Week 6 Bye Alert: Chase, Jefferson, Gibbs and Gordon Are Out. Here's Who Fills the Holes

Four teams. One week. A lot of empty lineup slots.

Bengals, Lions, Dolphins and Vikings are on bye in Week 6 (games Oct. 15–19), per FOX Sports and CBS Sports. That pulls Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Justin Jefferson and Miami's new lead back Ollie Gordon II off the board at the same time.

If you drafted for upside, this is the week the bye calendar collects. Here's the damage — and who can patch it.

Who's out (the star names)

• Cincinnati: QB Joe Burrow, WR Ja'Marr Chase (plus the rest of that offense).
• Detroit: QB Jared Goff, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, TE Sam LaPorta.
• Miami: RB Ollie Gordon II — Miami's lead back with De'Von Achane (torn ACL, IR) out for the year, per NFL.com and the AP. Gordon is off this week too; he returns Week 7 at the Jets.
• Minnesota: WR Justin Jefferson. TE T.J. Hockenson (concussion) sits the bye as well, which at least buys him an extra week in protocol, per Yahoo Sports/Forbes.

Injury / roster statuses as of ~9:50 AM PT, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026.

Hardest holes to fill

Wide receiver is the nuke. Chase, Jefferson and Amon-Ra all sit the same week. That's three WR1s gone at once — the position that hurts deepest on most benches.

Running back is next. Gibbs is a true RB1, and Gordon is the back fantasy managers finally trusted after Achane's season ended. Waiver RBs were already thin after Week 5's injury wave.

Quarterback is streamable. Burrow and Goff managers need a one-week bridge. There are options.

Tight end is ugly. LaPorta is a weekly starter. Replacing him with a TD dart rarely ends well — find a TE with a real role.

Streamer / fill-in ideas

Pulled from today's Start 'Em board and the Bye Alert fill-in list (USA TODAY Sports, NFL.com waiver notes):

QB

• Jordan Love, GB vs. DAL (SNF). Green Bay just hung 31 on Chicago. Home prime-time vs. Dallas is a clean stream, and NFL.com has Love near the top of the Week 6 waiver board.
• Jameis Winston, NYG vs. NO. Three pass TDs in back-to-back games; unbeaten in three Giants starts. New Orleans is one of two teams allowing 30+ points a game, per USA TODAY.
• Kirk Cousins, LV vs. BUF. Twelve TD passes in five games with Vegas and a leaky Bills secondary. Borderline QB1 ceiling in a shootout script.

RB

• Woody Marks, HOU at JAX (London). Lead back with David Montgomery week-to-week (groin) per DeMeco Ryans. Volume is real — 15 carries, 62 yards and four catches Sunday — but Jacksonville allows the fewest RB fantasy points, so USA TODAY flags him as a volume trap. Flex him if byes leave you thin; don't expect a smash.
• Dameon Pierce, PHI vs. CAR — only if Saquon sits. Carolina allows the 4th-most RB fantasy points. If Barkley (hamstring) is trending up and plays, Pierce's value collapses.
• MarShawn Lloyd, GB vs. DAL. Two rushing TDs in Week 5; Green Bay's go-to goal-line back. Dallas allows the 5th-most fantasy points to RBs.

WR / TE / D

• Germie Bernard, PIT at TB. Michael Pittman Jr. is on IR and Roman Wilson is out Week 6, per Yahoo Sports/Forbes. Bernard posted 6 catches for 80 yards in Week 5 — top waiver buzz.
• Tre Tucker, LV vs. BUF. 5.6 targets and 54.8 yards per game; higher floor than most flex darts against a Bills secondary that has struggled vs. receivers.
• Carnell Tate, TEN at IND. Boom/bust: 145 yards in Week 4, one catch in Week 5. Colts have allowed 33+ in three of five. High-upside flex.
• Pat Freiermuth, PIT at TB. Four TDs in five games; Tampa allows the 9th-most fantasy points to TEs. Extra targets with Pittman and Wilson down.
• Broncos D/ST vs. SEA (TNF). Sam Darnold has seven turnover-worthy plays this year, per PFF (via USA TODAY). Streaming D with a shot at takeaways.

Quick sit list (don't overthink)

A light nod to today's Bench 'Em board — names with bad spots even before you panic-start them for a bye hole:

• Aaron Rodgers (TB blitzes 41.3%; his blitz passer rating is 78, per PFF/Next Gen Stats via USA TODAY)
• Rome Odunze, Mark Andrews, Jalen Hurts, Braelon Allen, Jakobi Meyers, Saints D/ST
• And yes — Woody Marks sits in some takes for the London matchup even while he leads Houston's backfield

If a bye forced you into one of those names, know the downside before you lock it.

Our take (opinion): Week 6 is a WR problem first, an RB problem second, and a streamable QB week third. Grab Love or Winston, lean into Bernard/Freiermuth while Pittsburgh's WR room is broken, and treat Marks as volume with a tough floor — not a smash. Want the full board? Our fantasy rankings and Instagram @illegalmotionsports have the Start 'Em / Bench 'Em breakdowns.

Bye teams and injury/roster statuses as of ~9:50 AM PT, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. Achane remains on IR (torn ACL) for the season; Gordon is Miami's lead-back narrative entering the bye.