In one embodiment, a network node automatically cycles among packet traffic flows and subjects the currently selected packet flows to varying drop probabilities in a packet network, such as, but not limited to in response to congestion in a device or network. Packets of the currently selected packet traffic flows are subjected to a drop or forward decision, while packets of other packet traffic flows are not. By cycling through all of these packet traffic flows, all of these packet flows are subjected to the drop or forward decision in the long term approximately uniformly providing fairness to all packet traffic flows. In the short term, only packets of a currently selected flow are targeted for possible dropping providing unfairness to the currently selected flows, while possibly providing communication efficiencies by affecting the currently selected, but not all flows.