NFL2026-11-15Week 11 Is the Biggest Bye of the 2026 Season: Six Teams Off, Including the Falcons, Rams, Patriots and Seahawks
By Verdexed Fantasy Desk
Six teams are on bye in Week 11, the heaviest bye week of the 2026 NFL season: the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. That is nearly a fifth of the league off the board in one week, and it lands just as most fantasy leagues enter the final stretch of the regular season. If you roster Bijan Robinson, Kyren Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Drake Maye, the time to plan is now, before Tuesday's waiver run, not next Saturday.
Who is off in Week 11
The table below lists the most fantasy-relevant players from each team on bye. Statuses reflect this week's injury reports.
| Team | Key fantasy players | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Falcons | Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts | Three weekly starters at once |
| Rams | Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Davante Adams, Blake Corum | Puka Nacua already on IR |
| Patriots | Drake Maye, A.J. Brown, Rhamondre Stevenson | TreVeyon Henderson on IR |
| Seahawks | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zach Charbonnet, AJ Barner | Sam Darnold expected back after bye |
| Packers | Kaleb Johnson, MarShawn Lloyd | Josh Jacobs out after finger surgery |
| Browns | Deshaun Watson, Harold Fannin Jr. | Watson back in as the starter |
Two things stand out. First, Atlanta's bye takes three starters out of many lineups simultaneously, which can wreck a roster built around the Falcons' offense. Second, the Rams, Patriots and Seahawks combine for two starting quarterbacks and several WR1 and RB1 types, so the hit is spread across every position.
Position by position: where the crunch hits
Running back. Losing Bijan Robinson and Kyren Williams in the same week removes two of the top options at the position. Add Rhamondre Stevenson and the Packers' committee, and the RB pool thins considerably. Managers with Robinson should be looking for a one-week replacement with a defined role, not a speculative stash.
Wide receiver. Drake London, Davante Adams, A.J. Brown and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are all off. Smith-Njigba's absence is particularly painful for teams that have leaned on him as a WR1. This is the position where your bench depth will be tested most.
Tight end. Kyle Pitts, AJ Barner and Harold Fannin Jr. on bye creates a real streaming need. Tight end is already the thinnest position in fantasy, and three viable starters going dark in one week will make the waiver options scarce.
Quarterback. Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford are the notable losses. Deshaun Watson matters only in deeper leagues. If you roster Maye or Stafford without a backup, plan to stream.
Plan your waiver moves now
The biggest mistake managers make with a heavy bye week is waiting until Week 11's waiver period to react. By then, the best one-week replacements have been claimed by the managers who planned ahead. Use this week's waivers, on Tuesday or Wednesday after Week 10, to grab your Week 11 replacements.
A few principles:
- Prioritize volume over upside. For a one-week fill-in, a back with a guaranteed 12 to 15 touches is worth more than a speculative talent with a murky role. - Check the Week 11 matchup, not the rest-of-season outlook. A one-week streamer only needs to produce once. Target players facing defenses that have struggled at the relevant position. - Do not cut a stud for a streamer. It sounds obvious, but heavy bye weeks tempt managers to drop injured or underperforming starters to make room. Drop your 15th bench piece, not your playoff weapon. - Mind the Week 10 games already played. If you are cutting someone to make room, wait until their Week 10 game has finished.
The Seattle and New England angles
Two of the bye teams carry injury storylines that make the week off useful for them. Seattle's head coach has said he expects Sam Darnold back after the bye from his rib and quad injuries, which would restore the Seahawks' passing game for the stretch run. That is good news for Smith-Njigba and Barner managers from Week 12 on, even though it does not help next week.
New England's bye falls within TreVeyon Henderson's IR stint, which does not count toward his four-game minimum. He cannot return before roughly Week 15. Stevenson's knee, meanwhile, gets an extra week to heal, which helps Patriots managers in the long run.
The trade window
Heavy bye weeks also create trade opportunities. A manager who is 5-5 and facing the loss of Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts in Week 11 may be willing to move one of them for a healthy player who helps them next week. If you are well positioned for the playoffs, that is a chance to buy a stud at a discount, since Robinson's long-term value is unaffected by a single bye. Conversely, if you need a win in Week 11 to make the playoffs, consider swapping a bye-week player for someone who plays.
Check your league's trade deadline before getting creative: many leagues lock trades around Week 11 or 12.
The Verdexed view
Verdexed's rest-of-season board applies each week's injury report and is the best place to find replacements with real roles for Week 11. Our NFL predictions page covers the matchups, and the Week 11 picks will post on the blog once the slate is set.
What's next
After Week 11, the bye weeks wind down. Week 12 is Thanksgiving week and has no byes, so every team plays. Week 13 and Week 14 have a few remaining byes before the fantasy playoffs begin. Get through Week 11 with your roster intact, and you will have your full lineup for the push to the postseason.