One of the great things about guillotine leagues is that you can start any week of the season for as long as you want.
With the playoffs looking slightly out of reach in two of my redraft leagues, I decided that I could handle joining "one last league." Last night I signed up for a public league on GuillotineLeagues.com with a top prize of $120. You can still join leagues with prize pools as high as $1,225 this week!
Get in on the action, and the following tips and draft results should help you prepare for your upcoming guillotine league draft.
The Draft Board
Round by Round Analysis
Round 1: WR Justin Jefferson
2024 has been the year of the running back. If there's any question about the depth of the position, consider that I was able to grab D'Andre Swift, who is averaging over 17 fantasy points per game over his past eight games, in the 11th round. With that in mind, I prioritized grabbing a top receiver in the first round, and once Ja'Marr Chase was off the board, I felt that Jefferson was the safest pick.
Round 2: RB Kyren Williams
Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, and Puka Nacua were all in consideration in the second round, but with six running backs already off the board, I didn't want to risk ending up without a top 10 back. Williams has been steady but not spectacular the past four weeks. I think he'll bounce back as he'll face one of the more favorable schedules for fantasy running backs the rest of the season.
Round 3: TE Trey McBride
We've seen flashes of greatness from several tight ends, but I wanted to lock in one of the must-start guys at the position. With Brock Bowers already off the board, that narrowed it down to McBride or George Kittle. McBride's lack of touchdowns is concerning, but his consistent target share makes him a safe pick with high upside.
Round 4: RB Josh Jacobs
The Packers running back has been solid all season but just started finding the endzone in recent weeks to push him to elite status. He's averaging 22.1 points per game over the past five weeks, and I expect that he will continue to be the focal point of the offense as winter weather rolls in.
Round 5: QB Jalen Hurts
With plenty of strong running backs to go around and a large number of good, not great wide receivers on the board, I decided that the value position at this point was quarterback. Once Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen were drafted, I pounced on Hurts, who I actually had ranked as the top option for the rest of season based on upcoming schedules. That gives me players at every position who I can confidently start for the rest of the season, even as other teams get chopped and top players go to waivers.
Rounds 6 through 9: WR George Pickens, WR Garrett Wilson, RB Aaron Jones, WR DJ Moore
Thanks to a run of quarterbacks and tight ends in the fifth round, I didn't miss out on any of the running backs and wide receivers who I had my eye on. Pickens and Moore are rising up my rest of season rankings, as Pickens has clearly benefited from Russell Wilson taking over as starting QB, and Moore seems to be adapting well to Chicago's new offensive play-caller. Aaron Jones is always a strong option when healthy, while Garrett Wilson is probably my riskiest pick in the draft, considering what we've seen from the Jets the past couple of weeks.
Rounds 10 and 11: RB Rhamondre Stevenson, RB D'Andre Swift
With Drake Maye at quarterback, the Patriots have at least looked competent, making Stevenson a useful fantasy player as the top weapon in the offense. I was surprised to see Swift still available this late. In fact, the only reason I didn't draft him earlier was because I didn't see him on the list of players available and just assumed he was drafted by the ninth round.
Rounds 12 through 14: TE Taysom Hill, WR Jakobi Meyers, QB Jared Goff
Based on the weekly bust potential of Hill, I don't think I'll ever start him in this format, but I also didn't want to risk competing against his boom potential. So he will sit on my bench. Meyers has been one of the most reliable fantasy receivers in the league the past couple of seasons despite poor quarterback play. And Goff is just a safe backup option if my top passer goes down.
Notable Undrafted Players
If you are targeting these players in your draft, you should be able to safely wait until the late rounds. (Listed in order of average fantasy points per game.)
QB: Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, Geno Smith
RB: Rachaad White, Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler, Rico Dowdle
WR: Josh Downs, Jayden Reed, Brian Thomas, Davante Adams, DeVonta Smith
