The 2024 NFL season is well underway and the first six weeks are done. Which means we are well into bye week territory as teams around the NFL take turns getting a week off to plan for the stretch run and recover from the physical ailments accumulated from the game of football.
For newer fans, a "bye week" is a week off all NFL teams get at some point in the schedule. It means they will not play that week and can use their time off to rest, recover and reset. Bye weeks are spread out between Week 5 and Week 15. So from now until December, each week of games will be missing a few teams.
Here's who's on bye for Week 7.
NFL Teams on Bye in Week 7
The Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears are the two teams on bye this week. After Week 5 and Week 6 featured four teams in each week who were off, Week 7 is a much lighter slate.
The Bears are entering the bye flying high. No. 1 pick Caleb Williams put forth his best game as a pro and one of the best games from any Chicago quarterback in the last half-decade. The team beat the wheels off the Jacksonville Jaguars in London and are in a great spot heading into their bye week. Expectations should be tempered given they are still tied for last in the NFC North despite a 4-2 record, but the future looks bright for the Bears in a way the modern NFL world has rarely seen.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, come into their bye week with the worst vibes in existence. They got absolutely obliterated at home (again) in Week 6. The loss was so bad Jerry Jones looked like he was having an existential crisis and fans are banging the table for significant change to be made. There is very little to like about this Dallas team, and the bye represents the franchise's last opportunity to figure things out.
How Week 7 Byes Affect Fantasy Football
The Cowboys boast one of the highest-drafted players in fantasy with CeeDee Lamb, but he hasn't been terribly impressive to start the year. Jake Ferguson may arguably be more missed as one of the few tight ends who score with regularity. Rico Dawdle's emergence as a great fantasy value add is put on hold. At least those who believed in the team's defense will have an extra week to get them off the roster after giving up 47 points to the Lions.
The Bears have a solid cadre of offensive weapons but Williams's inconsistency as a rookie quarterback means the fantasy ceiling is low. Nevertheless, the D.J. Moore/Keenan Allen/Rome Odunze trio will be missed by some fantasy players. Mostly, though, fans will mourn the loss of D'Andre Swift for this week; the former Eagles and Lions RB has been a top-five fantasy player at his position in recent weeks.
Top fantasy players on bye in Week 7
Top replacements for fantasy players on bye in Week 7
Here are a few potential options at QB, RB and TE to cover for your fantasy team as the above key players go into their bye week. The last column indicates how available a player is, i.e. Bo Nix is available in 89% of all ESPN fantasy leagues.
Key Injured Players Who Could Return After Week 7 Bye
Bye weeks are always a good time to rest up. Both teams have key contributors who could return after some R&R on their off week.
This is especially true for the Cowboys, who clearly missed superstar Micah Parsons as the defense folded against Detroit. He was inactive with an ankle injury and it's quite reasonable to believe he'll be back to full health with another week of rehab. The same goes for linebacker Eric Kendricks. On a similar vein, DaRon Bland (who led the NFL in interceptions in 2023) was close to coming off the IR last week after recovering from an offseason foot surgery. He ultimately wasn't activated but it seems likely Dallas will do so this week so he can make his 2024 debut in Week 8.
The Bears, meanwhile, are also looking forward to reinforcements on the defensive side of the ball. A trio of key defensive backs— Jaquan Brisker, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon— are all in desperate need of a week off. Those three coming back healthy would pay dividends for a Bears defense really rounding into form as the season goes on. On the other side of the ball, lineman Teven Jenkins has been dealing with an ankle injury and, while he suited up in Week 6, can only benefit from a week's rest.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Week 7 Bye Weeks: Every Team Off This Week.
