PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – DECEMBER 25: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs steps back to pass during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on December 25, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
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Bye weeks are one of the most frustrating parts of fantasy football, but it also helps play into the strategy aspect. Before or during your 2026 fantasy football draft, it’s important to know what players have a bye in each week.
While bye weeks don’t drastically alter my fantasy football drafting strategy, it’s certainly important to note, and it can absolutely be used as a tiebreaker when deciding between a few players.
Since the NFL schedule is out, we’ll be looking at what two teams have a bye and what players you should know are on that team.
This upcoming year, there are only two teams with a bye in week five, which are the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers.
The consensus ADP referenced for each player is from FootballGuys.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Kenneth Walker III: ADP 18
Rashee Rice: ADP 27
Patrick Mahomes: ADP 101
Travis Kelce: ADP 109
Xavier Worthy: ADP 115
Starting with the Kansas City Chiefs, this is a team that was viewed as the best in the NFL just a few years ago. In 2023, Kansas City won the Super Bowl, and in 2024 they went 15-2, made the Super Bowl, but ended up losing.
2025 was an extremely tough year for the team, going 6-11, and because of that, it seems to have left a sour taste in the mouth of many. Only two players on this roster have an ADP in the top 50, but they’re both fairly high.
Walker is the consensus RB11 here, and he wasn’t even on the Chiefs roster last year. That said, the Chiefs don’t have much competition outside of Walker now, so it’s easy to project a big year of volume for him, especially when adding in the new contract.
Anyone drafting Walker will be hoping he can come close and even improve on his 16.5 PPG (PPR) 2024 season rather than last year with 11.3 PPG.
Then you have Rashee Rice, who has scored over 16 PPG in each of his last two seasons, but he only played four games in 2024 and eight in 2025. Between the past injuries for Rice and off the field news this offseason, he has a low floor but high ceiling.
Patrick Mahomes is also coming off an injury, suffering an ACL and LCL tear last year. The floor is low with that kind of serious injury, but he did score 20.4 PPG last year.
As for Travis Kelce, he played in all 17 games last year but is certainly getting up there at now 36 years old. Although the production has declined each year since 2022, he still had 11.4 PPG last year.
Finally, Xavier Worthy was drafted 28th overall back in the 2024 NFL draft, but he’s yet to score over 11.5 PPG in a year. Worthy is an explosive player who has the potential to have his best year yet in 2026, but he needs to prove himself.
2. Carolina Panthers
Tetairoa McMillan: ADP 38
Chuba Hubbard: ADP 68
Jonathon Brooks: ADP 108
Jalen Coker: ADP 135
Bryce Young: ADP 161
Tetairoa McMillan is heading into year two, but he’s already cemented himself as the best fantasy option on this roster. After being drafted 8th overall in the 2025 NFL draft, McMillan scored 12.4 PPG last year and had 1,014 yards as a rookie.
The question is less about McMillan and more about if Bryce Young can get him the ball consistently.
Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks are the two key backs in this offense. Hubbard had a big 16.1 PPG season in 2024, received an extension, but then only scored 8.4 PPG last year. To be fair, Hubbard suffered a calf injury last year, but it’s still a worry.
As for Jonathon Brooks, he was a really strong prospect back in the 2024 NFL draft, going 46th overall, but has only played three games in the NFL. Brooks has talent, but he suffered an ACL in 2023 while in college, then in 2024 as well.
Jalen Coker looks like the WR2 on this roster, and he received an extension this summer. Coker has had some strong performances, but he’s also yet to score over nine PPG.
Former number one overall draft pick Bryce Young has had his moments but never scored over 14 PPG in a fantasy football season. If Young is going to take the big step, it feels like 2026 has to be the year.
The Chiefs have a few more big names for the 2026 fantasy football season, but the Panthers have players worth paying attention to in your draft as well.