Guillotine League Mailbag - Addressing Five Strategy Questions

With all of the strategy pieces in the rearview mirror, you now know how to effectively dominate a Guillotine League in fantasy football.

So, what's left? Let's ask the user. I connected with Fantasy Life Managing Editor, Nando Di Fino, to clear up any outstanding questions on the Guillotine Leagues format in fantasy football.

Question 1: “I have played guillotine for three seasons and the one thing I can never figure out: How should I draft my bench?”

Answer: It’s important to note, that in the guillotine format, you’re going to replace your bench players quickly with new, better players when they hit the waiver wire every week. So, think of your bench players as having utility only for the first three or four weeks of the season.

Because rosters get stretched so thin in an 18-team league, most of your backups bring as much value as your weird aunt’s beanie baby collection. Mostly, you’re looking at third- or fourth-string receivers and backup running backs. Almost always, starting those guys is a recipe for great danger.

With that in mind, my backups generally fall into two categories: Handcuffs and shoot-the-moon fliers who could pan out quickly.

For the handcuffs, particularly for running backs, I try to get the next guy on the depth chart, particularly if the backup can perform at 80% of the starter’s level. My only tight end handcuff is Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.

For the fliers, I’m looking for unproven guys who have a pathway to get the ball. Ideally, non-rookies, who might be able to hit the ground running in Week 1.

Question 2: “Should I go into my draft without any Zero RB or Early RB strategies in my head? Is there a common theme to how I want to build this initial team?”

Answer: Around these parts, we prefer the term “Do The Opposite”, but no matter the nomenclature, it’s important to recognize that running backs bring the highest level of game-by-game volatility. And if you’ve learned anything from this draft kit, it’s that guillotine leaguers hate volatility.

You already know that runners get hurt more frequently than other positions. When those injuries happen in the first quarter, it’s suddenly a very dangerous week for your team. When a team falls behind by 17 points at halftime, the running game gets moved to the back burner. That’s similarly dangerous.

You can mitigate running back risk by prioritizing your roster with excellent players at other positions. Those guys can carry your team when or if one of your running backs flops.

Question 3: “On average, how much of my roster should I expect to be gone by Week 10 or so?

Answer: By Week 10, you’ll have churned roughly half your roster. And in a guillotine league, your new players are almost always a massive improvement over their replacements.

By Week 10, the big variable is how much FAAB you’ve spent to improve your roster. By then, you’ll probably have landed a few reliable weekly contributors. But at what cost? Hopefully, you’ve shown some restraint and still have plenty of your FAAB left.

Question 4: “If my guillotine league has fewer than 18 teams, how should I approach my draft differently?”

Answer: To be clear, yes, you can run a guillotine league with fewer than 18 teams. Your season will simply end sooner. For example, if you start a 14-team guillotine league, your season will end after Week 13, with only the champion left standing.

A lot of people run a “shadow guillotine league” with the same people as their normal home league, with 10 or 12 owners.

Your draft becomes wildly different with only 10 or 12 teams. Unlike an 18-team draft, your starting lineup can’t have any holes. You’ll want to draft legit weekly starters at every position. Prioritize filling out your whole starting roster—except quarterback, which I’ll address in the next section.

And your backups—your safety net—should be actual, reliable contributors, instead of just long-shot hopefuls who need a shattered femur to find the field.

Question 5: “If I’m going to slough any one position in my draft, which one is it?”

Answer: Quarterback.

Even in the biggest possible guillotine league, with 18 teams, there are more than enough quarterbacks to go around. Sure, I’d love to roster the dual-threat stylings of Jalen Hurts or Josh Allen. But their explosive upside isn’t necessary in a guillotine league. I can avoid the chopping block with quarterbacks ranked in the late teens, like Jared Goff and Kirk Cousins, five or six rounds later.

Players Mentioned in this Article

Guillotine League Mailbag - Addressing Five Strategy Questions

The Guide to Guillotine Leagues Fantasy Football

Players Mentioned in this Article

Guillotine League Mailbag - Addressing Five Strategy Questions

Get $25 Guillotine League Credits When You Join FL+

The Guide to Guillotine Leagues Fantasy Football