Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Bye Week QB Analysis & Targets (2026)

One of the first things players research for fantasy football drafts is bye weeks. For some, the bye week could be the tiebreaker when deciding between two players. Also, during the draft, you may decide to draft more than one quarterback to protect you when your starter has a bye week.

However, not every drafter will do that, and even if you do, other things can happen to that player during the season, such as being traded away, getting injured or not being as good as you imagined before the season. We break down the bye weeks and options below, and you can check out our fantasy football bye week planner for updated info and rankings of players every week of the season.

Fantasy Football QB Bye Week Strategy & Targets

Below, I’ll examine each bye week for the quarterback position. Each week will include a list of starting-caliber quarterbacks on bye, as well as streamers to target.

To determine which quarterbacks will be labeled as starters and which are streamers, here are the guidelines:

Starting quarterbacks are those with a FantasyPros average draft position (ADP) of QB12 or better.
Target streamers are quarterbacks with an ADP of QB13 or later.

Let’s dive in.

Week 5

Starting Quarterback on a Bye: Patrick Mahomes (KC)
Target Streamers: Jared Goff (DET) at ARI, C.J. Stroud (HOU) at TEN

Coming off a torn ACL, Patrick Mahomes is expected to be back in the lineup at the start of the season, so you’ll need to find a Week 5 replacement.

The two quarterbacks who stand out are Jared Goff and C.J. Stroud. Goff has an ADP of QB16 while Stroud is way down at QB23. Goff finished last season as the QB11 and averaged 18.1 points per game.

The team brought in some free agents to help along the offensive line, including center Cade Mays on a three-year, $25 million deal. They also drafted offensive lineman Blake Miller in the first round.

Goff has some fantastic weapons at his disposal in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa and Sam LaPorta.

The Cardinals lost several defensive free agents, including Dalvin Tomlinson, Jalen Thompson, Calais Campbell and Akeem Davis-Gaither. They’ve attempted to patch the void left by Tomlinson with Roy Lopez, but the loss of Thompson is notable. This unit allowed nearly 20 fantasy points per game, along with almost 243 passing yards and two passing touchdowns per outing.

As for Stroud, he played one game last season against the Titans and went 22-of-28 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. It was an OK fantasy day, but the Texans won 26-0, so he didn’t need to do much on offense. Still, he’s a safe bet against his division foe.

Week 6

Starting Quarterback on a Bye: Joe Burrow (CIN)
Target Streamers: Matthew Stafford (LAR) vs. ARI, Tyler Shough (NO) at NYG, Colts QB vs. TEN

With Joe Burrow on bye, teams will have to find a replacement who can at least match his production. There are a few options.

Matthew Stafford is being drafted as the QB14 after winning the MVP award last season. He still has Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, and the team also drafted a pass-catching tight end in Max Klare.

I’m a bit perplexed about Stafford’s ADP being so low, other than worrying about his age. However, he’ll be taking on a Cardinals defense that he carved up last season, combining for seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

I also like Tyler Shough in this spot. He showed some rushing ability, racking up three scores on 45 carries, and while the Giants’ defensive front is loaded, it was last season, too, and they allowed 416 rushing yards to quarterbacks, which was the most among any team.

They also allowed 20.53 points per game to the position. That said, they are now under John Harbaugh’s leadership, so perhaps the team will live up to its potential, and this will become a poor matchup for opposing quarterbacks.

Finally, I’ll take whoever the Colts quarterback will be against the Titans. It’s unclear if Daniel Jones will recover in time, but whether it’s him or Riley Leonard, I like either against the Titans. Leonard has solid mobility, and Jones sliced and diced the Titans in two starts last season, especially in Week 8, with three passing touchdowns and 272 passing yards.

Week 7

Starting Quarterbacks on a Bye: Josh Allen (BUF), Jayden Daniels (WSH), Justin Herbert (LAC), Trevor Lawrence (JAX)
Target Streamers: Malik Willis (MIA) at NYJ, Bo Nix (DEN) at ARI, Matthew Stafford (LAR) at LV

Week 7 is set to be something of a murderers’ row for starting quarterbacks on bye, with Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Jayden Daniels and Trevor Lawrence sidelined.

Thankfully, there are some solid replacement options in Malik Willis, Bo Nix and Matthew Stafford.

Stafford is a must-start option, and he’d be inside my top 12 fantasy quarterbacks, so he’s almost always a default start and a no-brainer streamer.

As for Nix, he’s coming off an ankle injury, but he had a great season last year, finishing with 19.1 points per game (QB7). He not only has mobility but also a new, fantastic weapon at his disposal in Jaylen Waddle.

If you need a dart throw, Willis is my main target this week. The Jets were abysmal defensively last year, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

They allowed more than two passing touchdowns per game, and Willis’ rushing ability gives him a great fantasy floor. If you’re in a deeper league, you can almost count on at least 15 points in this spot, with a higher ceiling due to rushing-touchdown potential.

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Week 8

Starting Quarterback on a Bye: Brock Purdy (SF)
Target Streamers: Kyler Murray (MIN) at DET, Cardinals QB at DAL, Raiders QB at NYJ

There are many viable options to replace Brock Purdy, including Kyler Murray and whoever the Cardinals and Raiders have starting at that point.

Murray definitely has the skill set, offense and coach around him to be a surprising top-five quarterback or better. Taking on the Lions, they allowed 20.59 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Lions released Terrion Arnold because of his legal troubles, and the Lions are even shallower at cornerback.

The Cardinals quarterback is definitely a massive dart throw. Still, in a shootout with the Cowboys, and unless their defense improves mightily, this could be a sneaky amount of points for a quarterback that’s otherwise nothing more than waiver wire fodder.

Then there’s the Raiders quarterback, either Fernando Mendoza or Kirk Cousins. I don’t trust the Jets’ defense whatsoever, even with the addition of No. 2 overall pick David Bailey.

Week 9

Starting Quarterback on a Bye: None
Target Streamers: Colts QB vs. DAL, Jared Goff (DET) at MIA, Matthew Stafford (LAR) vs. WSH

There really aren’t any quarterbacks on bye in Week 9 that I’m overly concerned about missing out on. However, for streamers, there’s a potential shootout with the Colts’ quarterback against the Cowboys, Jared Goff against a completely dismantled and rebuilding Dolphins squad and Matthew Stafford, who, again, shouldn’t even be in streamer range.

Week 10

Starting Quarterbacks on a Bye: Caleb Williams (CHI), Jalen Hurts (PHI)
Target Streamers: Jaxson Dart (NYG) vs. WSH

With Caleb Williams and Jalen Hurts sidelined this week, I’d definitely give Jaxson Dart a chance. He’s another quarterback with a profile that could do extremely well in fantasy football against a Commanders team that allowed 22.18 fantasy points per game to the position last season.

In his lone start against Washington last season, Dart threw for 246 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 63 yards. Dart finished as the fantasy QB9 that week with 23.1 points.

Week 11

Starting Quarterback on a Bye: Drake Maye (NE)
Target Streamers: Tyler Shough (NO) at CHI, Cam Ward (TEN) at DAL, Baker Mayfield (TB) at DET, Jared Goff (DET) vs. TB

Drake Maye’s dual-threat ability will make him a highly sought-after quarterback in fantasy drafts, but I’ll be curious to see how he performs against a tougher schedule.

To replace him, I’d first look to either of the signal-callers in the Lions-Buccaneers game. Baker Mayfield didn’t have a good start against them on the road last season, and Jared Goff threw for just 241 yards and a touchdown.

However, this is the type of game that could easily turn into a shootout, with the Buccaneers allowing 238.2 passing yards per game last season and the Lions allowing more than 240 yards per game at home.

I also like Tyler Shough again in this spot. This game takes place in late November, so the weather could certainly be a factor, but I wonder if this is a game where we might see him run more. The Bears allowed 21.21 fantasy points per game to the position, but they did add some secondary players like Dillon Thieneman, Coby Bryant and Cam Lewis.

Finally, I don’t hate Cam Ward against the Cowboys. It’ll be inside, and Ward has a nice array of options to throw to. This game has the potential for garbage-time points.

Week 13

Starting Quarterback on a Bye: Lamar Jackson (BAL)
Target Streamers: Sam Darnold (SEA) vs. DAL, Bo Nix (DEN) vs. MIA, C.J. Stroud (HOU) at PIT

Losing Lamar Jackson for a week will certainly be tough, but there are many replacement options.

Sam Darnold is a bit hit-or-miss, but any quarterback against Dallas is worth a look until they give us a reason to think otherwise.

As for Bo Nix, you know he’ll be looking to Jaylen Waddle plenty in a “revenge game” against the Dolphins, and he’s another quarterback I don’t see falling short of QB1 status in 12-team leagues unless the injury lingers.

Then, I don’t mind C.J. Stroud against the Steelers. In last season’s playoff game, he threw for 250 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Stroud’s ceiling is extremely limited, but he shouldn’t lose you the week.

Week 14

Starting Quarterback on a Bye: Dak Prescott (DAL)
Target Streamers: Jared Goff (DET) vs. TEN, Cam Ward (TEN) at DET, Malik Willis (MIA) vs. CHI, Bo Nix (DEN) at NYJ

The Cowboys’ offense is always going to be high-octane, so Dak Prescott being out for a week is certainly a hole to fill; thankfully, there will be some options.

The Titans brought in some help on defense, but I still find it hard to believe they’ll be a unit to be at all worried about, so Jared Goff is a solid streamer. They allowed more than 20 fantasy points per game last season. In that same matchup, Cam Ward wouldn’t be a terrible streamer, especially if the Lions’ offense can score early and often and put Ward in a deficit.

If the Dolphins and Malik Willis were playing in Chicago, I’d pass, but in Miami, where he can scramble, and the weather won’t be a factor, he’s a decent flier.

Finally, Bo Nix is a no-brainer against a lousy Jets defense.