Congratulations if you survived the great Detroit Lions bye week of 2026.
Lions players occupy three of the top-12 leaderboard spots in terms of fantasy points per game (Jahmyr Gibbs No. 1, Jared Goff No. 5 and Amon Ra-St. Brown No. 12), and from a team perspective, they're second in points scored per game (32.8) and fourth in yards per game (393.8). Unsurprisingly, those three found themselves among the 16 most common players on knocked out teams in Week 6.
As discussed in this space last week, the bye weeks -- especially those that land early in the season -- present big obstacles to Knockout league success, but getting them behind is significantly advantageous. As you'll see below, Week 7's theme is going all in on players who now have full availability. This was also true with Kenneth Walker III in this space last week, and between him and Gibbs, the top two running backs in fantasy points per game now have that huge strategic schedule advantage.
It's now a (fairly) standard league
Additionally, six weeks in the books means we're down to 12 teams. Though not yet matching ESPN's standard league size, 12-team leagues aren't uncommon in fantasy football. It means richer overall rosters, compounding the bye-week problem when most Knockout leagues afford only four bench spots.
Whereas on draft day, players with late byes -- such as Derrick Henry (Week 13 bye) and CeeDee Lamb (Week 14) -- were more appealing, those individuals will become increasingly less valuable the deeper we get into the year. It's one of the reasons you'll find that recommended FAB bids are marked up for players past their byes. Solving those absence problems now, with a locked-in starter, can be advantageous.
Flexibility can be a handy thing during the byes
Speaking of those four bench spots, for managers facing injury questions -- primetime game players Rashee Rice and Saquon Barkley fall into this category for Week 7 -- keeping a space freed up for late flexibility is worth considering. That goes both for Rice's and Barkley's managers as well as any competitor who might be facing a close call for who gets knocked out after Sunday's main slates are complete.
My rule of thumb with my bench from this point forward (and accounting for the now-12 teams and soon-to-be fewer) is that if the player has no utility for me in the given week, he's a viable cut. That means my backup quarterback or WR3 type who isn't earning a start is free to go, knowing that the free agent pool is getting progressively richer and those players are easier to replace the following week.
For example, if I'm Rice's manager, I might want to clear another roster space for Dameon Pierce, Ryan Flournoy or Rashid Shaheed, if only to have a fallback ready in advance in case Rice's lineup decision goes down to kickoff time. Or if I'm another team in a heated battle with Rice's manager to be knocked out entering Sunday night, having that spot available to add one of those three (or whomever is the highest-projected available player from the primetime games) at the 7 p.m. ET point that inactives are announced could prove critical to your sticking around.
The 20 most-knocked-out players exiting Week 6
Note that FAB recommendations are in three tiers: "% OF FAB TO BID (ENFORCE)" is a low-end recommendation, if you don't necessarily need the player but don't want him gifted to the competition. "% OF FAB TO BID (MEDIAN)" is the recommended bid for a team with average needs at that position. "% OF FAB TO BID (AGGRESSIVE)" is advised for teams thin at that specific spot.
My favorite pickups of the week
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions (10.2% Knocked out, ninth overall, RB3): He has it all, from top-tier usage (position-leading 81% rushing share, fifth-best 76% snap rate) to explosiveness (third-ranked 17% rate), to the goal-line role (5-for-7 converting) ... and he has a fantastic Week 7 matchup (GB). The only knock is that he has two remaining games against the vaunted Minnesota Vikings defense (Weeks 8 and 15), but hey, you can't have everything. Recommended bid: 26-58% of your full-season FAB budget.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions (11.2% Knocked out, second overall, WR1): He's 12th in the league in fantasy points per game, and that's in spite of his finishing sub-16 points in each of three games preceding the bye. St. Brown is right up there again among the leaders in target share (30%, second best) and red-zone targets (16, leader), usage indicators that are exactly what you want from a Knockout play wide receiver. Recommended bid: 21-47%.
Go get 'em
Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens (10.7% Knocked out, fifth overall, RB1): His season-low 5.0 fantasy points last week in the second straight game missed by two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson might concern prospective managers, but bear in mind that the opposing Cleveland Browns have been the second-toughest defense against running backs when adjusting for the schedule. We might see Tyler Huntley under center for the Ravens again in Week 7, but Henry's fourth-best 70% rushing share and league-leading 20 goal-to-go carries fuel one of the position's highest statistical floors, which is exactly what you want from a Knockout starter. Recommended bid: 19-45% of your full-season FAB budget.
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions (9.7% Knocked out, 16th overall, QB1): He's my stealth quarterback pickup, as a player whose weekly outcomes might fall within six fantasy points of 22 in every game all season. Goff's Lions have one of the most favorable overall schedules this season, and their defense is poor enough against the pass to draw Goff into many high-pass-volume games. Unless you're in dire straits at quarterback, a highly aggressive bidding strategy isn't recommended, but he's a great player to try to sneak through around the midpoint or slightly beneath the range. Recommended bid: 6-17% of your full-season FAB budget.
Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions (11.2% Knocked out, third overall, TE2): He's fourth in per-game scoring at the position, with healthy usage numbers in terms of target share (23%) and red-zone targets (9, which is tied for second-most among tight ends). If you've been piecing the position together thus far, here's your opportunity to lock one guy in for the duration. Recommended bid: 9-20% of your full-season FAB budget.
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (9.3% Knocked out, 20th overall, QB2): Historically speaking, he's not the ideal quarterback for Knockout play. Burrow missed seven or more games in two of the previous three seasons, and he has shown a tendency to struggle when facing his toughest matchups. That said, his bye is behind him and other than possibly the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10 or Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14, he doesn't really face one of those tough-as-nails matchups. Recommended bid: 16-33% of your full-season FAB budget.
Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Minnesota Vikings: (10.0% Knocked out, 12th overall, RB4): Perhaps the surprising name from this group, he's another stealth add for a couple of reasons. First, Jones continues to see a big workload, ranking eighth among running backs in snap rate (73%) and 10th in rushing share (64%), and we're probably a couple of weeks away from Jordan Mason returning from hand surgery. Second, the Vikings face one of the most favorable remaining schedules for the running back, particularly over the next four weeks (IND, @DET, BUF, @GB). Unless you've already depleted much of your FAB pool, Jones is a wise short-term investment at the least. Remember, surviving today is critical in Knockout play. Recommended bid: 9-21% of your full-season FAB budget.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets (10.1% Knocked out, 11th overall, WR4): He was in this space two weeks ago and returns after his second sub-10-point fantasy score in the past three weeks. But he still gets targets -- his 29% share is fifth-best at the position -- and the Jets offense should have more depth once Breece Hall is healthy. Recommended bid: 12-32% of your full-season FAB budget.
No thanks
Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants (10.6% Knocked out, sixth overall, RB2): His last-second "benching" -- well, hey, he ran two routes, so there's that -- raised huge red flags regarding his role, and his free-for-all style of play and past injury history don't help matters. The Giants' running game looked miserable in his absence, averaging 2.4 yards per carry with 31 fewer rushing yards than expected per Next Gen Stats, so Skattebo almost assuredly will get another chance to start. But with a brutal matchup in the Houston Texans up next followed by the team's bye, I'm apt to pocket these FAB funds and check back in on him entering Week 9. Recommended bid: 5-18% of your full-season FAB budget.
Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams (9.7% Knocked out, 15th overall, WR5): Six to 10 weeks is a loooong time to wait in Knockout play, especially if you get only one IR slot as is traditional. Adams has been a highly productive and heavily used wideout thus far, but his projected injury timetable renders him merely a Week 15-17 streamer. Recommended bid: 0-6% of your full-season FAB budget.
