You've studied our guillotine league rankings and eight tips to win your league, but what will it look like when you put it all together to build the perfect roster? In addition to observing the results of multiple guillotine league drafts of my own on The NFFC, I've analyzed average draft position and identified what the ideal roster looks like.
This optimal roster is based on NFFC scoring and roster settings in a 17-team league. That includes six points for touchdown passes and full point per reception. You start one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one flex, one team kicker and one defense/special teams. The bench goes six deep.
The NFFC also uses third-round reversal and does draft pick assignment by Kentucky Derby Style (KDS), where each league member ranks his or her draft order preference, then a random choice order selects which team owner's KDS will be used first. Because I believe there's a tier drop after about 22 picks, I prefer to draft from the 13 to 17 range. Plus, a later starting position means that I'll get one of the earliest third-round picks, thanks to third round reversal. For this exercise, assume that I have the 15th pick, though you should be able to execute this if you draw one of the adjacent picks.
The Best Guillotine League Picks by Round
Round 1: WR Drake London, ATL
Most likely, two or three elite receivers will be available in this range: Nico Collins,
You've studied our guillotine league rankings and eight tips to win your league, but what will it look like when you put it all together to build the perfect roster? In addition to observing the results of multiple guillotine league drafts of my own on The NFFC, I've analyzed average draft position and identified what the ideal roster looks like.
This optimal roster is based on NFFC scoring and roster settings in a 17-team league. That includes six points for touchdown passes and full point per reception. You start one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one flex, one team kicker and one defense/special teams. The bench goes six deep.
The NFFC also uses third-round reversal and does draft pick assignment by Kentucky Derby Style (KDS), where each league member ranks his or her draft order preference, then a random choice order selects which team owner's KDS will be used first. Because I believe there's a tier drop after about 22 picks, I prefer to draft from the 13 to 17 range. Plus, a later starting position means that I'll get one of the earliest third-round picks, thanks to third round reversal. For this exercise, assume that I have the 15th pick, though you should be able to execute this if you draw one of the adjacent picks.
The Best Guillotine League Picks by Round
Round 1: WR Drake London, ATL
Most likely, two or three elite receivers will be available in this range: Nico Collins, Brian Thomas, Puka Nacua or London. Collins has missed multiple games in each of his four seasons, while Nacua had his own health problems last season. Brian Thomas didn't emerge as a star until Mac Jones unlocked him, so what will he look like with Trevor Lawrence back at quarterback? I think London is the safest choice to be on the field and see consistent high target share while carrying top-3 WR upside.
Round 2: RB Josh Jacobs, GB
Jacobs is another safe player who did not miss a single game in 2022 or 2024 and only missed games late in 2023 after he was checked out and ready to leave the Raiders. After the Packers Week 10 bye last season, Jacobs had at least one touchdown in every game, including a playoff loss.
Slight edge to Jacobs over Jonathan Taylor, who may be the more talented back but has a longer injury history and an offense that will sputter. In a guillotine league, we just need to avoid having the lowest scoring team of the week, so safer is better.
Round 3: RB Breece Hall, NYJ
Hall didn't live up to the expectations of being a top-3 fantasy football pick in 2024, but he still managed to finish with more than 1,300 scrimmage yards on a bad knee. Now healthy, he's a great value at this point in the draft both as the team's top back and probably the second biggest threat in the passing game behind Garrett Wilson. Having a mobile quarterback like Justin Fields should open up more running lanes as defenses try to figure out how to defend two explosive runners, while the quarterback's tendency to check down will keep Hall's receiving stats up.
Round 4: WR Rome Odunze, CHI
When I'm preparing for a guillotine league draft, I refer to RotoWire's Strength of Schedule tool to find matchup advantages early in the season. With games against Minnesota, Detroit and Dallas, Odunze and the Bears have the most favorable early season schedule for fantasy WRs. That gives him an edge over others being drafted in this range like Chris Olave, who faces the second toughest schedule for receivers the first three weeks.
Round 5: WR Ricky Pearsall, SF
Deebo Samuel is gone, Brandon Aiyuk is out for at least half of the season, Demarcus Robinson is suspended for the first three games and Jauan Jennings missed most of camp with an injury. By default Pearsall could be the WR1 in SF. It helps that camp reports indicate that he has great rapport with Brock Purdy too.
Round 6: TE David Njoku, CLE
I'm not confident in Njoku's full season outlook, but I do love him for as long as Joe Flacco is his quarterback. Flacco led him to career highs in receptions (81), receiving yards (882) and touchdowns (6) when they teamed up in 2023. I expect at least one month of top-5 tight end production with Flacco heavily targeting Njoku. If the Browns make a QB change, then I'll consider making a TE change.
Round 7: RB Nick Chubb, HOU
We're getting the starting running back for a potential playoff team outside the top 100 picks! Now almost two full years since suffering a devastating injury, the former star will look to revive his career with Houston. He never topped more than 59 yards in eight games for Cleveland last year, but with Joe Mixon ruled out for at least the first four weeks of the season, Chubb should get plenty of good opportunities for a better team.
Round 8: WR Rashid Shaheed, NO
Shaheed was on the verge of a breakout season in 2024, tallying at least 73 in four of the first five games before suffering a season-ending injury. He's back and looked healthy in the preseason. Poor quarterback play is certainly a concern, but target volume shouldn't be an issue, as we expect the Saints to air it out as they play from behind regularly this season.
Round 9: QB C.J. Stroud, HOU
No quarterback has fallen as far in the rankings from 2024 to 2025 as much as Stroud. After being drafted as a top-6 QB in 2024, he's now the QB18 in NFFC ADP. I think he belongs somewhere in the middle, around QB13.
I love him in guillotine leagues, where I'm only looking to commit to my quarterback for the first few weeks. RotoWire's Strength of Schedule tool indicates that he has the most favorable schedule out of every quarterback for the first four weeks of the season with matchups against the Rams, Buccaneers, Jaguars and Titans.
Round 10: QB J.J. McCarthy, MIN
Whether you like McCarthy as a prospect or not, you have to admit that he's in the right system for both real-life and fantasy success. Since Kevin O'Connell became Minnesota's head coach, we've seen a 4,547-yard season from Kirk Cousins in 2022, 4,319 from Sam Darnold in 2024 and a combined 3,805 from Cousins and several below average backup quarterbacks in between.
McCarthy has looked solid in the preseason and will benefit from having great coaching and elite weapons. If he's just healthy and competent he should have a high fantasy floor. If he exceeds expectations, he could be a top-8 fantasy quarterback, as Darnold was last year.
Round 11: RB Chris Rodriguez, WAS
As RotoWire's Mario Puig has noted, Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been relentlessly hyped as the potential new Washington starter, despite there not being one indication that JCM is ahead of Chris Rodriguez.
Their measurables show that Rodriguez clearly outclasses JCM as a power back, and as a speed back Rodriguez isn't far behind JCM either. Neither player has had many opportunities at the NFL level yet, but Rodriguez was the far superior college player, who should have a fair chance to earn the early down work this season.
Round 12: WR Tory Horton, SEA
I have been speaking Horton's praises since early summer. He was an elite college wideout in 2022 and 2023 before an injury-plagued 2024. Getting drafted by the Seahawks gave him a path to immediate snaps as a rookie, as all he'd have to do is beat out Marquez Valdes-Scantling for the third receiver spot. He had a strong preseason, and MVS got cut.
Now he's listed as the third receiver, which should mean plenty of snaps already, but imagine what a Cooper Kupp injury could do for Horton's fantasy stock. Kupp has missed at least five games each of the last three seasons.
Round 13: TE Mason Taylor, NYJ
The Jets have Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and not much else in the passing game. By default, Taylor looks like he could be the next man in line to get targets. We don't love Justin Fields as an NFL quarterback, but in his last season in Chicago who proved that he could sustain a high-end fantasy WR (DJ Moore) and a productive fantasy TE (Cole Kmet, career-high 719 yards and six TDs).
Round 14: RB Brashard Smith, KC
It seems like every year a new running back in Kansas City gets all the hype. He has one good preseason game, or on paper he has the skill set to fill a role in the Chiefs' backfield. So you draft him in the late rounds, and by the time the games count, he's buried on the bench, demoted to the practice squad or didn't make the final cut.
Brashard Smith looks like this year's version, as he is currently fourth on the depth chart and had some fantasy helium at different points throughout the summer. With his receiving skills, he's worth the low-risk pick, and we'll hope for 2022 Jerick McKinnon-like production as a pass-catching specialist out of the backfield.
Round 15: Washington DEF/ST
I prefer to wait until the last two rounds to get my kicker and defense. There are still plenty of strong options available if you wait and just look for good matchups to exploit.
I like Washington because it faces the lowly Giants in Week 1. That's followed by a Thursday Night Football game against the Packers. I don't love that matchup, but those Thursday games are rarely great offensive shootouts. Then Week 3 offers an enticing matchup against Las Vegas. When I get to Week 4, I'll consider hanging onto the Commanders against the Falcons but could move to a streaming strategy.
Round 16: Arizona Cardinals Kicker
For NFFC contests, you will select a "team kicker," rather than an individual player. Of course, you're going to rank the position based on the expected starter, but an unexpected injury to the starter won't ruin your week, as you'll get points from whoever puts the ball through the uprights for the team.
I've seen people reach as early as the ninth round to lock in Dallas Kicker Brandon Aubrey. Houston's Ka'imi Fairbairn, L.A. Charger Cameron Dicker and Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell were top 5 in made field goals along with Aubrey, while converting more extra points and making a higher percentage of their field goals than Aubrey, so I would rather take any of them several rounds later.
But assuming you miss out on them, look to Arizona's Chad Ryland, who is often going undrafted. Among the 15 players with at least 32 field-goal attempts and 25 extra-point attempts last season, he was sixth in field. Also, Arizona plays 13 indoor games this season, so weather will rarely be an issue.
And there you have it — the optimal draft for an NFFC guillotine league! Now that you have the secret sauce, go ahead and join a league. There are still draft openings available at various entry costs.
Dominate your fantasy football league this season by exploring our ultimate draft kit. Packed with expert insights, rankings and strategy tips, the kit features our interactive mock draft simulator to prepare you for every scenario. Streamline your draft-day decisions using our printable cheat sheet and stay ahead of the competition with our up-to-date rankings for all formats. RotoWire has everything you need to win. To learn more, subscribe now and start optimizing your roster today.
