Now the challenge really begins.
Bye weeks begin in Week 5, with the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs getting their one-week breaks. It's something managers in every type of fantasy football league have been dealing with since their permanent introduction in 1990, but in Knockout leagues, they can prove particularly problematic.
With four weeks in the books, only 14 teams remain in standard, full-season Knockouts. That means we're down to 196 rostered players, but bear in mind that, at least going by those rostered in more than 75% of ESPN leagues, nine of them play for the Panthers or Chiefs and will be unavailable to help you this week. An additional two are rostered in a majority of leagues, and another two are rostered in at least 25%. That's an effectively full roster of players entirely absent for Week 5.
It gets worse in Week 6, when we'll be down to 182 players on rosters. The Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins (OK, OK, they can't all be star-studded teams) and Minnesota Vikings have their byes. Thirteen players on those teams are rostered in at least 75% of ESPN leagues, including the top two scorers in fantasy (Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jahmyr Gibbs).
If there's anything we've learned thus far in 2026, it's that absences (which have been only injury-related thus far) can be devastating in Knockout leagues, even those that we know in advance and have the prospect of replacing. In the past three weeks, 26% of the players who resided on knocked-out teams in at least 10% of leagues missed their games entirely due to injury. An additional 16% exited their games due to injury before playing even one quarter of their teams' snaps.
The four-man bench -- that differs from a standard fantasy football league, which uses a seven-man bench -- is limiting enough to make these next several weeks extremely challenging. Managers in either can slide injured players -- once they're formally scratched and get the "O" (Out) designation -- into IL slots, but they can't with those on bye, exacerbating the clogging-up-your-bench factor.
Pay extra attention to bye-influenced weak spots on your roster. Kenneth Walker III's Knockout managers, for example, might take a significant step backwards in terms of scoring, after his scorching-hot start to 2026. If you've got Walker, consider the difference in production from him to your replacements before making your FAB decisions. An upper-tier running back who has come available due to a knockout this week might well be worth a more aggressive bid -- perhaps even 5% or more above the "aggressive" ranges suggested below.
While we're on the topic of the bye-week challenges, why not try a brand-new, short-season Knockout league? You'd only require 14 managers to play beginning in Week 5, and perhaps have four ready to play already after the past four weeks' knockouts. I've got even more strategic angles to consider for those formats and on how to successfully navigate the bye weeks right here.
Now, let's get to prospective replacements for Walker, Tetairoa McMillan, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, shall we?
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The 20 most-knocked-out players exiting Week 4
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 pickup of the week
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks (8.9% Knocked out, 22nd overall, WR11): It's saying something about the injury and bye-week situations of many of the names on the above list that my go-to pickup is someone who didn't even make the top 20. Through three games, Smith-Njigba scored the fourth-most fantasy points of any player -- not simply wide receivers, but anyone -- in history. In Week 4, he scored "only" 12.6 points, in large part because the Seahawks attempted only 22 passes in a game they handily led for much of the day. Even with the modest output, Smith-Njigba leads his position in fantasy points (116.66) and leads all players with a 36% target share, after leading with -- what else? -- a 36% target share in 2025. This is the kind of wide receiver you build a Knockout team around, and he doesn't have the approaching bye week that others do (his is in Week 11). Recommended bid: 22-45% of your full-season FAB budget.
Go get 'em
Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (11.5% Knocked out, fifth overall, WR3): There's a paper-thin line between this and the next category of pickups this week, in large part due to the injury questions up and down the above list. Chase is in the league's concussion protocol following his early exit from Week 4, and with the Bengals' soft Week 5 matchup (@MIA) and Week 6 bye, they might consider holding him out to have him healthy for the season's final 12 weeks. That's the conundrum when estimating a FAB bid, but consider his history: Chase averaged 19.8 fantasy points from Week 7 forward in his first five NFL seasons, most among wide receivers. Recommended bid: 15-34%.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets (10.9% Knocked out, ninth overall, WR5): Geno Smith's inconsistency pushes Wilson's statistical floor lower than other fantasy WR1s or mid-WR2s, evidenced by the wideout's four-target, 5.7-fantasy-point Week 4. Wilson's 28.2% target share, eighth-best in the league, underscores his involvement in the offense, and the Jets have both the wide receiver-friendly schedule and late bye week that benefits Knockout teams. Recommended bid: 12-26%.
Worthy, with worries
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Arizona Cardinals (11.2% Knocked out, eighth overall, RB2): Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur says Love's ankle injury is to his right, rather than the left, which he hurt during the preseason and ultimately cost him three weeks of action. Even if this injury is less severe, the rookie's own postgame comments indicated there might be some sharing of the rushing chores in the short term, especially with a capable backup in Tyler Allgeier on the roster. Adding Love is more of a long- than short-term play, and there's a chance that more productive running backs will come available a month or more from now. Recommended bid: 9-25%.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (137.% Knocked out, most overall): That's now two games that he has departed early due to injury, and this one, resulting from a hamstring strain, is of greater concern. The Eagles are calling Barkley week-to-week, and hamstring issues can be problematic for a running back. What's worse, the meatiest part of his schedule comes over the next five weeks (@JAX, CAR, DAL, @WSH, NYG) leading into the Eagles' Week 10 bye. Barkley is a worthy add, but like Love, his range of outcomes is rather wide. Recommended bid: 7-23%.
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (11.6% Knocked out, fourth overall, WR2): It's his second consecutive week in the column, after the ankle injury that knocked him from Week 3 cost him the following game as well. Considering the Vikings have their bye in Week 6, we might not see him again until Week 7, à la the aforementioned Chase possibility. So why Chase there and Jefferson here? Simple: The ankle issue is of slightly greater concern on the injury front, and I trust the Bengals' offense more than the Vikings'. Recommended bid: 13-30%.
Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs (12.5% Knocked out, second overall, WR1): His early exit was due to a hamstring issue, one that threatens to cost him multiple weeks, perhaps beyond the Chiefs' Week 5 bye. That the team is kicking the tires on a Tyreek Hill reunion speaks volumes about Rice's injury worry. By the way, Rice's target share during the times he has played is only 21%, only slightly better than Kelce's (20%) or Xavier Worthy's (19%). Recommended bid: 10-22%.