Guillotine League Strategy: Week 9 Updated Draft Cheat Sheet

Guillotine League Strategy: Week 9 Updated Draft Cheat Sheet

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

Paid public leagues have been live on GuillotineLeagues.com for about a month, and there's still time to join a new league. Because it's a survivor-style format, you can start leagues any week of the season for as long as you want.

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 go to waivers
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.]

We're about halfway through the NFL season, and if you're staring down a 2-6 record or worse, then this is a great opportunity to get a fresh start and try to redeem yourself.

Most of my eight strategies for winning a guillotine league still apply, but the players who I'm targeting or avoiding certainly have changed, whether that is due to injury or surprising usage trends. 

Below 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 bye weeks over the next couple of weeks or existing injuries are ranked lower than they would be in typical "rest of season" rankings. However, now that leagues will be limited to a maximum of 10 teams, it won't be as difficult to find a competent one-week fill-in, so byes don't carry as much weight as they do when you're starting in a league with over 12 teams.

Week 9 Updated Guillotine League Rankings

RankPlayerPositionTeamBye
1Saquon BarkleyRBPHI 5
2Derrick HenryRBBAL 14
3Justin JeffersonWRMIN 6
4A.J. BrownWRPHI 5
5CeeDee LambWRDAL 7
6Kyren WilliamsRBLAR 6
7Joe MixonRBHOU 14
8Alvin KamaraRBNO  12
9Bijan RobinsonRBATL 12
10Breece HallRBNYJ 12
11Ja'Marr ChaseWRCIN 12
12Jonathan TaylorRBIND 14
13Kenneth WalkerRBSEA 10
14Jahmyr GibbsRBDET 5
15David MontgomeryRBDET 5
16Amon-Ra St. BrownWRDET 5
17Malik NabersWRNYG 11
18De'Von AchaneRBMIA 6
19James CookRBBUF 12
20D'Andre SwiftRBCHI 7
21Tyreek HillWRMIA 6
22Aaron JonesRBMIN 6
23Drake LondonWRATL 12
24Garrett WilsonWRNYJ 12
25Puka NacuaWRLAR 6
26Cooper KuppWRLAR 6
27DK MetcalfWRSEA 10
28Christian McCaffreyRBSF  9
29James ConnerRBARI 11
30DeVonta SmithWRPHI 5
31Lamar JacksonQBBAL 14
32Trey McBrideTEARI 11
33Brian RobinsonRBWAS 14
34Chris OlaveWRNO  12
35J.K. DobbinsRBLAC 5
36Najee HarrisRBPIT 9
37Josh JacobsRBGB  10
38Terry McLaurinWRWAS 14
39Nico CollinsWRHOU 14
40Marvin HarrisonWRARI 11
41Rhamondre StevensonRBNE  14
42Rachaad WhiteRBTB  11
43Tony PollardRBTEN 5
44Brian ThomasWRJAC 12
45Jayden ReedWRGB  10
46George KittleTESF  9
47Brock BowersTELV  10
48Travis KelceTEKC  6
49George PickensWRPIT 9
50Tee HigginsWRCIN 12
51Davante AdamsWRNYJ 12
52Amari CooperWRCLE 10
53Jalen HurtsQBPHI 5
54Jayden DanielsQBWAS 14
55Josh AllenQBBUF 12
56Nick ChubbRBCLE 10
57Kareem HuntRBKC  6
58Tyrone TracyRBNYG 11
59Javonte WilliamsRBDEN 14
60Tank BigsbyRBJAC 12
61Chuba HubbardRBCAR 11
62Alexander MattisonRBLV  10
63Darnell MooneyWRATL 12
64DJ MooreWRCHI 7
65Khalil ShakirWRBUF 12
66Jakobi MeyersWRLV  10
67Ladd McConkeyWRLAC 5
68Tank DellWRHOU 14
69Jaylen WaddleWRMIA 6
70Josh DownsWRIND 14
71Zay FlowersWRBAL 14
72Michael PittmanWRIND 14
73Deebo SamuelWRSF  9
74Mike EvansWRTB  11
75Keon ColemanWRBUF 12
76Calvin RidleyWRTEN 5
77Chase BrownRBCIN 12
78Travis EtienneRBJAC 12
79Kyler MurrayQBARI 11
80Joe BurrowQBCIN 12
81David NjokuTECLE 10
82Evan EngramTEJAC 12
83Cade OttonTETB  11
84Jake FergusonTEDAL 7
85Kyle PittsTEATL 12
86Devin SingletaryRBNYG 11
87Jordan MasonRBSF  9
88Jauan JenningsWRSF  9
89Raheem MostertRBMIA 6
90Courtland SuttonWRDEN 14
91Cedric TillmanWRCLE 10
92Jordan AddisonWRMIN 6
93Elijah MooreWRCLE 10
94Isiah PachecoRBKC  6
95Austin EkelerRBWAS 14
96Dak PrescottQBDAL 7
97Jared GoffQBDET 5
98Sam LaPortaTEDET 5
99Jaxon Smith-NjigbaWRSEA 10
100Zach CharbonnetRBSEA 10
101Tucker KraftTEGB  10
102Dallas GoedertTEPHI 5
103Bucky IrvingRBTB  11
104Dalton KincaidTEBUF 12
105Rico DowdleRBDAL 7
106Xavier WorthyWRKC  6
107Wan'Dale RobinsonWRNYG 11
108Romeo DoubsWRGB  10
109T.J. HockensonTEMIN 6
110Baker MayfieldQBTB  11
111Kirk CousinsQBATL 12
112Zack MossRBCIN 12
113Diontae JohnsonWRBAL14
114Jordan LoveQBGB  10
115Jerry JeudyWRCLE 10
116Keenan AllenWRCHI 7
117Darius SlaytonWRNYG 11
118Allen LazardWRNYJ 12
119Xavier LegetteWRCAR 11
120Ricky PearsallWRSF  9
121Sam DarnoldQBMIN 6
122Geno SmithQBSEA 10
123C.J. StroudQBHOU 14
124Caleb WilliamsQBCHI 7
125Brock PurdyQBSF  9
126DeAndre HopkinsWRKC  6
127Dontayvion WicksWRGB  10
128Hunter HenryTENE  14
129Mark AndrewsTEBAL 14
130Cole KmetTECHI 7
131Tyler AllgeierRBATL 12
132Braelon AllenRBNYJ 12
133Tyjae SpearsRBTEN 5
134Jonathon BrooksRBCAR 11
135Jalen TolbertWRDAL 7
136Jameson WilliamsWRDET 5
137Matthew StaffordQBLAR 6
138Russell WilsonQBPIT 9
139Justice HillRBBAL 14
140Michael WilsonWRARI 11
141Alec PierceWRIND 14
142Rashod BatemanWRBAL 14
143Quentin JohnstonWRLAC 5
144Joshua PalmerWRLAC 5
145Patrick MahomesQBKC  6
146Jaylen WarrenRBPIT 9
147Tyler ConklinTENYJ 12
148Isaiah LikelyTEBAL 14
149Trevor LawrenceQBJAC 12
150Ray DavisRBBUF 12

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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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