability with a 4-4-85 line on Sunday night. The Packers have been a frustrating passing offense for fantasy dating back to last season, when no wide receiver managed a 20% target share, with four coming in between 13% and 19%. In his first game back after an ACL repair, Watson posted a typical 65% snap share and 17% target rate to go with a massive 18.0 aDOT. He can be hit or miss, but there's a decent ceiling here when the deep shots and touchdowns come through.

Rookie watch: Texans rookies Jayden Higgins (24%) and Jaylin Noel (7%) played starters' roles in Week 8, posting 13.4 and 11.3 points, respectively, with Nico Collins and Christian Kirk on the shelf. Xavier Hutchinson paced the unit thanks to a touchdown, but both rookies are worth monitoring in the second half. … Elic Ayomanor (27%) and Chimere Dike (15%) look like the future of the Titans' (middling) passing attack and can be used in a pinch during a bye week.

Injuries to monitor: Brandon Aiyuk (41%) still hasn't returned to practice and will need at least a couple of weeks to ramp up. … Week 9 marks eight weeks out for Jayden Reed (35%), who underwent surgeries on both his foot and ankle in September. His initial timeline was 6-8 weeks and was expected to be on the higher end. … Cedric Tillman (11%) should return in Week 10 after the Browns' bye week.

Tight End Bye Week Strategy For Week 9

The Week 9 byes aren't very alarming for the tight end position, but Jake Ferguson and Travis Kelce managers will want to plan ahead for Week 10.

Week 9 TE byes: David Njoku, Harold Fannin, Dallas Goedert, Cade Otton, Mason Taylor

Week 10 TE byes: Jake Ferguson, Travis Kelce

Colston Loveland's (23%) usage only incrementally increased with veteran TE Cole Kmet (2%) out for Week 8, but it's hard to blame the rookie when Caleb Williams and the Bears offense played so poorly in a prime opportunity against the Ravens. Both Bears tight ends will be startable in Week 9 against the Bengals' league-worst defense against the position (21.7 PPG).

Juwan Johnson (34%) appears to have reclaimed the role that produced the TE2 performance from Weeks 1-3. The veteran's 19% target share is third on the team, with no other tight end above 2%. Johnson has earned 15 targets over the last two weeks, hauling in 10 catches for 132 yards (TE10). It would be prudent to see how rookie QB Tyler Shough fares in his first NFL start before firing up Johnson.

Stash: Harold Fannin (44%) continues to look the part after posting his best fantasy finish to date with six catches on eight targets for 62 yards and a score (18.7 points, TE4) against New England. The talented third-rounder is up to 6.4 targets per week with a lowly 5.8 aDOT thanks to designed looks and rookie QB Dillon Gabriel's reluctance to push the ball downfield. On bye this week, Fannin is an ideal stash for Week 10 and beyond.

Players Mentioned in this Article

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