Bye weeks will not lose your draft — but three starters sharing one off week will. Use this grid while drafting from our 2026 cheat sheets: check that your running backs and quarterbacks do not all vanish in the same week, and flag the six-team bye weeks where waiver depth gets thin.
2026 bye weeks by week
| Week | Teams on bye | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Week 5 | Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs | 2 |
| Week 6 | Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings | 4 |
| Week 7 | Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders | 4 |
| Week 8 | Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers | 4 |
| Week 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans | 2 |
| Week 10 | Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 |
| Week 11 | Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks | 6 |
| Week 13 | Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets | 4 |
| Week 14 | Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys | 2 |
2026 bye weeks by team
| Team | Bye week |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs (KC) | Week 5 |
| Carolina Panthers (CAR) | Week 5 |
| Detroit Lions (DET) | Week 6 |
| Cincinnati Bengals (CIN) | Week 6 |
| Miami Dolphins (MIA) | Week 6 |
| Minnesota Vikings (MIN) | Week 6 |
| Buffalo Bills (BUF) | Week 7 |
| Los Angeles Chargers (LAC) | Week 7 |
| Washington Commanders (WSH) | Week 7 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars (JAX) | Week 7 |
| San Francisco 49ers (SF) | Week 8 |
| New Orleans Saints (NO) | Week 8 |
| Houston Texans (HOU) | Week 8 |
| New York Giants (NYG) | Week 8 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT) | Week 9 |
| Tennessee Titans (TEN) | Week 9 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (PHI) | Week 10 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TB) | Week 10 |
| Chicago Bears (CHI) | Week 10 |
| Denver Broncos (DEN) | Week 10 |
| Atlanta Falcons (ATL) | Week 11 |
| Los Angeles Rams (LAR) | Week 11 |
| Seattle Seahawks (SEA) | Week 11 |
| New England Patriots (NE) | Week 11 |
| Green Bay Packers (GB) | Week 11 |
| Cleveland Browns (CLE) | Week 11 |
| Indianapolis Colts (IND) | Week 13 |
| Baltimore Ravens (BAL) | Week 13 |
| Las Vegas Raiders (LV) | Week 13 |
| New York Jets (NYJ) | Week 13 |
| Dallas Cowboys (DAL) | Week 14 |
| Arizona Cardinals (ARI) | Week 14 |
Verified against the official 2026 NFL schedule, August 5, 2026.
Draft-day rules for bye weeks
- Never pass on value for a bye. A player who scores 15 more points than the alternative costs you far more than one replacement week.
- Stagger your quarterbacks. If you carry two QBs, make sure their byes differ — it is the position where a zero hurts most.
- Mark the six-team bye weeks. Those are the weeks everyone in your league is streaming; grab your cover a week early.
- Late byes are a hidden tiebreaker. A Week 13-14 bye costs a game when fantasy playoffs are being decided; a Week 5-7 bye is nearly free.
Bye week FAQ
When is my team’s bye week in 2026?
Every NFL team has one bye between Week 5 and Week 14 of the 2026 season. The grid above shows all 32 teams sorted by bye week — Carolina and Kansas City are first (Week 5), Arizona and Dallas are last (Week 14).
Should I avoid drafting players with early byes?
No — bye weeks should almost never change where you draft a player. One missed game costs far less than one bad player. Where byes matter is roster construction: avoid having three starters at the same position all off in the same week, and use early byes to plan your late-round depth.
What happens on a bye week in fantasy football?
Your player scores zero points that week because his team does not play. You need a starter to replace him for that single week — the classic move is drafting a backup with a different bye than your starter at the same position.
How many NFL teams have a bye each week in 2026?
Bye weeks run from Week 5 through Week 14, with between two and six teams off per week. The heaviest bye weeks of 2026 are the ones with six teams out — those are the weeks waiver-wire depth matters most.
Do bye weeks matter for best ball drafts?
Less than in managed leagues, since best ball counts your best scorers automatically — a bye just removes one week of chances. What matters more is roster depth: with no waivers, you need enough players at each position to absorb both byes and injuries.
