Fantasy Football Guillotine League Draft: Building a Team to Survive

I wanted to do another fantasy football draft, and decided to do an early guillotine league draft.

You can read more about guillotine (or survivor) leagues here. This draft was done through Yahoo and includes 14 teams. The goal is to avoid the lowest score every week, so I'm taking that into account as I went into the draft.

There's no trading in these leagues, just waivers run after every week - with the players from the team with the lowest score hitting the market.

There are seven starting spots on the roster - one quarterback, two running backs and wide receivers, one tight end and one flex spot (RB/WR/TE). The other seven roster spots are all bench slots. I was given pick nine. Let's get into how the draft went for me!

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Round 1 - James Cook

All of my favorite first-round picks were gone by this selection already, but I still had no issues grabbing Cook.

He should be in store for another big fantasy season, and will be a big-time asset early in the season, making him perfect for this league. I'm all about established players early on, and Cook is one of those guys.

Round 2 - De'Von Achane

I was thrilled to see Achane still available for my second-round selection. I actually would have been OK with Chase Brown here too, so I was ecstatic to have both players available with me almost on the clock.

Anyways, Achane is a borderline first-round pick in my eyes, and should star early and often for a depleted Miami offense. He also has a different bye week than Cook, so I really like the 1-2 punch at running back that I already have.

Round 3 - Chris Olave

This was another case that I loved my options as my pick approached. I decided on Olave over Tee Higgins and Zay Flowers.

I think this is great draft value on Olave, and think he's one of the bigger fantasy draft steals for 2026. I took advantage and got a possible top-10 wideout in round 3. His bye week also differs from my two backs, so it made it even better in my eyes.

Round 4 - Davante Adams

I picked Adams a few draft slots ahead of his ADP, but again thinking about the league setup, this is a much better pick in my eyes.

Adams is coming off an otherworldly 2025 fantasy showing, and while I expect regression in 2026, he's still going to be a high-end fantasy asset in my eyes. He'll help me avoid being the lowest score in the first few weeks, and I can add more high-level receivers over time. And of course, him not having the same bye week as any of my players taken so far helped.

Round 5 - Jameson Williams

I decided on Williams over Drake Maye in round 5. I tend to skip QBs and TEs early, as I think those are positions you can fill with streamers and through the waiver wire easier.

Williams is WR2 in Detroit, but is a big part of the offense and will be a good early-season option for me. He has the same bye week as Achane, but at a different position, that doesn't bother me too much.

Round 6 - Harold Fannin Jr.

I decided on a tight end here with all my RB and WR spots full - the flex spot is also full, so any other RBs or WRs would have been bench options already.

Fannin is a good draft value in my eyes. He's coming off a nice rookie year and could be an even better fantasy TE for the coming year. If he takes off, I might not need to pick up another tight end, other than to replace Fannin during his bye week.

Round 7 - Trevor Lawrence

Lawrence was a quarterback who I hoped would drop, and sure enough, he did until pick 93.

I like that value with Lawrence and think I could have my near every-week quarterback now. I'll still probably draft one later, but if Lawrence picks up where he left off last season, I wouldn't need another fantasy QB.

Round 8 - Makai Lemon

I drafted my first bench player here with Lemon. 

I'm confident in my starters, so instead of taking someone who needs to help immediately, I decided for a long-term option in Lemon. If he takes off at some point this season, I could have one of the bigger rookie fantasy surprises on my hands, making the wideout position even better.

Round 9 - Rachaad White

I realized I was a little thin at running back, so I drafted White here in round 9. I wanted his teammate Jacory Croskey-Merritt, but he went a couple picks earlier.

White isn't going to start for me early on, but in case Cook or Achane are banged up in week 1, I need a fill-in. We have no clue how the Washington backfield will look in 2026, but he could at least score me a few points if he's thrust into the starting lineup in week 1.

Round 10 - Woody Marks

I decided to get another running back, just in case disaster struck before week 1. 

Again, the point is to avoid the worst score, then you can fill in positions of weakness, so ideally, these RB picks the last two rounds don't ever start for me, unless they become their team's RB1s. Marks should have a big enough role to play him early in the season if my top backs are battling injuries.

Round 11 - Juwan Johnson

I grabbed a second tight end here in Johnson, who is one of my favorite picks late in standard redraft leagues.

He gets drafted in this deeper format, and provides me with another starting TE option for week 1, in case Fannin is injured.

Round 12 - Aaron Rodgers

I didn't realize how few fantasy quarterbacks remained until I looked into some possible options here in round 12.

Rodgers will only be an option for me early in the season, and ideally, he's never started for me at all. He's just insurance in case Lawrence is banged up, or in a brutal matchup.

Round 13 - Kenyon Sadiq

I have multiple starting options for each position, so for my last two picks, I'm going to take some swings on lottery tickets.

Sadiq is my first lottery ticket, and could be a big-time waiver wire TE if he takes off at any point in his rookie year. Why not take the gamble, especially at a tougher fantasy position to find weekly options?

Round 14 - Kaytron Allen

I decided on one more RB here in the final round, and got another Commander RB in Allen.

It's possible he becomes the new lead back in Washington in time, but this is more a pick in case White is injured/released before the season. If Croskey-Merritt is also out, Allen could lead the backfield in week 1, so it's a fine gamble to take.

Final Thoughts

I got a B+ grade from Yahoo for this guillotine league, even though I was projected for the 10th-most points in the league. Again though, I'm not about projected points and am all about trying to advance week-to-week. 

I think I'm set up well to do that with an initial starting lineup of Lawrence, Cook, Achane, Olave, Adams, Fannin and Williams. I have backup options at every spot if I'm dealing with any injuries to those seven locked-in starters.

I feel good about those starters, and not finishing with the worst scores for at least a few weeks. I'll probably be searching out top-tier running backs first, but also wouldn't be opposed to a top-level wideout. And of course, if an elite QB or TE hit waivers, I'd throw some bids in and try to scoop them up too.

Last year, I had success only spending so much of my waiver budget early on. I was afforded that because I had a solid team to start, and I could be in the same boat with this team going into 2026. Even if I'm just average for the first few weeks, I can let others spend their budgets, then strike big with high-level guys when the time is right.

I feel good about this guillotine league team, and plan to do a couple others between now and the start of the season. I also plan on updating you all on my strategies and transactions as the year progresses, so check back for those articles during the regular season!