With the addition of Fantasy Football Knockout leagues on ESPN.com this season, we have more ways than ever to play guillotine, eliminator-style fantasy football. Sleeper (Chopped), Yahoo (Death Leagues), NFFC (Eliminator), FFPC (Chop) and, of course, Guillotine Leagues offer their own variations of this fantasy football game that I fell in love with eight years ago.
That means we'll also have more first-time players of this game than ever in 2026. If you don't want to play like a rookie, you came to the right place for advice and strategy. The quickest way to show that you're new to the game is by coming in with the wrong draft strategy.
When I talk about "winning" a guillotine league draft, I just mean building a squad that you can be confident in advancing through the first four to six weeks of the season while spending a minimal amount of your FAAB on waivers. Solid drafting and bargain-bin waiver shopping has been the secret to my success, which includes winning two of the three leagues that I was in last season (including this NFFC league where I live-streamed the draft with my co-host and RotoWire football writer John McKechnie).
I have a lot of past draft regrets. Just look at my articles the last few years, and you'll see that I made some embarrassing flag-plants. But ultimately, I've won championships, and I've never been eliminated earlier than Week 7 in the eight seasons that
With the addition of Fantasy Football Knockout leagues on ESPN.com this season, we have more ways than ever to play guillotine, eliminator-style fantasy football. Sleeper (Chopped), Yahoo (Death Leagues), NFFC (Eliminator), FFPC (Chop) and, of course, Guillotine Leagues offer their own variations of this fantasy football game that I fell in love with eight years ago.
That means we'll also have more first-time players of this game than ever in 2026. If you don't want to play like a rookie, you came to the right place for advice and strategy. The quickest way to show that you're new to the game is by coming in with the wrong draft strategy.
When I talk about "winning" a guillotine league draft, I just mean building a squad that you can be confident in advancing through the first four to six weeks of the season while spending a minimal amount of your FAAB on waivers. Solid drafting and bargain-bin waiver shopping has been the secret to my success, which includes winning two of the three leagues that I was in last season (including this NFFC league where I live-streamed the draft with my co-host and RotoWire football writer John McKechnie).
I have a lot of past draft regrets. Just look at my articles the last few years, and you'll see that I made some embarrassing flag-plants. But ultimately, I've won championships, and I've never been eliminated earlier than Week 7 in the eight seasons that I've played in guillotine leagues.
Let's break down my six keys to a successful guillotine league draft and examine how I implemented those strategies into the FSGA Experts Football Chop League earlier this month. You can see the full draft results for that league here.
Guillotine League Strategy & Advice
1. Draft a Balanced Roster
When preparing for a guillotine fantasy football draft, your plan should be to prioritize building the strongest starting lineup possible going into the first few weeks. Avoid strategies like Zero RB, where you're relying on multiple high-risk players to make an impact early.
Understanding your guillotine league's roster settings is one of the most important parts of draft preparation. Starting lineup requirements can significantly impact player value and average draft position (ADP). For example, the FSGA Experts Draft only required two starting wide receivers, increasing the demand for elite running backs. However, in my NFFC Eliminator leagues, managers start three wide receivers, which should increase the value of that position and push wide receivers higher in drafts.
Before your guillotine fantasy football draft, analyze the league format, starting requirements and roster settings to identify where the biggest positional advantages exist. Input those settings into the Mock Draft Simulator and run through as many drafts from different starting positions as you'd like. Those practice reps will give you a good indicator of what you can expect on draft day.
In the FSGA draft, I had my two starting running backs, two wide receivers and flex locked in by round five and grabbed my starting quarterback and tight end by round eight. Meanwhile, Seth Torok of Draft Battle waited until round six to draft a running back and will now have to rely on Tyjae Spears and Woody Marks.
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2. Make "Safe" Draft Picks
Whether you have the highest scoring team, the second-lowest scoring team or anywhere in between in any given week, you are one step closer to winning the championship. Rather than chasing high-risk, high-reward players, prioritize those with consistent usage. Focus on building a stable lineup with players who offer dependable, high-floor production.
After what we saw in 2025, is there any more high-risk, high-reward player than TreVeyon Henderson? Todd Bailey of Extreme Fantasy Football took Henderson in the third round, ahead of boring but reliable players like D'Andre Swift and Tony Pollard, who have each produced more than 1,200 yards from scrimmage each of the last three seasons. I would have grabbed Swift in that spot.
Stay informed with fantasy football news and track usage roles with the NFL depth charts.
3. Avoid Drafting Multiple Early Round Picks with the Same Early Bye Week
In other formats, especially Best Ball, you may target a pairing or stack between a quarterback and a pass-catcher or two on his team. I won't prioritize that strategy here, and I will absolutely avoid it if the team has an early bye week. The Bengals and Lions, for example, are expected to have two of the more high-powered offenses, but I'm hesitant to spend up on multiple players from those teams early in the draft, as their Week 6 bye week would surely put my team in danger of an early exit.
As much as I like both Chase Brown and Jameson Williams, I think Brian Pearson of DraftNLotto made a mistake by taking both in the first four rounds of the FSGA Draft. That will likely force him to be more aggressive on the waiver wire early in the season.
4. Pick Players with Favorable Early Schedules, Avoid Players with Tough Early Schedules
I refer to RotoWire's Strength of Schedule tool to find advantages. It helps me find the best matchups using rankings that are adjusted for quality of opponent, and I can custom sort by any time period. For this exercise, I looked at the first three to four weeks and adjusted my rankings accordingly.
Because every little edge counts, I would draft Dak Prescott, who has the fourth-most favorable quarterback schedule the first three weeks, over Caleb Williams, who has the toughest three-week start. In the FSGA Draft, Williams was selected the pick before Prescott.
At running back, I would draft Omarion Hampton, who has the fifth-most favorable schedule for the position in the first four weeks, over Ashton Jeanty, who faces the fourth-toughest matchups. In the FSGA Draft, Jeanty was selected at the 1.08, while Hampton went at 1.15.
5. Monitor Injury Reports and Potential Disciplinary Action
This seems obvious, but it's especially crucial in a guillotine league. With depth as a concern during the early weeks of the season, having one of your top draft assets at risk of missing Week 1 is a decision that could end your season.
I wouldn't dare take Malik Nabers (knee) in the first four rounds. Jason Allsopp committed a mid-fourth round pick to him. I would rather take Jameson Williams or Rome Odunze there.
After seeing his ADP dip after an offseason arrest, it seems like Josh Jacobs is in the clear. However, a second-round investment by Pete Jimison of Fantasy Loser in this format is a risk I want to avoid. I would have leaned toward Ladd McConkey or DeVonta Smith there.
6. Push QBs Way Down the Draft Board
Ideally, I'll have Josh Allen on my roster by midseason, but I won't spend the draft capital that it will take to grab him for Week 1. I would rather draft positional players who I can count on for a high-volume workload early in the draft. I am confident there are about 20 quarterbacks who will produce enough during the first few weeks to keep me alive.
In the FSGA draft, Allen was selected with the 1.13 pick by Todd Bailey. I think that's a huge mistake, especially with a Week 1 matchup against Houston's dominant defense. In addition to the tough matchup, the opportunity cost of taking Allen early puts this team in a position where it will have to rely on Isiah Pacheco to produce in their RB2 spot.
Only one team waited longer than I did to draft a quarterback. I held out until the eighth round to take Baker Mayfield, and I won't be surprised if he outperforms Allen in Week 1.
Stay tuned for in-season updates on the FSGA Experts Football Chop League, including the strategy that the top teams are using to advance each week and the common mistakes that other teams make to get eliminated. And follow Steve on X (@SteveOnFantasy) for bonus tips and player analysis.
