Injuries, bye weeks, poor performance, or insane coaching utilization decisions… pick your poison, and it’s driven us up the wall. Regardless, any number of factors may push fantasy managers’ wandering eyes toward the available player pool for hints of relief in a pinch. This week? Bye-Mageddon — six teams on bye, decimating most of our starting lineups. 

Thanks to my new buddy Comet, we charted every team’s defense by position to identify outliers as streaming targets this weekend. Good luck!

Bye-Mageddon's Best QB Streamers: Dillon Gabriel could be the answer

You read this chart thusly: the top right are the defenses you want your QBs to go against, the bottom left are the defenses you want your QBs to avoid... and everything else is sweet nuance!

Before anything else, always check who the Cowboys face next. Dallas heads to Mile High, where Denver’s Bo Nix may still be riding a 40-point fantasy high. Could you blame him? Unfortunately for the one-and-done crowd, he’s universally rostered, so down the list we go.

Washington’s on the way to Kansas City to face another unavailable QB in Patrick Mahomes... but the buck stops right after that. 

The Pats represent the last of three defenses allowing +8.0 yards/pass attempt—no one’s regression meter’s ringing louder.

Sure, New England’s defense ranks top-10 in fewest fantasy points to QBs, but it’s easily more exception than rule. The secondary allows the third-highest completion rate (72.2%), and the NFL’s most +20-yard completions (26). Only a matter of time before the dam breaks.

No other sane person’s going to target Cleveland’s rookie shot-caller Dillon Gabriel this weekend, fresh off an 18-attempt harsh-weather snoozefest. With that, don’t miss the forest for the trees. Gabriel’s still averaging just under 39 dropbacks a game—and won’t have the luxury of leaning on the run against NE’s top-5 run-stopping defense.

For what it’s worth, the Browns also opened up as a touchdown underdog on the road so the pass game should benefit from a negative game script throughout.

Honorable Mention: Michael Penix Jr. vs. Miami

RELATED: Dwain McFarland's Week 8 Utilization Report takeaways

Bye-Mageddon's Best RB Streamers: Tyler Allgeier's matchup makes him an interesting startable handcuff

You read this chart thusly: the top left are the defenses you want your RBs to go against, the bottom right are the defenses you want your RBs to avoid... and everything else is sweet nuance!

Once again, it’s America’s team dusting the field in a race to the bottom, this time in success rate. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee even the softest matchup can supersede the dreaded three-headed backfield. The worst.

Denver’s J.K. Dobbins probably gets you home on rush volume alone, but never truly breaks out due to capped receiving workload—he hasn’t reeled in multiple passes for six straight weeks. R.J. Harvey would make a decent backstop also, but those ~20% of snaps soaked up by Tyler Badie seriously hurt projections.

With six teams resting Week 8, real-life backups suddenly look like fantasy-viable assets. Miami’s played terribly against the run as well, even if it’s not perfectly reflected in fantasy points allowed. Despite allowing 330 rushing yards over a two-week span, Quinshon Judkins’ trio of Sunday scores brought the Dolphins’ total to a mere five allowed all season.

Bijan Ribinson’s obviously going crazy this weekend, but beyond that I’m making sure to swoop in on this buy-low spot for his handcuff, Tyler Allgeier. Available in roughly two-thirds of leagues, his advanced stats still pass the sniff test coming off a two-point stinker (+0.03 EPA/Attempt, 8.8% Explosive Rush Rate). The tape’s really impressive as well; Allgeier’s a lot of fun to watch and doesn’t get enough credit for facing +8-man boxes twice as often as Bijan.

Atlanta’s averaging the third most rush attempts in the league, and they’re all going to the backfield—Michael Penix Jr’s seven rush yards per game ranks down near the 40-year-olds. Already more than seven-point favorites at home with a week to go, there’s a great chance we get another +15-carry, contest with a shot to fall in the end zone.

Honorable Mention: Kyle Monangai, CHI at BAL

Bye-Mageddon's Best WR Streamers: There's room for both Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims

You read this chart thusly: the top right are the defenses you want your WRs to go against, the bottom left are the defenses you want your WRs to avoid... and everything else is sweet nuance!

What in the world is happening down in Dallas? Man, talk about your all-time carnival teams. Remarkably, the case for league’s best offense and worst defense on the same team seemingly strengthens every week. The Cowboys even managed to give up +21 fantasy points to Washington’s quarterbacks on Sunday despite Jayden Daniels exiting early in the third. So bad.

Unlike Bo Nix, who’s got a home in more than 90% of fantasy leagues, ambiguity in the Broncos’ WR room leaves an opening for streaming success. Never the type to learn a lesson too soon (Google the term "testa dura"), I’m shoving anyone in my way to be first in line for sophomore WR Troy Franklin’s services again Sunday.

Box score watchers may see the (3-19-1) line and shrug it off. However, not only did Franklin tie Courtland Sutton for target leader versus NYG, he also posted a 25% target/route on an insane (taps mic) *152* unrealized yards—the second most in a single game all season behind Detroit’s Jameson Williams.

Give me Troy Franklin as the WR floor play if our Projection Tool declares you the favorite. His increased use from the slot should build in a nice, solid floor—especially if Bo Nix keeps flirting with a monster breakout.

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On the other hand, if your fantasy squad consists mostly of players at home napping this week (ARI, DET, JAX, LV, LAR, SEA), a boom or bust play is just a stone’s throw away. Marvin Mims Jr. fooled some analysts (slowly raises hand) this preseason with the type of every-down usage to put his efficiency metrics over the top into league-winning territory.

Well, that player chase wound up as a sad trombone sound and exercise in futility, complete with the usual boatload of frustration. Mims did finally jump rookie Pat Bryant in route participation after two straight weeks as the Broncos’ WR4, with a top-15 finish to show for it. Of course, you’d need to fast-forward right to the very end of this weekend’s game to see Mims do anything of note—but the witching hour earned that name with good reason.

Since Week 4, Carvin’ Marvin also happens to be leading Denver’s wide receiver room in receptions (16), target/route (23.6%), and yards/route run (2.18). The part-time role’s a little disconcerting, but Denver’s running 3-WR sets at a top-10 clip. It’s also why Mims remains rostered in less than one-quarter of all fantasy leagues.

If you need a long-shot (pun intended)—lean into the double-digit ADoT against the century’s worst defensive unit.

Bye-Mageddon's Best TE Streamers: Mason Taylor is set up for sucess

You read this chart thusly: the top right are the defenses you want your TEs to go against, the bottom left are the defenses you want your TEs to avoid... and everything else is sweet nuance!

Not going to spend more bandwidth on tight ends than required, because this chart essentially speaks for itself. The Bengals (vs NYJ) and Packers (at PIT) stick out so egregiously from the field versus the position, it’s malpractice to look anywhere else first.

Rostered in roughly 40% of standard formats, NYJ’s Mason Taylor won’t likely drum up much attention after Gang Green’s latest public display of offensive anemia. With that, he’s the Jets’ top pass-catching option for better or worse, in the premier matchup—Cincinnati’s allowed four separate top-6 positional finishes, and a staggering 42.5% more points to TEs per game than the field.

Now or never for the Jets. Probably never, but worth a shot in a pinch…