Bye Week Schedule For Fantasy Football: Cheat Sheet For Every Top-100 Player In 2026
Danny Cross breaks down every fantasy-relevant player's bye week schedule for the 2026 season.
Fantasy football drafts are upon us, but there is still work to be done even after drafting the perfect fantasy squad for 2026. With NFL bye weeks wreaking havoc on our starting lineups starting in Week 5, it's never too early to start planning ahead.
During the regular season, FantasyLife will be here with our handy bye week cheat sheet every week to look ahead at the biggest fantasy players hitting byes and offering replacement options and trade ideas before your leaguemates can make moves.
Let's take a look at the 2026 bye week landscape and dive into a few tips for navigating the most difficult bye weeks for fantasy football.
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2026 Fantasy Football Bye Week Schedule
The following table lists every player in the top 100 of the Fantasy Life consensus fantasy football rankings by bye week.
| BYE WEEK | TEAM | PLAYERS |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | KC | RB Kenneth Walker (13), WR Rashee Rice (27) |
| 5 | CAR | WR Tetairoa McMillan (35), RB Jonathon Brooks (85), RB Chuba Hubbard (90) |
| 6 | CIN | WR Ja'Marr Chase (3), RB Chase Brown (17), WR Tee Higgins (33), QB Joe Burrow (61) |
| 6 | DET | RB Jahmyr Gibbs (1), WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (7), WR Jameson Williams (62), TE Sam LaPorta (94) |
| 6 | MIA | RB De'Von Achane (14) |
| 6 | MIN | WR Justin Jefferson (10) |
| 7 | BUF | RB James Cook (8), QB Josh Allen (30), WR DJ Moore (59) |
| 7 | JAX | RB Bhayshul Tuten (54), WR Parker Washington (69), WR Brian Thomas (74), QB Trevor Lawrence (77), WR Jakobi Meyers (84) |
| 7 | LAC | RB Omarion Hampton (20), WR Ladd McConkey (43), QB Justin Herbert (72) |
| 7 | WAS | QB Jayden Daniels (51), WR Terry McLaurin (55), WR Stefon Diggs (97) |
| 8 | HOU | WR Nico Collins (23), RB David Montgomery (53) |
| 8 | NO | WR Chris Olave (29), RB Travis Etienne (45) |
| 8 | NYG | WR Malik Nabers (22), RB Cam Skattebo (46), QB Jaxson Dart (83) |
| 8 | SF | RB Christian McCaffrey (6), WR Mike Evans (50), QB Brock Purdy (92) |
| 9 | PIT | RB Jaylen Warren (66), RB Rico Dowdle (76), WR DK Metcalf (80), WR Michael Pittman (98) |
| 9 | TEN | WR Carnell Tate (68), RB Tony Pollard (79), WR Wan'Dale Robinson (87) |
| 10 | CHI | TE Colston Loveland (38), WR Luther Burden (44), RB D'Andre Swift (49), WR Rome Odunze (67), QB Caleb Williams (70) |
| 10 | DEN | WR Jaylen Waddle (36), RB RJ Harvey (78), RB J.K. Dobbins (93) |
| 10 | PHI | RB Saquon Barkley (16), WR DeVonta Smith (24), QB Jalen Hurts (58), WR Makai Lemon (95) |
| 10 | TB | WR Emeka Egbuka (41), RB Bucky Irving (57), WR Chris Godwin (81), RB Kenneth Gainwell (89) |
| 11 | ATL | RB Bijan Robinson (2), WR Drake London (15), TE Kyle Pitts (91) |
| 11 | CLE | RB Quinshon Judkins (52), TE Harold Fannin (75) |
| 11 | GB | RB Josh Jacobs (37), WR Christian Watson (56), TE Tucker Kraft (71), WR Jayden Reed (86) |
| 11 | LAR | WR Puka Nacua (4), RB Kyren Williams (40), WR Davante Adams (47), RB Blake Corum (96) |
| 11 | NE | WR A.J. Brown (19), QB Drake Maye (48), RB TreVeyon Henderson (60), RB Rhamondre Stevenson (64) |
| 11 | SEA | WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (5), RB Jadarian Price (65) |
| 12 | — | None |
| 13 | BAL | RB Derrick Henry (18), WR Zay Flowers (32), QB Lamar Jackson (42) |
| 13 | IND | RB Jonathan Taylor (11), TE Tyler Warren (63), WR Josh Downs (73), WR Alec Pierce (100) |
| 13 | LV | RB Ashton Jeanty (12), TE Brock Bowers (21) |
| 13 | NYJ | WR Garrett Wilson (31), RB Breece Hall (34) |
| 14 | ARI | TE Trey McBride (25), RB Jeremiyah Love (28), WR Marvin Harrison (82), WR Michael Wilson (99) |
| 14 | DAL | WR CeeDee Lamb (9), WR George Pickens (26), RB Javonte Williams (39), QB Dak Prescott (88) |
Fantasy Football Bye Week Notes & Strategies for 2026
- Week 6 will be the first big test of 2026, when the Bengals, Lions, Dolphins and Vikings hit their byes. Anyone stacking Bengals or Lions will be down two (or more) players, and with Justin Jefferson and De'Von Achane coming off the board in the second round, there could be a lot of solid teams missing their first- and second-round picks this week.
- Week 7 will also be tough with four excellent offenses taking a break in the Bills, Jaguars, Chargers and Commanders.
- Week 10 takes another impressive collection of playmakers off the field when the Bears, Broncos, Eagles and Buccaneers sit out.
- Week 11 will be the biggest obstacle for fantasy managers when six teams are off—the only time more than four teams have byes in 2026—including five first- and second-round fantasy picks. Those rostering multiple players from the Falcons, Browns, Packers, Rams, Patriots and Seahawks will want to plan ahead.
- Bye week trade strategy: Those off to a slow start should consider trading players with upcoming byes for players who have already had theirs. If your fantasy team is struggling or lacking depth midseason, you can secure the services of a top-end player (or multiple contributors) who won't have to sit out on your watch. We'll keep an eye on this leading up to fantasy football trade deadlines and will likely be trading away players from the Ravens, Cowboys and Colts, since they all have byes during Weeks 13 and 14.
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