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We made it to October. And we made it to Bye Week season. The face of fantasy football is about to change.
Every fantasy manager feels like he built a contending roster over the summer. But when October rolls around, it’s time for some emotionless self-exploration. Maybe you’re at the top of your leaderboard, with a healthy roster and one or two clicking sleepers. Maybe you’re dealing with injuries and underperformance and you’re still looking for a win. And maybe you’re in the middle of something.
No matter the situation, it’s time to put in some work and come up with a plan.
👉Where to start
Conduct a detailed audit of the competition: Who is currently the favorite in the competition? Who has the roster with the most injuries or the toughest group of talent in week 5? And most importantly, where do you fit in the competition? Most teams have similar goals in August and September, but the strategic paths are now starting to diverge.
Choose a lane: Are you focused on now or later? When you’re that 4-0 giant, you have the luxury of planning further ahead than most teams. Maybe you’re the club speculating on a high-return running back who will be gone in a few weeks; you have the ability to be patient. Maybe you’re the manager who trades for some star players who are on their way out.
Teams stuck at one win or zero wins may need to switch back to ‘win now’ mode. The Eagles don’t play in Week 5. Maybe you can’t wait for AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith. Understand that this is not a mandate to deal lightly with star players. Still do your competitive zeal and make sure everyone knows there is star talent available. But a bad September means you need to prioritize righting the ship now.
🤔 Day-week management is more difficult — but that’s okay
Your starting lineup for the next two months may be a bit weaker than during the bye-free month of September, but I like this time of year because it pushes us to consider more players and make tougher decisions. The more choices a competition forces upon us, the more likely it is that skills will be reflected.
🤝 Understand Day Week Season = Trading Season
Managers are much more incentivized to make trades in October, with some divisions emerging in the standings and injuries starting to pile up. The bye weeks are a further elixir here. A poker game really starts when some people have money and a few people are stuck. The same concept applies here.
🗓️ Take a moment to check the bye week schedule
The NFL doesn’t usually host uniform byes, a quirky fact of life that’s a bit frustrating. The number of teams saying goodbye will fluctuate over the next ten weeks. In a few weeks no one will be there anymore. Two teams rest for a few weeks. There are a handful of weeks where four teams are on vacation, and as many as six teams are not playing in Weeks 12 and 14.
The two “skinny byes” are in Week 7 (Bears, Cowboys) and Week 9 (Steelers, 49ers). Key players from those teams offer sneaky utility because they will be in the game the other weeks when the bye weeks are tougher. It’s a tie-breaker at the bottom, but I like to include some players who enjoy this subtle advantage.
