The fantasy football season is gearing up to start and one of the most important things to look at that owners often don't are bye weeks, as top names could be out of action for teams and that could sway the matchups for opponents.
For owners it is vitally important to have suitable backups in fantasy and this comes in handy especially on bye weeks, since handcuffed players can't really help if they aren't playing either. Some of the top players have early by weeks, including Adrian Peterson and Arian Foster, but as the year wears on, it will be hard to find suitable replacements for players with late byes, including ones like Marshawn Lynch and CJ Spiller.
Going down the list, Adrian Peterson has a bye in Week 5 and as the top running back that is a solid place to be, as he will play straight through the second part of the season, while Arian Foster has a bye week in week 8 and that could be tough coming right in the middle of the season. Marshawn Lunch has a bye in Week 12, while Ray Rice and the Ravens have their bye in week eight. More Week 5 byes include Doug Martin and Alfred Morris and both of those players are expecting to have big seasons for their respective teams.
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Jamaal Charles may end up number one in fantasy and he has a bye in Week 10, while spiller will be in Week 12 and Trent Richardson's also comes in Week 10 for the Browns. Owners may try to look ahead to know when the byes come, but the most valuable thing owners can do is to try not to draft two backs or three for that matter with the same by weeks, as losing two number one players like Richardson and Charles, or Rice and Foster at the same time could be deadly.
Some other important by weeks include Calvin Johnson in Week 9, LeSean McCoy in Week 12, while Aaron Rodgers has his in Week 4. Drew Brees will be out for Week 7, while Steven Jackson has his in Week 6 and Matt Forte will have his bye in Week 8. Stevan Ridley is done in Week 10, while Brandon Marshall is in Week 8 and Frank Gore will be in Week nine, while Julio Jones and Matt Ryan will be in Week six. Keep an eye out for those bye weeks, they sure can be pesky.
