Every NFL team gets one bye during the 2026 regular season, and knowing exactly when yours falls is half the battle for fantasy managers and ticket planners alike. The 2026 byes run from Week 5 through Week 14, with no team off in Week 12 and a crowded Week 11 that sends six teams home at once. Below is the full breakdown by week, a quick alphabetical lookup for all 32 teams, and a free printable chart you can tape inside your binder or draft board.
2026 NFL bye weeks at a glance
- Bye weeks span: Week 5 through Week 14
- No byes: Week 12 (all 32 teams play)
- Biggest bye week: Week 11, with six teams off (Falcons, Browns, Packers, Rams, Patriots, Seahawks)
- Earliest byes: Week 5 (Panthers, Chiefs)
- Latest byes: Week 14 (Cardinals, Cowboys)
2026 NFL bye weeks by week
| Week | Dates | Teams on bye |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Oct 4-5 | Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs |
| 6 | Oct 11-12 | Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings |
| 7 | Oct 18-19 | Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders |
| 8 | Oct 25-26 | Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers |
| 9 | Nov 1-2 | Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans |
| 10 | Nov 8-9 | Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 11 | Nov 15-16 | Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks |
| 12 | Nov 22-23 | No byes – all 32 teams play |
| 13 | Nov 29-30 | Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets |
| 14 | Dec 6-7 | Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys |
Download the free printable 2026 NFL bye-week chart
The one-page PDF gives you two views: a by-week table and an alphabetical lookup so you can find any team in a second. Print it for your draft, your league binder, or the office pool.
Download the printable 2026 NFL bye-weeks chart (PDF)
Alphabetical bye-week lookup
| Team | Bye | Team | Bye |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | Week 14 | Las Vegas Raiders | Week 13 |
| Atlanta Falcons | Week 11 | Los Angeles Chargers | Week 7 |
| Baltimore Ravens | Week 13 | Los Angeles Rams | Week 11 |
| Buffalo Bills | Week 7 | Miami Dolphins | Week 6 |
| Carolina Panthers | Week 5 | Minnesota Vikings | Week 6 |
| Chicago Bears | Week 10 | New England Patriots | Week 11 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Week 6 | New Orleans Saints | Week 8 |
| Cleveland Browns | Week 11 | New York Giants | Week 8 |
| Dallas Cowboys | Week 14 | New York Jets | Week 13 |
| Denver Broncos | Week 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | Week 10 |
| Detroit Lions | Week 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Week 9 |
| Green Bay Packers | Week 11 | San Francisco 49ers | Week 8 |
| Houston Texans | Week 8 | Seattle Seahawks | Week 11 |
| Indianapolis Colts | Week 13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Week 10 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Week 7 | Tennessee Titans | Week 9 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Week 5 | Washington Commanders | Week 7 |
How to use bye weeks in fantasy football
Bye weeks quietly decide a lot of fantasy seasons. The trap is stacking too many key starters on the same off week, especially Week 11 when six teams sit. Map your roster against this chart before your draft and again at the trade deadline: if your top running back and a top receiver share a bye, plan a fill-in on the waiver wire a week ahead rather than scrambling on Sunday morning. Streaming positions like defense, kicker, and even quarterback around the byes is far easier when you can see the whole board at once.
More from Sports Brackets
Set your lineup with the rest of our free tools: our fantasy football abbreviations glossary decodes every roster and injury code, our weekly waiver-wire pickups cover the best adds by position, and our printable NFL schedules keep the whole season organized. Bookmark SportsBrackets.net for more free brackets, schedules, and trackers.
Frequently asked questions
Which NFL teams have a bye in Week 12 of 2026?
None. Week 12 of the 2026 season has no bye weeks, so all 32 teams are scheduled to play.
Which 2026 bye week has the most teams off?
Week 11 is the biggest, with six teams on bye: the Falcons, Browns, Packers, Rams, Patriots, and Seahawks.
When is the first NFL bye week in 2026?
The first byes are in Week 5, when the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs are off.
Do all NFL teams get the same number of bye weeks?
Yes. Every team gets exactly one bye during the 18-week regular season, scheduled somewhere between Week 5 and Week 14.
