Guillotine League Strategy: Updated Draft Cheat Sheet

Guillotine League Strategy: Updated Draft Cheat Sheet

This article is part of our Fantasy Football Draft Strategy series.

After much anticipation, paid public leagues went live on GuillotineLeagues.com last week. Because it's a survivor-style format, you can start leagues any week of the season for as long as you want. Leagues drafted this week will allow up to 14 teams and have championship prizes as high as $800.

If you're not familiar with Guillotine Leagues, here's how they work:
1.    Join a league and draft your team just like traditional fantasy football
2.    Each week the lowest scoring team gets eliminated
3.    All of the players from the eliminated team become free agents
4.    A weekly FAAB bidding war starts among the remaining teams
5.    Survive the chop and be crowned champion

[Note: The states where paid contests are allowed have changed slightly from last year. There is a map of eligible states at the bottom of the GuillotineLeagues.com home page.]

Through the first four weeks of the season, we've learned a lot about what we can expect player usage to look like. We've also seen the fantasy value of several elite players plummet due to injury, while players like Jordan Mason have taken advantage of unexpected opportunities. 

With that knowledge, my eight strategies for winning a guillotine league haven't changed, but some of the players who I'm targeting or avoiding certainly have changed. 

With that said, here is my updated cheat sheet for anyone who is drafting in a guillotine league this week. All of my league-winning strategies are factored into the rankings. Because one bad week could mean your season is over, players with early bye weeks and existing injuries are ranked lower than they would be in typical "rest of season" rankings.

Updated Guillotine League Rankings

RankPlayerPositionTeamBye
1Alvin KamaraRBNO  12
2Breece HallRBNYJ 12
3Derrick HenryRBBAL 14
4Saquon BarkleyRBPHI 5
5Nico CollinsWRHOU 14
6Justin JeffersonWRMIN 6
7CeeDee LambWRDAL 7
8Ja'Marr ChaseWRCIN 12
9Kyren WilliamsRBLAR 6
10Bijan RobinsonRBATL 12
11Amon-Ra St. BrownWRDET 5
12Malik NabersWRNYG 11
13Kenneth WalkerRBSEA 10
14Jahmyr GibbsRBDET 5
15David MontgomeryRBDET 5
16Jordan MasonRBSF  9
17DK MetcalfWRSEA 10
18Marvin HarrisonWRARI 11
19Jonathan TaylorRBIND 14
20James CookRBBUF 12
21Jayden ReedWRGB  10
22Chris GodwinWRTB  11
23Chris OlaveWRNO  12
24Aaron JonesRBMIN 6
25James ConnerRBARI 11
26Stefon DiggsWRHOU 14
27Brian RobinsonRBWAS 14
28Garrett WilsonWRNYJ 12
29Mike EvansWRTB  11
30A.J. BrownWRPHI 5
31Josh AllenQBBUF 12
32De'Von AchaneRBMIA 6
33Tyreek HillWRMIA 6
34Rhamondre StevensonRBNE  14
35Joe MixonRBHOU 14
36Travis EtienneRBJAC 12
37Josh JacobsRBGB  10
38Drake LondonWRATL 12
39Deebo SamuelWRSF  9
40Zack MossRBCIN 12
41DJ MooreWRCHI 7
42DeVonta SmithWRPHI 5
43J.K. DobbinsRBLAC 5
44Trey McBrideTEARI 11
45George KittleTESF  9
46Jake FergusonTEDAL 7
47Travis KelceTEKC  6
48Davante AdamsWRLV  10
49Tony PollardRBTEN 5
50Najee HarrisRBPIT 9
51Diontae JohnsonWRCAR 11
52Devin SingletaryRBNYG 11
53Brock BowersTELV  10
54Sam LaPortaTEDET 5
55Lamar JacksonQBBAL 14
56Jayden DanielsQBWAS 14
57Jalen HurtsQBPHI 5
58D'Andre SwiftRBCHI 7
59Terry McLaurinWRWAS 14
60Chuba HubbardRBCAR 11
61Jerome FordRBCLE 10
62Rachaad WhiteRBTB  11
63Amari CooperWRCLE 10
64Jameson WilliamsWRDET 5
65Khalil ShakirWRBUF 12
66Brandon AiyukWRSF  9
67Brian ThomasWRJAC 12
68George PickensWRPIT 9
69Jaxon Smith-NjigbaWRSEA 10
70Zay FlowersWRBAL 14
71Tee HigginsWRCIN 12
72Cooper KuppWRLAR 6
73Michael PittmanWRIND 14
74Xavier WorthyWRKC  6
75Dalton KincaidTEBUF 12
76Dallas GoedertTEPHI 5
77Rashid ShaheedWRNO  12
78Jordan AddisonWRMIN 6
79Kyler MurrayQBARI 11
80Dak PrescottQBDAL 7
81Christian McCaffreyRBSF  9
82Puka NacuaWRLAR 6
83Javonte WilliamsRBDEN 14
84Jaylen WaddleWRMIA 6
85Bucky IrvingRBTB  11
86Wan'Dale RobinsonWRNYG 11
87Jauan JenningsWRSF  9
88Kareem HuntRBKC  6
89Zach CharbonnetRBSEA 10
90C.J. StroudQBHOU 14
91Patrick MahomesQBKC  6
92Joe BurrowQBCIN 12
93Brock PurdyQBSF  9
94Braelon AllenRBNYJ 12
95Raheem MostertRBMIA 6
96Courtland SuttonWRDEN 14
97Tank DellWRHOU 14
98Calvin RidleyWRTEN 5
99Christian KirkWRJAC 12
100Kyle PittsTEATL 12
101Zamir WhiteRBLV  10
102Darnell MooneyWRATL 12
103Keenan AllenWRCHI 7
104Rome OdunzeWRCHI 7
105Jonathon BrooksRBCAR 11
106Tyjae SpearsRBTEN 5
107Chase BrownRBCIN 12
108Jordan LoveQBGB  10
109DeAndre HopkinsWRTEN 5
110Isiah PachecoRBKC  6
111Rashee RiceWRKC  6
112Austin EkelerRBWAS 14
113Rico DowdleRBDAL 7
114Jerry JeudyWRCLE 10
115Allen LazardWRNYJ 12
116Ladd McConkeyWRLAC 5
117Josh DownsWRIND 14
118Isaiah LikelyTEBAL 14
119Pat FreiermuthTEPIT 9
120Justice HillRBBAL 14
121Alexander MattisonRBLV  10
122Baker MayfieldQBTB  11
123Sam DarnoldQBMIN 6
124Jared GoffQBDET 5
125Anthony RichardsonQBIND 14
126Justin FieldsQBPIT 9
127Evan EngramTEJAC 12
128Jakobi MeyersWRLV  10
129Dontayvion WicksWRGB  10
130Tutu AtwellWRLAR 6
131Quentin JohnstonWRLAC 5
132Xavier LegetteWRCAR 11
133David NjokuTECLE 10
134Mike GesickiTECIN 12
135Cole KmetTECHI 7
136Mark AndrewsTEBAL 14
137Tyler AllgeierRBATL 12
138Tyler LockettWRSEA 10
139Antonio GibsonRBNE  14
140Cam AkersRBHOU 14
141Jordan WhittingtonWRLAR 6
142Joshua PalmerWRLAC 5
143T.J. HockensonTEMIN 6
144Tre TuckerWRLV  10
145Romeo DoubsWRGB  10
146Zach ErtzTEWAS 14
147Geno SmithQBSEA 10
148Derek CarrQBNO  12
149Kirk CousinsQBATL 12
150Christian WatsonWRGB  10
151Taysom HillTENO  12
152Tucker KraftTEGB  10
153Greg DortchWRARI 11
154Tyler ConklinTENYJ 12
155Dalton SchultzTEHOU 14
156Emanuel WilsonRBGB  10
157Nick ChubbRBCLE 10
158Jamaal WilliamsRBNO  12
159Gus EdwardsRBLAC 5
160Ty ChandlerRBMIN 6
161Michael WilsonWRARI 11
162DeMario DouglasWRNE  14
163Blake CorumRBLAR 6
164Jalen NailorWRMIN 6
165Jaylen WarrenRBPIT 9
166Roschon JohnsonRBCHI 7
167Dare OgunbowaleRBHOU 14
168Trevor LawrenceQBJAC 12
169Matthew StaffordQBLAR 6
170Jaleel McLaughlinRBDEN 14
171Tank BigsbyRBJAC 12
172Demarcus RobinsonWRLAR 6
173Daniel JonesQBNYG 11
174Hunter HenryTENE  14
175Brandin CooksWRDAL 7

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve
Steve has served several roles with RotoWire, starting as an intern working on breaking news and analysis, moving to NBA beat writer and (years later) taking over as "marketing guy" and multi-sport contributor. He's also the undisputed best bowler at RotoWire, with multiple 800 series and 300 games. He will be thrilled when fantasy bowling becomes a thing someday.
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