Fantasy Football Bye Week Strategy: Tips to help you navigate the challenges ahead

The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points! If you like what you see, you can subscribe for free here.

We made it to October. And we made it to Bye Week Season. The shape of fantasy football is about to change.

Every fantasy manager feels they drafted a contending squad in the summer. But when October rolls around, it’s time for some unemotional self-scouting. Maybe you’re at the top of your standings, with a healthy roster and a clicking sleeper or two. Perhaps you’re dealing with injury and underperformance, still looking for a win. And maybe you’re stuck in the middle somewhere.

No matter the situation, it’s time to put in some work and come up with a plan.

👉 Where to start

Do a detailed audit of the league: Who’s the league favorite at the moment? Who’s got the most injury-riddled roster or the heaviest group of talent sitting in Week 5? And most importantly, where do you fit in the league? Most teams have similar goals in August and September, but strategic paths start to diverge now.

Pick a lane: Are you focused on now or later? If you’re that 4-0 juggernaut, you have the luxury of planning further ahead than most teams. Maybe you’re the club that speculates on a high-upside running back who’s several weeks away; you have the leverage to be patient. Maybe you’re the manager who trades for some star players who have an upcoming bye.

Teams stuck on one win or zero wins might have to downshift to “win now” mode. The Eagles don’t play in Week 5 — maybe you can’t wait on A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith. Understand this is not a mandate to trade star players frivolously. Still do your league diligence, make sure everyone knows star talent is available. But a poor September means you have to prioritize righting the ship right now.

🤔 Bye Week management is harder — but that’s good

Your starting lineup for the next two months might be a little weaker than it was during the bye-free September month, but I like this time of year because it makes us consider more players and negotiate harder decisions. The more choices a league puts on us, the more likely skill is likely to be reflected.

🤝 Understand Bye Week Season = Trading Season

Managers are far more incentivized to make trades in October, with some separation in the standings and injuries starting to pile up. The bye weeks are a further elixir here. A poker game doesn’t really start until some people are up money and a few people are stuck. The same concept applies here.

🗓️ Spend a moment auditing the bye-week schedule

The NFL usually doesn’t assemble uniform bye weeks, a quirky fact of life that’s a little frustrating. Over the next 10 weeks, the number of teams on bye will fluctuate. In a couple of weeks, nobody sits. Some weeks, two teams rest. There are a handful of weeks that put four teams on holiday, and in Weeks 12 and Weeks 14, a whopping six teams don’t play.

The two “skinny byes” are in Week 7 (Bears, Cowboys) and Week 9 (Steelers, 49ers). Key players from those teams offer some sneaky utility, because they’ll be in play for the other weeks when the bye weeks are heavier. It’s a lower-end tie-break, but I like rostering some players who enjoy this subtle advantage.