2020 Fantasy Football Bye Week Cheat Sheet

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The 2020 NFL Schedule is out and it’s never too early to start your fantasy football draft process. Getting familiar with Bye Weeks and how they will either have an effect on your fantasy team or favorite team is important. Bye Weeks are from Week 5 to Week 13 this season. The first few weeks are fairly light, and the heavier Bye Weeks pick up towards Weeks 8, 9, 10, and 11. We won’t see any international games this year, where bye weeks were scheduled around those traveling out of the country. Bye Weeks can also influence a team’s decision to make changes for a starter. We have seen teams change to a rookie quarterback (See our full list of NFL Draft Picks that could impact your fantasy team) post Bye Week when they are either out of contention or are in dire need of a change.

All Players on Bye: Search & Sort

The table below contains all the most relevant fantasy players and their bye week. You can sort or search by player name or team abbreviation.

Players on Bye Sorted by Week & Team

Here you can find the bye week players sorted by Week and Team. Under each bye week, you will see the team and depth chart. You will also find some key IDP players and featured skill position players for fantasy, as you start to prep for drafts early on. This gives you an overall look at who will be missing for each week. However, depth charts will change throughout the season, and updates will be made throughout the offseason. This is a great spot to view everything as a whole.

Bye Week 5

Bye Week 6

Bye Week 7

Bye Week 8

Bye Week 9

Bye Week 10

Bye Week 11

Bye Week 13

Why Bye Weeks Shouldn’t Influence Your Draft

Every year I see people get caught up in drafts as they are trying to plan out their bye weeks ahead of time. Now if you are drafting a backup quarterback, then it makes sense to not have the same bye week, but any other positions you should be drafting the players you want and not drafting on filling in backups for bye weeks. To put it simply, if you have four players on bye for Week 7, but you drafted the best players available, it makes to be strong the rest of the weeks in comparison to being weak for just one week. This means you are going to take a punt week, and then be back at full strength. Comparing it to having to deal with one or two bye weeks from a player over the span of four-five weeks, that becomes more of a hassle and leaves your team vulnerable. Now I am not saying just draft players with all the same bye week. Just draft the players you want and deal with bye weeks later.

The only considerations worth noting is the backup quarterback position, where you might look at who is the top option to fill in for your quarterback that week. Now if you plan on alternating quarterbacks based on matchup, then you can disregard. Having players on an early bye week, such as Week 5 or Week 6, you can take a look at bench guys not on the same bye week. You just shouldn’t draft your starters based on byes. There is always going to be so much volatility that planning this far ahead will never be exactly what happens.

The Dreaded Week 13 Bye

Bye weeks are from weeks five to 13 this year, with the exception of Week 12 for Thanksgiving. Now the issue is that fantasy playoffs can start to begin in Week 13, and moving them up a bit has been a popular move because Week 16 and 17 can become worthless at times. The goal of moving up the playoffs tries to make sure all games still matter. This is also going to be a week that is crucial for teams to make the playoffs, as they might need that last win to sneak in. Now the issue here is that Week 13 features just two byes, but two major teams that are going to be very good for fantasy. The Panthers and Buccaneers are the two teams. Not ideal with all the fantasy superstars on these two teams.

Looking at this week so far out, we can point to a few teams that are going to have waiver wire options and are in good spots. The Bengals and Dolphins could be worth a look given the amount of wide receivers that will be up and down for both those two teams. You also have the Jets at home against the Raiders defense. Indianapolis on the road against Houston isn’t a bad spot. Outside of these games you have a lot of defensive matchups. Now of course these names having a Week 13 bye isn’t going to stop you from drafting them, nor should it. However prepare to be building for this week during the season as you will need to be prepared.

Using Bye Weeks To Your Advantage

Not everyone approaches bye weeks the same way in fantasy football. There are going to be plenty of transactions throughout the year, but notable players can potentially miss the bench cut and fall into the free agent pool because they are on bye that week. We often see this with shorter benches and more shallow leagues. While they may not be helpful that week, a running back on bye falling into the player pool could be a nice pickup for after he returns. If you are looking to trade with your fellow league mates, shipping off a player who has a bye week coming up surrounded by some tough matchups can work in your favor, especially if that player has a lot of name value. You can also get a return on a player who has had their bye week already.

Teams will use the bye week to shift around the depth chart a bit, more so the teams with a lost season. This could mean over the last half of the season or even five-six games a younger player or less experienced option can come up the depth chart and see more volume. Being ahead on this means you can work the waiver wire early to be ahead of the curve.

FAQ

• Are There Bye Weeks In Fantasy Football?

• How Does A Bye Work In Fantasy Football?

• What Do You Do When Your Fantasy Player Has a Bye?

• Are There Bye Weeks In Fantasy Football Playoffs?

• Why Doesn’t Week 12 Have Teams On Bye?

• Should I Avoid Drafting Players With Same Bye Week?