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The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points! If you like what you see, you can subscribe for free here.
We arrived at October. And we arrive at the Bye Week season. The shape of fantasy football is about to change.
Every fantasy manager feels like they drafted a contending team in the summer. But when October rolls around, it’s time for some emotionless self-exploration. Maybe you’re at the top of your rankings, with a healthy roster and one or two that click. Maybe you’re dealing with an injury and poor performance, and you’re still looking for a win. And maybe you’re stuck somewhere in between.
No matter the situation, it’s time to put in some work and come up with a plan.
Where to start
Do a detailed league audit: Who is the favorite in the league right now? Who has the most injury-plagued roster or the biggest pool of talent heading into Week 5? And most importantly, where do you fit in the league? Most teams have similar goals in August and September, but strategic paths are starting to diverge now.
Choose a lane: Are you focused on the now or the future? If 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-potential running back who is several weeks away; you have the influence to be patient. Maybe you’re the coach who trades for some star players who have an upcoming break.
Teams stuck on one or no wins might have to switch to “win now” mode. The Eagles do not play in Week 5; maybe you can’t wait for AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith. Please understand that this is not a mandate to frivolously trade star players. Still, do your due diligence on the league and make sure everyone knows there are star talents available. But a poor September means you have to prioritize righting the ship right now.
Managing farewell week is more difficult, but that’s good
Their starting lineup for the next two months may be a little weaker than during the month of September, but I like this time of year because it makes us consider more players and negotiate more difficult decisions. The more options a league offers us, the more likely skill is to be reflected.
Understand farewell season = operating season
Managers are much more incentivized to make changes in October, with some separation in the standings and injuries starting to pile up. The rest weeks are another elixir here. A poker game doesn’t really start until some people win money and others are stuck. The same concept applies here.
Take a moment to audit the free week schedule
The NFL generally doesn’t put together uniform bye weeks, a peculiar fact of life that’s a little frustrating. Over the next 10 weeks, the number of teams on layoff will fluctuate. In a couple of weeks no one sits down. Some weeks, two teams rest. There are a handful of weeks that put four teams on vacation, and in Weeks 12 and 14, a whopping six teams don’t play.
The two “byes” are in Week 7 (Bears, Cowboys) and Week 9 (Steelers, 49ers). The key players on those teams offer some sneaky utility, because they will be in play during the other weeks when the bye weeks are more intense. It’s a low-end tiebreaker, but I like to include some players who enjoy this subtle advantage.