We have worked our way through the bulk of Week 5 of the NFL season. The feeling out process is over, and we are finally into the meat of the season. For fantasy, we have also entered many of the most challenging weeks of the season as the bye weeks are upon us. NFL teams generally view bye weeks as a good thing, but as fantasy players they become stumbling blocks that can trip up an unprepared manager. In order to effectively manage the bye weeks, it takes study and preparation. A well-prepared manager can also really take advantage of the lesser prepared managers during the bye weeks. We will discuss this in more detail shortly. 

The Story Thus Far…

This week in the NFL has done a very good job of telling the story of the season thus far. We have seen teams really tell us a lot about who they are going to be this season. Every season in the NFL is so different from the ones that came before. Yes, there can be some storylines that persist, but for the most part it is incredibly different. As I was watching the games this weekend, I began to see many of these stories really take shape. One thing that I noticed was that there were not as many “dominant” teams. Some of the best teams look very beatable, and this is a great thing for the NFL. I find things to be much more intriguing when I don’t know what is going to happen from game to game, or week to week. 

Another storyline that has begun to develop is how many truly poor teams there are this year. There are more than a handful of teams that just don’t look competitive when compared to others. Even when some of the teams with poor records play against each other, it becomes apparent how much some of them are truly struggling. This particular storyline is great news for the NFL offseason. We are going to have a lot of content to explore as these teams try to make changes to improve.

The third major storyline that I have continued to see develop so far this season is injuries. Now, I understand that injuries are always going to be a part of the game. I also understand that the NFL claims to do everything it can to emphasize player safety. The unfortunate truth is that this year has seen many of the league’s most prominent players deal with injuries, and I don’t think this is something that the NFL is happy about. Granted, some of the injuries haven’t been major, it is still not a good look for a league that wants to put a focus on player safety. I expect to see another major offseason focus on player safety this year.

European Expansion

This is not a new thing, but I have yet to comment on it. Personally, I am of two minds on the European games. On one hand, I understand that it is smart business for the NFL to do everything it can to expand globally. It just makes too much financial sense to get the rest of the world addicted to the sport. On the other hand, I hate to see how much it effects the teams that make the trip. Watching the Bills-Jags game this morning was a reminder of how detrimental the trip can be for teams. The Bills just didn’t look like the same team that we have seen over the past month. They were not sharp on either side of the ball. The Jags are used to this trip, and this week had an even greater advantage of having been there for the full week already. I’m not sure how the NFL could even try to call this a Bills home game, that to me is laughable.

The Cream Rises

Transitioning to fantasy football, this week did a great job of beginning to illustrate why elite players and units are considered to be elite. As fantasy players we should be looking to invest in situations that are going to provide us with results that outperform draft position, or waiver priority position. Elite players and situations are one of the best ways to do this. There is a reason why everyone talks about the greatness of guys like Justin Jefferson, Jamarr Chase, Christian McCaffrey, etc. No matter where you draft these guys, you can always expect to get a solid performance. That is not to say that there won’t be down weeks(there will be). It just means that when considered against a replacement level player, those guys will be more likely to exceed expectations.

This week began to show us who is going to be elite, and who has been an imitation to this point. Now that teams are into full stride, we are able to see what offenses are truly going to be as the season continues. The Bengals, for example, are going to be fine. Burrow is getting healthier, and the O-Line, while still not great, is beginning to learn how to play together. Puka Nacua is for real. Even with Cooper Kupp back, he showed us that he has a legitimate role in that offense. Breece Hall is back! As troubled as the rest of that offense may be, Hall will continue to be a bright spot. There will be up weeks and down weeks as teams focus on him, but he is an elite talent and should be treated as such.As you dive into your scores this week, take a look at how efficient players were with their touches and opportunities. This will begin to tell you the story of who is falling into that elite category.

Taking Advantage Of The Bye Weeks

I am going to close this week by discussing how you, the well-prepared fantasy manager, can take advantage of the lesser prepared fantasy managers in your league during the bye weeks. 

As the bye weeks begin to hit, lesser prepared managers will be less able to be proactive on the waiver wire. This is an opportunity for you. Because you are better prepared, you will be able to look a week or 2 ahead and pick up the guys that are going to be moving into good matchups when you need them, not panicking about what to do right now.

You are also going to have managers who make what I call “panic drops”. Guys that aren’t playing this week, but should be rostered because of their talent and/or situation. Some examples of  this are priority handcuffs. For example, Derrick Henry is going on bye and the owner also has Tyjae Spears. They cannot afford to have two players from the same team and the same position on bye together, so they drop Spears to pick up a RB they can play in Henry’s spot. This is an opportunity for you to grab a premium handcuff, with some flex appeal. Yet, this is only one example. These types of moves can prove to be league winners for you. Stay flexible.

That’s going to do it for this week’s edition of What Did I Just Watch. As always, if you need help with fantasy roster decisions please feel free to reach out on X(Twitter) @2fatguysff