We’ve preached it on just about every live Campus2Canton show that has taken place since the CFB Best Bowl tournament at Underdog Fantasy has been open. Bye weeks matter, and figuring out how to supplement your lineup with proper bye week coverage is even more essential to think about. Let’s look at players and teams that have great matchups during the bye weeks that seem to be the most popular among the top players…
Team-by-Team Coverage
Auburn players are good options for coverage on Weeks 10 and 12. They play Vanderbilt and UL Monroe those two weeks and have multiple extremely affordable options. Jarquez Hunter is the most expensive of the bunch, with an ADP of 118.9. Guys like Payton Thorne and Rivaldo Fairweather are being taken in the 190s or later. Those three options are all guys I’m looking at if I accidentally go heavy in weeks 10 and 12.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Alabama players are good options in 2024. They play Vanderbilt in Week 6 and Mercer in Week 12. Justice Haynes poses as an excellent RB4 in a draft, while Kendrick Law and Kobe Prentice should be considered good selections late because there is undoubtedly upside in being the WR2 in this offense. Both players have a shot at being that guy and providing value all season long, not just for two weeks.
At Campus2Canton, we’re all pretty high on Cincinnati players for this format. Brendan Sorsby is an excellent quarterback option in the double-digit rounds, and Xzavier Henderson, a guy who saw 99 targets from Emory Jones and company last season, was fairly productive in 2023 that can be found in that similar round of your drafts. Corey Kiner may be my favorite of the bunch, though. He ran for 1,000 yards last season, yet none of us remember many of those yards. The Bearcats play a great middle-of-the-season schedule with UCF, Arizona State, and Colorado on the docket in Weeks 7, 8, and 9. I tend to have trouble with Weeks 7 and 8, and all three players help solve those weeks.
Oklahoma State’s back half of the schedule is prime for the picking. Most of these offensive players are picked early, but I think Alan Bowman has some value as a final pick option. He’s not a runner, but he did throw 41 times per game in his final 11 games last season. Their playoff schedule is bye week, Texas Tech and Colorado, but before those weeks, they play prime Big 12 action: BYU, Baylor, Arizona State, and TCU.
Much like Oklahoma State, Utah has a great second half of the schedule. They don’t have a playoff bye and instead face off against Colorado, Iowa State, and UCF in the playoff weeks. Micah Bernard is an excellent mid-to-late option that I would like to sprinkle into my drafts, and if I land Cam Rising, then Dorian Singer will be my prime target. All three are good options for Weeks 7, 8, and 9 when they play Arizona State, TCU, and Houston.
Specific Players to Help Cover Us
I like some running backs that have Week 3 byes. Those include Kyle Monangai, Jo’Quavious Marks, Abu Sama, Kaytron Allen/Nicholas Singleton, and Phil Mafah. If you want to fill that week, look at guys like Nathan Carter, who faces off against Prairie View, Cam Cook, who gets UCF, Micah Bernard versus Utah State, Jarquez Hunter versus New Mexico, and Kaedin Feagin against CMU. I’ve found that bye week help for running backs isn’t as cheap as the receiver position, so these are all players I’m considering in the round 8-13 range to help cover Week 3.
The wide receiver position is one that I’m constantly having to figure out a way to cover Week 10. Montana Lemonious-Craig plays UCF in week 10, Ja’Kobi Lane gets Washington, and Da’Quan Felton faces off against Syracuse. Noah Rogers against Stanford and AJ Henning against Purdue are two options for Week 10 that’ll cost you essentially nothing.
I think some random players are worth dart throws at the end of the draft due to their schedule. Brock Vandagriff (Murray State, Texas, and Louisville to end the season), thanks to his strong receiver group and maybe just maybe a little rushing upside? At the end of the draft, Kansas receivers are intriguing because they use such a concentrated group led by Lawrence Arnold and Luke Grimm and face off against BYU, Colorado, and Baylor. If you draft Jalon Daniels, you have faith in the passing attack; these are good stack options for him. Lastly, Donovan Smith’s playoff schedule of Arizona, Baylor, and BYU are good matchups. Wouldn’t it be nice for him to help you win $20,000 after the years of pain he’s brought us (probably just me)?
