The Best Guillotine League Draft Strategy

Photo: Troy Taormina, USA Today Sports

If I could give every fantasy player one piece of advice to spice their leagues up, it would be to try something new. Look into Superflex leagues or add Individual Defensive Players. Fantasy football is already fun, but many ways exist to enhance the experience.

Love it. Everyone should play in a @GLchop league. https://t.co/fC2NZDBAzl

— Joe Bryant (@Football_Guys) August 27, 2023

One league type you might not be familiar with is a Guillotine League. Sigmund Bloom did an excellent job introducing the format here, but I’ll give you the Cliff’s Notes. It's an 18-team league, and the goal here is simple: don't be the lowest score. Every week, the team with the fewest weekly points is cut from the league, and their players go to waivers for everyone left to claim.

With the stakes so high, you must strategize differently than in your standard league, especially at the draft. You can't go in with a plan around making the playoffs, amassing trade value (there are no trades), or really even winning the championship. Again, there is one standard to remember: You can't be the lowest score, especially in Week 1. This focus should guide every decision you make in your draft, but let me break it down into a few fundamental principles.

Remember the League Size and Scoring

It is safe to say that not many of us play in 18-team leagues. If you've not played with this many teams, fair warning: it dramatically changes the draft. For starters, the gap between your picks feels like an eternity. It's almost always a good idea to get your guy if you're within a round of his normal average draft position. A note on ADP: Certain platforms default to site ranking instead of ADP. Switching to ADP can bring players up that might be ignored by other teams, as well as let you know when you should target your favorite guys.

The league's size can also cause some anxiety when looking at quarterbacks and tight ends, positions you can almost ignore in a 10-team league. To start, don't sweat the quarterbacks. You will see them go early, and you should let them.

If you look at Footballguys Draft Rankings, you can safely get to QB24 before you have anything to worry about. Yes, the top quarterbacks will score more, but remember your goal: Don't finish last. The gap between the tenth-ranked quarterback and the 18th is negligible. The final thing to pay attention to with quarterbacks is the league scoring.

Guillotine Leagues are a basic PPR league in almost every sense, except for quarterbacks. They get four points per passing touchdown and no negative points for interceptions or fumbles. This scoring means rushing quarterbacks receive a boost, and it doesn't matter if they turn the ball over. That makes late-round guys like Kenny Pickett, Bryce Young, and C.J. Stroud much more intriguing.

Tight end draft value is essentially the same, though there is some merit to landing Travis Kelce with your first-round pick. He beats the No.2 tight end by five points per game and the No.18 by over ten. He could keep you out of the Week 1 cellar almost by himself. But if you miss Kelce, wait and fill your lineup first. If you can get George Kittle or Darren Waller in the 5th, go for it, but they'll still only beat the worst guy by five points in Week 1.

Fill Your Starting Lineup

You will start one quarterback and tight end, two running backs, two wide receivers, and two flex spots. That is eight starting spots; you should fill them with your first eight picks. You can’t worry about the future during the draft. In a typical home league draft, you might consider getting your backup running back and wide receiver before you take your late-round flyer tight end. They won't matter if you're the lowest score in Week 1, and they are on waivers for the rest of the league in Week 2.

To that end, skip drafting a backup quarterback or tight end altogether. In a traditional league, you do this to cover bye weeks, but you won't worry about those either. The first bye weeks in the NFL are Week 5 this season. Four teams will be out of your Guillotine League before you even need to consider a bye, and waivers will begin to have plenty of options.

No Gambling

This tip should go without saying, but you must refrain from wasting any of your first eight picks on anyone who will not be playing or is even questionable in Week 1. You can start your draft by scratching Jonathan Taylor, Alvin Kamara, Jameson Williams, and Kyler Murray off your list. The team that drafts them will be gone soon enough, and you claim them off waivers when they’re closer to getting on the field. Consider avoiding Breece Hall, Terry McLaurin, Jerry Jeudy, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well, unless they fall to a more reasonable ADP. If they miss Week 1, you will regret passing on other players at their current costs.

Keep Your Focus On September

We've spent a lot of time discussing who not to draft, but who should you target? I won't surprise you when I say to look for players with favorable opening schedules.

You want to come out of the draft with eight players who you can start for the entire first month. Then, you can save your FAAB and be in a much better spot as the league gets smaller. Our Clayton Gray already did the work for you. Here are his articles covering the Strength of Schedule for each position:

• Quarterback Ultimate Strength of Schedule
• Running Back Ultimate Strength of Schedule
• Wide Receiver Ultimate Strength of Schedule
• Tight End Ultimate Strength of Schedule

These tools will open your eyes to players who might have gone under the radar, like Russell Wilson, Allen Lazard, or Jake Ferguson. This guide is also where I'd start building my bench. An easy schedule could mean players are going to start hot in September and could save you if you suffer an early injury.

Finally, another critical difference from your standard leagues is to be willing to stack up players from good offenses. You would usually avoid this roster construction due to bye week issues, which we've already covered, or heeding the old adage of too many eggs in one basket. That makes sense when you're competing with the same 9-11 teams to win every week, but, as you're now well aware, that is not the case in Guillotine Leagues.

I love the Chargers offense this season, and if I left my draft with Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, and Mike Williams, I would have a smile on my face. Now, four players from one squad might be overkill, but you get the point. There is no better place to end this article than where we started; your goal is never to be the lowest score. Good offenses score great fantasy points and will keep you happily in the middle for at least the first four weeks. Then, take advantage of waivers when the time is right, and you'll be ready to win the league in December.