NFL Bye Weeks 2021: Which teams get a bye in Week 6?
The NFL has arrived in its sixth week of the season and the bye weeks have started to come.
Every team gets a bye week, meaning that there's no game for them that week. The NFL regular season has 18 weeks, and the goal of the bye week is to give the players a week to rest, heal from some injuries and also get ready for the remainder of the season.
Kyle Shanahan told reporters that QB Trey Lance has a sprained left knee that could cause him to miss some time. 49ers have a bye this week.
The NFL has tweaked the bye week system as the regular season expanded from 17 to 18 weeks. Now, the earliest a team can have a free Sunday is Week 6, while the last teams to get a bye week will have to wait until Week 14.
For the fans, it's important to know when a team will have a bye, especially for fantasy purposes. If you get stuck with a lot of players whose teams will have a bye at the same time, then it gets more difficult to set up a proper lineup.
Which NFL teams have a bye in Week 6?
There will be four NFL teams with a bye in Week 6.
The first two teams with a bye will be the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Jets, as they return from an international game. Neither of these teams had a positive start to the season, as the Falcons sit at 2-3 having beaten only the two New York teams, while the Jets, with a single win this season, are facing difficulties with a new coaching staff and a rookie quarterback. Neither Atlanta nor New York is expected to make it to the playoffs this year.
Speaking of teams in danger of missing out on a playoff spot, the San Francisco 49ers have lost three straight games now and they have the last place in the NFC West. It's a talented team, but injuries are taking a huge toll on the 49ers, and the bye week will be the perfect opportunity to heal some of those issues and prepare for the remainder of the season.
The last team with a bye week this Sunday will be the New Orleans Saints, the only team from this list with a positive record. The Saints have faced inconsistency issues over the first five weeks, and the bye will give the team an opportunity to shape up the season's goals more accurately. There's also the prospect of a possible Michael Thomas return in Week 7, as he'll be allowed to return from the PUP list.
The Saints have a bye next week and Michael Thomas is eligible to play when they return in Week 7.
The main purpose of the bye week is to give the teams some rest in what is a brutal season for the players' bodies and to allow everybody in the building to spend some time with their families before the second part of the season begins. The Saints, Jets, Falcons and 49ers players will get to enjoy a free weekend.