Believe it or not, we’ve already reached the point in the 2024 NFL season when bye weeks are starting.
Teams play 17 games throughout the 18-week season, and their one week off is called their “bye week.” This is a much-needed break so the players and coaches can step away from the game for a bit and take some time to recover and refresh before locking back in to finish the season strong.
NFL bye weeks are spread out from Week 5 through until Week 14, meaning that we rarely have more than six teams on a bye in the same week. The fact that bye weeks start so early in the season bothers some fans, particularly if their favorite team has a Week 5 bye. If a team’s bye week comes after just four games, they’ll have to play 13 consecutive games plus (potentially) the postseason.
From a fantasy football perspective, the widely distributed byes mean that we don’t have to deal with too many of the dreaded “bye-pocalypses,” which is when six teams are on bye. This season, there are two weeks (Weeks 12 and 14) when managers will have to navigate missing that many teams at once. Let’s look at the 2024 NFL bye week schedule and answer some frequently asked questions about NFL bye weeks.
NFL Bye Week Schedule
- Week 5:Â Lions, Chargers, Eagles, Titans
- Week 6: Chiefs, Rams, Dolphins, Vikings
- Week 7: Bears, Cowboys
- Week 8: None
- Week 9: Steelers, 49ers
- Week 10: Browns, Packers, Raiders, Seahawks
- Week 11: Cardinals, Panthers, Giants, Buccaneers
- Week 12: Falcons, Bills, Bengals, Jaguars, Saints, Jets
- Week 13:Â None
- Week 14: Ravens, Broncos, Texans, Colts, Patriots, Commanders
Fantasy Football Bye Week Impact
Fantasy managers focus on bye weeks, as it can affect their draft strategy and then impact their squad midseason. Rather than just listing which teams will be on bye each week, here’s a breakdown of which notable fantasy options could be missing each week as a result of byes. (Note: We’ve removed players who are already sidelined since they’re on injured reserve, including Isiah Pacheco, Puka Nacua, and Cooper Kupp).
Week 5
Detroit Lions
Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta
Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert, J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey
Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert
Tennessee Titans
Will Levis, Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Chigoziem Okonkwo
Week 6
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce
Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, Tyler Higbee
Miami Dolphins
De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle
Minnesota Vikings
Sam Darnold, Aaron Jones, Ty Chandler, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson
Week 7
Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift, DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet
Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jake Ferguson
Week 9
Pittsburgh Steelers
Justin Fields/Russell Wilson, Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth
San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle
Week 10
Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford, Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku
Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft
Las Vegas Raiders
Gardner Minshew, Zamir White, Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Brock Bowers
Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith, Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Week 11
Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray, James Conner, Trey Benson, Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride
Carolina Panthers
Jonathon Brooks, Chuba Hubbard, Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen
New York Giants
Daniel Jones, Devin Singletary, Malik Nabers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield, Rachaad White, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin
Week 12
Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen, James Cook, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Dalton Kincaid
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow, Zack Moss, Chase Brown, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins
Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne Jr., Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas Jr., Gabe Davis, Evan Engram
New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Juwan Johnson, Taysom Hill
New York Jets
Aaron Rodgers, Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams
Week 14
Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews
Denver Broncos
Bo Nix, Javonte Williams, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims
Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud, Joe Mixon, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, Dalton Schultz
Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., Adonai Mitchell
New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, DeMario Douglas
Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels, Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler, Terry McLaurin
NFL Bye Weeks FAQ
What Are NFL Bye Weeks?
As previously mentioned, a bye week is just a scheduled week off so a team can recharge. Each team currently gets one bye week throughout the 18-week NFL season.
Before the league added a 17th game, there were rumblings that the NFL might add a second bye week to the schedule. While that didn’t happen, an extra bye week may be added in the near future with the league looking to add an 18th game at some point soon.
Why Do NFL Teams Have Bye Weeks?
Football is a grueling sport, so the injuries pile up throughout an 18-week season. While the NBA, MLB, and NHL can get away with playing multiple games every week, there’s a reason NFL teams can only play one contest a week.
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Bye weeks provide each team with an opportunity to reset, giving them time to get healthy, spend time with their loved ones, and reset so they can get through the remainder of the season.
How Many Teams Can Be on a Bye at the Same Time?
Generally, there are either two, four, or six teams on a bye at the same time. That number always has to be an even number, and rarely does the NFL go higher than six teams. Taking three games out of a 16-game schedule can leave the week feeling bare, especially when there are already at least three primetime games in each game week.
Any more than six teams on a bye would leave the NFL with just nine games in their traditional 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday windows, which would not be ideal for their broadcast partners.
Also, having eight or more teams on a bye in one week would disbalance the schedule by forcing more games into other bye weeks and leaving a TV schedule that feels overloaded on those weeks
When Do NFL Bye Weeks Start?
The earliest the NFL has scheduled bye weeks is in Week 4, but that was during the 16-game (17-week) seasons. In 2021 and 2022, bye weeks didn’t start until Week 6. Last season, the NFL began having bye weeks in Week 5, allowing them to have a week in the middle of the season with no teams on a bye. That will continue in 2024.
Which NFL Teams Will Have Their Bye Week First?
The first bye week is in Week 5, with the Lions, Chargers, Eagles, and Titans on bye. It’s typically viewed as a disadvantage to have such an early bye, as these teams will have to play 13 games in a row plus (potentially) the playoffs to finish the season. The four teams with the earliest bye week last season all stumbled in the latter part of the season:
- Chargers: Five straight losses to end the season
- Seahawks: Four straight losses in Weeks 11-14
- Buccaneers: Four straight losses post-bye
- Browns: 45-14 playoff loss at Houston
However, it works out for some teams. For example, the Eagles are currently dealing with a ton of injuries to key players (including their top three wide receivers), so they likely don’t mind the early bye week. For others, they likely would’ve preferred a break later in the season, but they’ll have to take what the NFL schedule-makers gave them.
When Do NFL Bye Weeks End?
The latest the NFL will schedule a bye week is in Week 14. Previously, byes would stop in Week 13, but with the expansion to 17 games, the NFL naturally pushed the final set of byes back one week.
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In 2022, six teams were on bye in Week 14, which was a nightmare for fantasy football players, as that is the final week of the fantasy regular season. It put many fantasy owners in a roster-setting bind. In 2023, just two teams were on bye in the final week of the fantasy regular season.
Unfortunately, the 2024 season will once again feature six teams on bye in Week 14: the Ravens, Broncos, Texans, Colts, Patriots, and Commanders.
Does Every Team Have a Bye Week?
Yes, every team gets a week off at some point during the campaign. Those bye weeks traditionally fall in the middle of the season, but there have been some exceptions in the past where extraordinary circumstances (like extreme weather or health events) may cause the NFL to move a bye week.
For example, in 2017, the Miami Dolphins were due to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. However, the threat of Hurricane Irma caused the game to be postponed to later that season That meant both the Dolphins and Buccaneers had their bye in Week 1 and then had to play 17 straight games.
