Week 5 Bye Week Strategy Guide: Players to Add, Trade Ideas and More

The first bye week of the 2025 fantasy football season is here, and it's a fairly big one. With some of our top fantasy options staying home to watch football in their fancy houses instead of helping us win in Week 5, it's time to plan accordingly.

Whether you're pressed for replacement players this week or not, looking ahead to the fantasy football bye weeks is crucial. And now is a great time to float trade offers to fantasy managers who find themselves in a tough spot because of byes.

Let's take a look at the fantasy football bye week schedule for Weeks 5-7 with an eye on waiver wire fill-ins, trade targets and other options for both redraft and Guillotine Leagues.

Fantasy Football Bye Week Schedule | Weeks 5-7

Here are the top fantasy players scheduled for byes in Weeks 5-7, with their FantasyLife rest-of-season positional rank listed.

MORE: Full NFL Bye Week Schedule

Bye Week Waiver Wire Strategy

There are two main ways to approach the fantasy bye weeks at this point: waiver wire adds and trades. Most fantasy managers are too cowardly to agree to a fair trade, so we'll focus largely on players available in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues after this week's waiver run.

We're trying to snag guys getting enough work to secure 10+ fantasy points in a pinch, along with players on the upswing who might be next week's waiver wire darling.

The usual caveats apply: If you're 3-1 or 4-0, there's not as much to sweat. And you can even consider trading away some short-term help for long-term gain (target CeeDee Lamb and Rashee Rice!). If your fantasy team is already struggling, you might need to move the likes of Josh Jacobs, Rome Odunze or D.K. Metcalf (all on bye in Week 5) for a player who can help you this week.

Let's go position by position and see what the options are for handling the Week 5 fantasy football byes.

Week 5 Fantasy Football Bye Week Strategy - Quarterbacks

Week 5 isn't a hugely painful week for QB byes. We'll focus on the waiver wire for fill-ins who have a decent matchup, but it's worth looking around your league for anyone who drafted two quarterbacks in the QB10-15 range and might be willing to part with the likes of Dak Prescott, Justin Fields or Justin Herbert in a trade.

Who's left on the wire

C.J. Stroud (55% rostered at Yahoo) has helmed the fourth-worst scoring offense (16 PPG) in the league thus far, but the third-year signal-caller faces the league's worst scoring defense in Baltimore (33.3 PPG) this week. With veteran WR Christian Kirk back from injury and pass-catching RB Woody Marks getting more work, Stroud could easily better his 18.4 PPR points from Week 4.

We don't know what Jaxson Dart (25%) really is yet, but his debut against the Chargers produced a QB11 finish and a W to boot. The Saints offer a very friendly matchup this week having allowed 10 total TDs to the position against just one interception. Losing Malik Nabers clearly hurts Dart's passing upside, but the rookie showed a clear interest in rushing the ball in his debut, finishing with 10 carries for 54 yards and a score.

Tua Tagovailoa (25%) is also down his WR1 after Tyreek Hill's gruesome knee injury last week and faces a Panthers defense allowing the fourth-lowest fantasy QB output per game. But Carolina hasn't exactly faced a murder's row of passing offenses (@JAX, @ARI, vs. ATL, @NE), and this game has a healthy-enough 44.5 point total. Tua still has Jaylen Waddle and receiving threat De'von Achane at his disposal.

Trade target

If Lamar Jackson's fantasy manager is in a pinch, see what the price tag is on last year's QB1. Jackson is set to miss two or three games, and Baltimore's bye week looms in Week 7. For fantasy managers off to a fast start, this is a prime opportunity to bail out a leaguemate in the near term and improve your squad for the fantasy playoffs.

Week 5 Fantasy Football Bye Week Strategy - Running Backs

We've been monitoring Texans rookie RB Woody Marks (67% rostered) for the past two weeks as his usage slowly ramped up behind the aging Nick Chubb. Marks busted out with 27.9 PPR points in Week 4 and saw his roster rate rise accordingly this week. Dwain McFarland notes that if Marks' utilization sticks, he's already in the RB2 conversation with room for more. I somehow traded for Marks in dynasty on Sunday night — had to stay up past my bedtime but this was important!

While we don't know if the Texans rookie will see the same usage going forward, we also don't know how high his ceiling will be if he gets more work. That's why we have to be ahead of these players before they break out.

Who's left on the wire

Tyjae Spears (32%) is expected to practice this week, and we know the pass-catching specialist has upside after averaging 20.7 PPR points from Weeks 15-17 last season (RB5). And this output came on just 34 carries and 15 targets. The Titans look destined for a top-three pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which means trailing game scripts and plenty of work for the team's 1b RB once he's up to speed.

Rachaad White (50%) and Sean Tucker (5%) appear set to handle the Buccaneers backfield in Week 5 with Bucky Irving dealing with a foot injury. White was already handling 26% of the team's rushing attempts and significant work in the passing game. But Tucker has shown plenty of juice when given volume — last year he racked up a 14-136-1 rushing line and 3-56-1 receiving in a blowout win against the Saints.

In each of the last two weeks, RB injuries have boosted a clear-cut backup into a solid fantasy role. Before Marks, it was Trey Benson who fell into a potentially lucrative starting job. In Week 4, Kendre Miller (23%) cemented himself as the next man up in New Orleans. The fourth-year man handled a season-high 11 carries for 65 yards and a TD against Buffalo. Thirty-year-old Alvin Kamara has a career-low 3.75 targets per game on the season and could feasibly be traded next month.

Top RB handcuffs: Blake Corum (24%), Ray Davis (17%), Will Shipley (4%), DJ Giddens (3%)

Trade targets

This is beginning to feel obsessive, but if you missed out on Woody Marks on waivers there's nothing wrong with trying to trade for him before his next shot at overtaking Chubb. Matthew Freedman says Marks should be started in every league this week. … Bhayshul Tuten (59%) is another rookie who is quietly showing his talent. The Jaguars wasted little time shipping off Tank Bigsby after drafting Tuten, making him the next man up behind Travis Etienne, who happens to be massively outperforming his expected fantasy points (16.7 FP vs. 12.0 XFP). You can't rely on Tuten yet, but his fantasy manager could be willing to cut him loose during the right bye week.

Looking ahead

Kenneth Gainwell (36%) didn't get the typical post-boom bump after smashing for 31.4 points in place of Jaylen Warren last week. Gainwell is clearly a handcuff, but rookie RB Kaleb Johnson is so far in the rear-view mirror of this backfield he's disappearing over the horizon. … Kyle Monangai (7%) is another backup RB on a bye this week who is one injury away from a big role and has looked spry in limited touches.

Week 5 Fantasy Football Bye Week Strategy - Wide Receivers

Bye weeks and injuries are ravaging wide receiver rosters across fantasyland. For those with roster space and patience, it's a great time to target injured WRs in trades.

Who's left on the wire

In this business, repeatedly recommending Houston Texans off the waiver wire doesn't seem like the best growth strategy. But it worked at the RB position, and I couldn't help but come back to veteran receiver Christian Kirk (35%) when scanning the WR waiver wire in multiple leagues this week. Kirk has drawn 12 targets over two games since returning from a hamstring injury in Week 3. Against the Ravens' decimated defense, there's clearly a path to a WR2 day for the slot-man in Week 5.

We're dealing with some volatility when it comes to Broncos WRs Troy Franklin (30%) and Marvin Mims (27%), but both are benefiting from a Sean Payton offense that ranks third in pass rate over expected on the season. In Week 4, Mims posted a WR9 finish with 20.5 PPR points (aided by a rushing TD), and Franklin finished as WR13 in expected fantasy points (15.7 XFP). Meanwhile, Courtland Sutton came in at WR13 on the week. Bo Nix & Co. won't get the fantasy cheat code that is the Cincinnati Bengals defense every week, but this is an ascending offense with a relatively tight target tree.

Speaking of the Bengals, would anyone in a deep league be surprised to see Lions rookie Isaac TeSlaa (5%) catch a one-handed TD against Cincinnati this week? TeSlaa didn't draw a single target in Week 4, but there should be plenty of fantasy goodness to go around while the Lions are putting up 40+ on Sunday afternoon.

Malik Washington (16%) is set to inherit the WR2 role in Miami after Tyreek Hill's season-ending injury. The former sixth-round pick has run 65% of routes on the year with a 15% targets per route run that only slightly trails Jaylen Waddle's 19%. There's not a ton of upside in the Miami offense, but Washington can help in a pinch.

I don't want to start Rashod Bateman (32%), but I'll do it if I have to. Same thing for Elic Ayomanor (31%)

Trade targets

The clock continues to count down to the Week 7 return of suspended Chiefs WR Rashee Rice. The bye weeks present an opportunity to help his fantasy manager now and reap the benefits of Patrick Mahomes' top WR later. … Same goes for CeeDee Lamb, who is out another two or three weeks. Both the Chiefs and Cowboys have Week 10 byes, further limiting these high-end receivers' usefulness to struggling fantasy managers this season.

Looking ahead

The Packers and Bears offenses offer a number of players who could hit the waiver wire during their Week 5 byes:

• Romeo Doubs (50%): Bye week stalled Doubs' waiver-wire momentum after scoring three TDs in Week 4.
• Christian Watson (5%): Could return from an ACL tear as soon as next week.
• Jayden Reed (42%): Working his way back from shoulder and foot surgeries; expected back at practice in November.
• Matthew Golden (78%): Still struggling to earn WR3-level usage, but there is still time (and many Packers WR injuries).
• Luther Burden (13%): Like Golden, Burden has a crowded receiver room to compete with but has shown flashes when targeted.

Week 5 Fantasy Football Bye Week Strategy - Tight Ends

There's nothing fun about chasing tights ends off the waiver wire at this point in the season. But the emergence of late-round picks and rookies could open the door for a fantasy trade.

Who's left on the wire

Brenton Strange (34%) is the TE16 on the season without a touchdown propping up his totals. The fourth-year player ranks ninth at the position in targets (24) and seventh in receptions (19).

Harold Fannin (31%) is seeing similar work (17 catches on 24 targets for 160 scoreless yards) as Strange but in a worse offense. Maybe QB Dillon Gabriel can get more out of the much-hyped rookie.

Jets second-round rookie Mason Taylor (8%) made some noise in Week 4 with five catches for 65 yards on seven targets. Head coach Aaron Glenn said he was going to get Taylor the ball, and there is little target competition outside of Garrett Wilson.

Trade Targets

Sam LaPorta has been a disappointment for fantasy managers thus far, coming in as the TE18 with 8.54 fantasy points per game. He's in a get-right spot this week against a Bengals defense allowing 15.9 points per game to the position (fifth-worst). ... Kyle Pitts is on a bye this week — and he has hurt us before — but the 24-year-old is actually outperforming his XFP (9.8) for once, sitting at TE11 with 11.6 points per game.