Every single year, it's the same story. I'm not talking about your top player getting hurt, a player being a bust, you making the fantasy playoffs. Bye weeks, we all look at them, we all cringe at the end of the draft and text our buddies "I'm going to get crushed in Week 8" but the truth is, you have to prepare for the bye.
How do you prepare for the bye weeks? The answer is simple, wait until the bye. If you change your mind on a draft pick because of a bye week, you are not doing it correctly. For example, say it's the ninth round, and you want Sammy Watkins, but he has the same bye week as your number one wide receiver. Are you going to bypass Watkins for another receiver you do not like as much? If you answered yes, consider this.
Say you wanted Watkins, but ended up drafting someone else. What if Watkins has a better year than the player you chose? Does it rationalize in your mind because of the bye week? No, you draft a player based on the season he has, not what he will do in week 8. If you want a player for just one week, stream that position. Some of the best fantasy football minds in the business stream quarterbacks or tight ends anyway, so you know there will be some good options (in standard leagues) on the waiver wire.
Fast forward to Week 8, you have a predicament. You drafted two quarterbacks, two running backs, two receivers, and two tight ends who have the same bye week. What do you do? First, do not panic. There is always a guy on the waiver wire who is worth adding for a given week unless you are in an extremely deep league.
Here are tips to deal with your bye weeks when the season starts, and when the given bye week comes into effect.
Quarterback
By the time you get to your bye week, you know who your starting quarterback is for your fantasy team. Say you have Drew Brees and your backup happens to have the same bye week. First things first, if you have a premium backup try to trade him for a better skill player, because you do not need a good backup QB who sits the bench in favor of Brees. If you can get a skill player, then you can drop one of your lowly bench players for a quarterback for that week. Good bye week replacements can be found with good matchups. Sometimes Ryan Fitzpatrick faces the Redskins, or Joe Flacco takes on the Raiders secondary. Finding a good matchup for one week is easier than you think, and once the bye week is over, you can drop that player because you do not need a backup to Brees.
Running Back
Streaming running backs are harder, but if you have to, there are still ways to do it. Say you have two running backs that you start each week, but both have a bye during the same week. Chances are, you have a few running backs on your bench that can be a spot-start, but if not, do not panic. In PPR leagues especially, you can find a back on the waiver wire who has the potential to catch a few balls out of the backfield. What about standard leagues, you may ask? This is where the vultures have value. A vulture is a player who rarely plays, but gets carries at the goal line for a touchdown. Mike Tolbert, Stevan Ridley, Andre Williams and more look to be goal line backs this year and most of them will be on the waiver wire. Find a guy who you think could score a cheap touchdown and pick him up for that one week.
Wide Receiver
Streaming at wide receiver is a lot like running backs, but there are no "vultures", per se. A good idea if you need to add a wide receiver for a bye week is look at the matchups. See if you can find a team like the Raiders, Falcons, Jaguars or the Redskins last year who are usually behind late in games. These teams will be throwing for the entire second half, meaning some third or fourth receivers will receive a high volume of snaps. For example, if the Patriots face the Titans, the Titans will likely be throwing in the second half, and players like Nate Washington could be of service as a bye week replacement.
Tight End
Tight end may be the easiest position to stream, because most fantasy teams only roster one, two at the absolute most. The guys on the waiver wire will not be high volume guys like Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham or even touchdown warriors like Heath Miller, but you could find guys like Joseph Fauria who could see a red zone target or two. With the drop off at tight end after the top 10 guys, you are banking on a touchdown anyway, similar to running backs. But, there is research available that suggest top tight end plays each week. For example, last year the Denver Broncos allowed opposing tight ends to score more fantasy points than almost every other team, so streaming a tight end against Denver resulted in some success. Find the pattern and stream a tight end who falls into a good matchup.
The key for bye weeks is not to panic, and be sure to deal with it when it comes. Do not change your strategy for one week. Think about it, if you have a player who performs well in 13 weeks, you'll take a zero in one, right? Be sure to keep this tips in mind during the season, and for your convenience, eDraft has a list of bye weeks here.