Fantasy Spin: 2009 NFL Bye Weeks

A sound, general rule of thumb when it comes to fantasy drafting (especially early in a draft) is to forget about bye weeks altogether. If a fantasy owner has the opportunity to take two stud players, he/she should regardless of a conflicting bye week schedule. But a lot of fantasy owners pay too much attention to the bye week schedule. If confronted with a conflicting situation, the owner will opt to take a lesser-talented prospect only to avoid the one-week void in the lineup by two more-talented players. It sounds like a good plan on paper, but only hurts the owner in the long run. Think about it. Two players with the same bye week are out of an owner’s lineup for one week out of the entire season. As long as both avoid injuries, these players will be relied on for 12+ regular season weeks as well as the fantasy playoffs. Sacrificing one week out of the entire season is a small price to pay for the type of production two solid prospects should offer an owner on a week-to-week ... (link)