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Last updated: Aug 03, 2023
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In fantasy football, it is important to keep track of your fantasy players’ bye weeks. These are weeks on which their real-life team does not have a game scheduled. Successful fantasy managers always bench players when they are on a bye week, as those players earn no fantasy points, since they are not playing in a game.
Table of Contents
- Bye Week Meaning
- Bye Week Problems
- Bye Week Strategies
- FAQ
Bye Week Meaning
A “bye week” is a week in which a team does not play a game.This may refer to a fantasy football team or an NFL team. Every NFL team will have a bye week at one point throughout each season. Thus, every fantasy player will have one bye week.
The more important bye weeks are the ones for the actual players. The first step to setting your lineup each week is to take note of which players are injured or out, but then it is assessing your bye week situation.Obviously, players cannot play on their real-life bye week, in NFL games, or in fantasy football, so your starting spots must be filled with reserves or added players in order to give you the best chance at victory.
Bye weeks in fantasy football can provide a fun strategy wrinkle and are easily avoided by adding another manager to your league.
Bye Week Problems
Dilemmas with player bye weeks are an avoidable problem for fantasy owners, but owners will want to start preparing for these issues as early as the draft.You must be aware of the bye weeks of the players you are drafting so that you do not have a large number of players with the same bye week. Failure to do so could essentially forfeit that week, which could easily destroy your playoff chances.
The most important positions to think about during the draft are quarterback, wide receiver, and running back.There may not be many quality players available at each position, so drafting players who can replace your starters is the key to success.
In terms of defenses and kickers, it is often not worth it to have multiple of these positions on your roster, so when their bye weeks roll around, the best strategy is to drop them for another player. If you have a dominant defense or league-leading kicker that you do not want to part with, it is not unreasonable to stash them on your bench if you can release a different member of your squad.
Contrary to popular belief, depending on the strength of a team, it may be beneficial to have all of your starters be on a bye the same week so that every other week is full strength.
Bye Week Strategies
There are a few strategies for managing the fact that every player gets one bye week each season, during which they are guaranteed not to earn any fantasy points as they are not playing in a game.
The first strategy is to simply draft the best available players to your roster with no regard to their bye weeks.This is typically the best way to mathematically maximize your fantasy point potential. Certainly, there is a chance you could draft several starters with the same bye week, but you will likely have time to trade or otherwise manage your bench to minimize losses.
A second strategy is to draft a large number of players that have the same by week (they don’t have to be on the same real-life team). In this strategy, you plan to lose on the common bye week in exchange for complete roster availability in the otherweeks.
A final strategy is to keep track of each player’s bye week and evenly distribute them among your draft picks.That is, draft players that all have different bye weeks, if possible. This minimizes point losses on any single week in the hope of having a chance to win every fantasy matchup.
FAQ
What is a bye week?
A bye week is a week in which a team does not play against an opponent. In the NFL, each team gets one of the season’s 18 weeks as a bye week; as a result, they only play 17 games during the season.In fantasy football, a bye week occurs if there are an odd number of teams in the fantasy league, meaning that not every team will be able to be paired with an opponent each week. This occurrence is rare, as most fantasy leagues feature an even number of teams.
How often do fantasy players have bye weeks?
During the fantasy football season, each player will only have their bye week once a year.This is because their team will only have a bye week once a season. Although it's rare, if a player were to get traded in the middle of the season, they could theoretically have one bye week for their original team and one bye week for their new team.
What should you do if you have a player who is on a bye week?
If you have a player on your roster who is on a bye week, it is best practice for you to move them out of the lineup and keep them on the bench.This means replacing them with a player on the bench who does not have a bye. Since a player who is on a bye week and their team has no game, the player will not be able to score any points. Failure to take a player on a bye week out of the active lineup will result in less potential for points.
What positions should I drop for a bye week?
The position you drop for a bye week is entirely up to you. However, there is typically a greater strategic advantage to be gained by dropping an extra bye week player like a quarterback or tight end than a wide receiver or running back, as these skill position players typically fill up at least two spots in any fantasy lineup. The most commonly streamed positions are the kicker and defense/special teams.
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- Fantasy Football Glossary
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