And now the BYEs begin.

It’s been a journey so far. Preseason buzz. The Draft. Injuries. In-game drama. Locker room drama. Coaching drama. Booms. Busts. Breakouts. Disappointments. And a million little things in between. For a lot of us, we’re probably only now starting to feel like we’re getting the hang of things this season.

And now the BYEs begin.

We’re entering into the middle third of the Fantasy regular season. If you’re a machine who thinks about all things at all times, then you’re prepared for the upcoming BYE weeks impacting your players. If you’re like the rest of us, you’re going to triage absences as they come. Inactive players must now be added to the list of parameters impacting your week-to-week decision making regarding your rosters.

Some of you will be lucky. Some of you will not. To everyone I say: good luck.

Quick housekeeping note: every 4 weeks, I will incorporate Boom/Bust success rate into the JB+. If you had booming players in your starting lineup or busting players on the bench, then you were rewarded. If you had the opposite situation, you were downgraded. The impact will be a more significant change in that metric than is typical week over week. This week reflects that.

Now let’s take a look at where things stand heading into Week 5:

1) ZAC – Randy Savage
Record: 3-1
League Rank: 1st (no change)
JB+: 2nd (+4.25) – previously 2nd (+3.67)
What we’re seeing: expect a big week for Zac, as Miami bounces back to take their anger out on a hapless Giants defense.
Next: vs Kayla (1-3)

(2) CHELSEA – Team NFChel
Record: 3-1
League Rank: 2nd (previously 3rd)
JB+: 1st (+7.25) – previously 1st (+6.00)
What we’re seeing: the Cinderella story continues for another hour, and Chelsea heads into BYE season with breathing room and a very waiver-friendly bench.
Next: vs Jean (3-1)

(3) JEAN – Planet earth Clueless
Record: 3-1
League Rank: 3rd (previously 4th)
JB+: 4th (+2.75) – previously 4th (+2.67)
What we’re seeing: with Herbert resting and Denver coming off its first success, is it time to trust Russel? In other news, Jean’s upcoming schedule is forgiving, giving her some wiggle room to navigate BYE weeks with grace.
Next: vs Chelsea (3-1)

(4) BLAKE – Jordan’s Love
Record: 2-2
League Rank: 4th (previously 2nd)
JB+: 3rd (+3.00) – previously 2nd (+3.67)
What we’re seeing: Alvin Kamara came off his suspension looking better than he has in 3 years, taking Blake’s roster from great to greater. Fun thing to watch: Blake’s K continues to be a deciding factor.
Next: vs Veronicca (1-3)

(5) JOE – Terra Firma DaBears
Record: 2-2
League Rank: 5th (previously 5th)
JB+: 8th (+1.25) – previously 5th (+2.00)
What we’re seeing: Joe is gearing up for a monster week against an overmatched opponent in Josh. Look out for another big performance by Josh Allen.
Next: vs Josh (1-3)

(6) VERONICCA – Team NachoTaco
Record: 1-3
League Rank: 6th (previously 8th)
JB+: 6th (+1.75) – previously 8th (-0.67)
What we’re seeing: Tyler Lockett will be off somewhere on the Puget Sound writing poetry, but this won’t stop V from a big week. Matchup to watch: Raheem Mostert vs New York’s Giant Screwups.
Next: vs Blake (2-2)

(7) JOSH – Commissioner of Chaos
Record: 1-3
League Rank: 7th (previously 6th)
JB+: 5th (+2.00) – previously 6th (+1.00)
What we’re seeing: there are two words that describe Josh’s Fantasy team so far: unlucky and overmanaged. One of those is out of Josh’s control, and one of them is fixable. Time to get your shit together, Josh.
Next: vs Joe (2-2)

(8) KAYLA – Winnersville Prancing Pandas
Record: 1-3
League Rank: 8th (previously 7th)
JB+: 7th (+1.50) – previously 6th (+1.00)
What we’re seeing: Burrow, Barkley, and Higgins are all less than 100%, and Jonathan Taylor continues to fight the losing fight against Time’s Arrow. Kayla can’t catch a break, and now she’s looking across the ball at Zac and his 144 Fantasy points per game. Hopefully Richardson (an excellent pickup from the waivers) can bring a little life to this team. Hang in there, Kayla!
Next: vs Zac (3-1)

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What is “JB+”? It’s a strength index score created by your Commish to provide a measurement of how well each manager has done compared to the rest of the field. Trying it out, not sure if it will be meaningful. Click here to check out more about what it means.