NFL Bye Weeks 2026: Week 11 Brings Trouble
Best Ball Drafters, Here's the Piece You've Been Waiting for
Six teams loaded with fantasy firepower will be off in Week 11. What will that mean for your playoff push?
Whether you’re playing redraft fantasy football, best ball tournaments, or dynasty, properly planning for NFL bye weeks is key to winning a championship.
You don’t want to overreact to bye weeks during your draft. But you also don’t want to load up on too many players with the same bye.
Finding the right balance is key to surviving the toughest stretches of the fantasy football season.
Let’s take a look at the 2026 NFL bye weeks and how they could impact your fantasy season.
2026 NFL Bye Weeks
| Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 |
| CAR | CIN | BUF | HOU | PIT | CHI | ATL | BAL | ARI | |
| KC | DET | JAC | NO | TEN | DEN | CLE | IND | DAL | |
| MIA | LAC | NYG | PHI | GB | LV | ||||
| MIN | WAS | SF | TB | LAR | NYJ | ||||
| NE | |||||||||
| SEA |
NFL Bye Week 5
- Carolina Panthers
- Kansas City Chiefs
We get eased into bye weeks in 2026, as the first bye only involves two teams and a pair of early-round WRs.
Key Players on Bye
| QB | RB | WR | TE |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kenneth Walker III | Rashee Rice | Travis Kelce |
| Bryce Young | Chuba Hubbard | Tetairoa McMillian | Ja'Tavion Sanders |
| Jonathon Brooks | Xavier Worthy | ||
| Jalen Coker |
NFL Bye Week 6
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Detroit Lions
- Miami Dolphins
- Minnesota Vikings
Week 6 presents the first four-team bye and takes a number of notable fantasy producers out of your lineups.
Key Players on Bye
| QB | RB | WR | TE |
| Joe Burrow | Jahmyr Gibbs | Ja'Marr Chase | Sam LaPorta |
| Jared Goff | De'Von Achane | Amon-Ra St. Brown | T.J. Hockenson |
| Kyler Murray | Chase Brown | Justin Jefferson | Mike Gesicki |
| Malik Willis | Aaron Jones | Tee Higgins | |
| Jordan Mason | Jameson Williams | ||
| Jordan Addison |
NFL Bye Week 7
- Buffalo Bills
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Washington Commanders
Four more teams will sit out Week 7, which hits QB especially hard. Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels, Trevor Lawrence, and Justin Herbert all won't play. And they'll take a pair of top-12 RBs with them.
Key Players on Bye
| QB | RB | WR | TE |
| Josh Allen | James Cook | Ladd McConkey | Dalton Kincaid |
| Jayden Daniels | Omarion Hampton | Terry McLaurin | Brenton Strange |
| Trevor Lawrence | Bhayshul Tuten | D.J. Moore | Oronde Gadsden II |
| Justin Herbert | Rachaad White | Parker Washington | Chigoziem Okonkwo |
| Jakobi Meyers | David Njoku | ||
| Khalil Shakir |
TIP
Check out where each of these guys sit in our 2026 fantasy football rankings.
NFL Bye Week 8
- Houston Texans
- New York Giants
- New Orleans Saints
- San Francisco 49ers
Another four teams are off in Week 8, with fantasy football's reigning top scorer among the notable unavailable players.
Key Players on Bye
| QB | RB | WR | TE |
| Brock Purdy | Christian McCaffrey | Nico Collins | George Kittle |
| Jaxson Dart | Travis Etienne | Malik Nabers | Isaiah Likely |
| Tyler Shough | Cameron Skattebo | Chris Olave | Juwan Johnson |
| C.J. Stroud | David Montgomery | Mike Evans | Dalton Schultz |
| Jordyn Tyson | |||
| Ricky Pearsall | |||
| Jayden Higgins |
NFL Bye Week 9
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Tennessee Titans
Week 9 offers a bit of relief, with only two teams on bye and neither roster featuring a heavy concentration of elite fantasy starters.
Key Players on Bye
| QB | RB | WR | TE |
| Cameron Ward | Jaylen Warren | DK Metcalf | Pat Freiermuth |
| Aaron Rodgers | Tony Pollard | Michael Pittman Jr. | Gunnar Helm |
| Rico Dowdle | Carnell Tate | ||
| Tyjae Spears | Wan'Dale Robinson | ||
| Calvin Ridley |
Beat the Bye Weeks By Optimizing Your Fantasy Bench
NFL Bye Week 10
- Chicago Bears
- Denver Broncos
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The bye-week impact ramps up in Week 10, when four teams -- including three NFC squads loaded with fantasy starters -- take the week off.
Key Players on Bye
| QB | RB | WR | TE |
| Jalen Hurts | Saquon Barkley | DeVonta Smith | Colston Loveland |
| Caleb Williams | D'Andre Swift | Jaylen Waddle | Dallas Goedert |
| Bo Nix | Bucky Irving | Luther Burden III | Cade Otton |
| Baker Mayfield | R.J. Harvey | Emeka Egbuka | Evan Engram |
| J.K. Dobbins | Rome Odunze | ||
| Kyle Monangai | Courtland Sutton | ||
| Kenneth Gainwell | Chris Godwin | ||
| Makai Lemon |
NFL Bye Week 11
- Atlanta Falcons
- Cleveland Browns
- Green Bay Packers
- Los Angeles Rams
- New England Patriots
- Seattle Seahawks
Week 11 is by far the toughest bye-week slate of 2026. Six teams take a break, including fantasy rosters from the Packers, Rams, Patriots, and Seahawks.
Losing elite WRs such as Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Drake London could leave fantasy lineups scrambling for answers.
Key Players on Bye
| QB | RB | WR | TE |
| Drake Maye | Bijan Robinson | Puka Nacua | Harold Fannin Jr. |
| Matthew Stafford | Josh Jacobs | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Tucker Kraft |
| Jordan Love | Kyren Williams | Drake London | Kyle Pitts |
| Sam Darnold | TreVeyon Henderson | Davante Adams | Hunter Henry |
| Michael Penix Jr. | Quinshon Judkins | Christian Watson | AJ Barner |
| Tua Tagovailoa | Rhamondre Stevenson | Jayden Reed | Colby Parkinson |
| Deshuan Watson | Jadarian Price | Romeo Doubs | |
| Blake Corum | KC Concepcion |
NFL Bye Week 13
- Baltimore Ravens
- Indianapolis Colts
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New York Jets
After all 32 teams play during the Week 12 holiday slate, four more teams head to bye in Week 13. The biggest fantasy impact will hit at RB, with Jonathan Taylor, Ashton Jeanty, Derrick Henry, and Breece Hall down. You'll also have to go without Brock Bowers and Tyler Warren.
Key Players on Bye
| QB | RB | WR | TE |
| Lamar Jackson | Jonathan Taylor | Zay Flowers | Brock Bowers |
| Daniel Jones | Ashton Jeanty | Garrett Wilson | Tyler Warren |
| Geno Smith | Derrick Henry | Alec Pierce | Mark Andrews |
| Fernando Mendoza | Breece Hall | Josh Downs | Kenyon Sadiq |
| Omar Cooper Jr. |
NFL Bye Week 14
- Arizona Cardinals
- Dallas Cowboys
The bye weeks conclude with just two teams off in Week 14. But losing any Cowboys or Cardinals could especially hurt if your league playoffs have already started.
Key Players on Bye
| RB | WR | TE |
| Jeremiyah Love | CeeDee Lamb | Trey McBride |
| Javonte Williams | George Pickens | Jake Ferguson |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. | ||
| Michael Wilson |
Don’t Mess Up 2026 NFL Bye Weeks
The Draft War Room displays each player’s bye week for quick reference during your draft.
But it’s still easy to slip up and draft too many players with the same bye week. We’ve all been there.
That’s why we built a Bye Week Warning System into the Draft War Room.
During your draft, you’ll see an icon next to every player that has the same bye week as a player already on your team at the same position.
Get the Bye Week Warning System
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