Welcome back to the guillotine league mailbag! This week we will dive into whether or not certain studs can still be trusted, receivers whose quarterback situations have improved and which defensive matchups you should begin to avoid in guillotine leagues. 

As usual, we will close out with thoughts on last week’s most chopped players.

Do you have a guillotine league-related question? Tag @CartisParks_FL on X, and you might see your question answered!

Guillotine League Week 4 Strategy

Am I overthinking benching Anthony Richardson? 

Not at all. Despite being drafted among the top five quarterbacks, Anthony Richardson is 20th in points scored so far and has put up similar numbers as Bo Nix. Rushing quarterbacks are extremely valuable in the standard guillotine format, but Richardson’s play so far has been concerning. He’s completing less than half of his passes, has a 1:2 TD:INT ratio and, most alarmingly, his rushing output has decreased in each game.

You probably can’t do much better with 14 teams still alive, but if you can target a quarterback playing against the Commanders, Rams or Jaguars — the three teams allowing the most points to opposing quarterbacks — that could be an upgrade over Richardson, especially this week. Richardson will face a Steelers team allowing the fewest points to opposing quarterbacks. That includes allowing only eight rushing yards per game to the position.

Should I still trust/bid on D’Andre Swift?

Reminiscent of Vince Young and the poorly premonished 2011 “Dream Team” Eagles, the hyped Bears offense has sputtered out of the gate. No one has underwhelmed more than D’Andre Swift, who is 42nd in scoring among running backs. Hell, he’s been outscored by Ezekiel Elliot, Antonio Gibson and nearly Miles Sanders! 

If you are still alive with Swift (or want to put in a sneaky bid for him), I would give him one more shot this week against a Rams team allowing the second-most touches and fifth-most total yards to opposing running backs. Swift’s snap share has decreased in every game (he’s still above 50% each week), so if he can’t put up numbers this week, I would look elsewhere the rest of the season. For this week, though, if he is available, I would spend up to $75 FAAB on him for the matchup alone. 

Is it time to give up on Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce?

The list of tight ends outscoring Travis Kelce (25th) and Mark Andrews (32nd) is so long you would probably think there are some Madden Create-A-Players in there, like Brenton Strange. (Strange actually looked pretty good filling in for Evan Engram last week!) 

Both Kelce’s and Andrews’ target shares are below 15% in offenses that have featured the run game with Derrick Henry and Isiah Pacheco/Carson Steele off to hot starts. 

I would feel more confident starting Will Dissly. Yes, he is the starting tight end for the Chargers. He is playing the Chiefs this week, a team hemorrhaging league-highs of nine receptions for 112 yards per game to opposing tight ends. 

Ironically, the Ravens are the second-worst team at defending opposing tight ends, so I would spring up to $50 on Dalton Kincaid if he is available.

The manager who had Terry McLaurin and Dionte Johnson left them on the bench last week and was chopped, how much should I spend to pick them up?

These are two typically reliable, high-floor receivers who found themselves in new/worse situations to start the year, and, ergo, started out slowly. 

Alas, Jayden Daniels has already shown great improvement as a passer, and Andy Dalton looked sharp and reliable, leading to both receivers having breakout performances last week. Dionte Johnson’s 14 targets last week were the most he’s had in three years.

I would throw Courtland Sutton in with these guys, too. He quietly has the eighth-most targets among wide receivers, and Bo Nix is throwing the ball 38 times per game. 

These players are the typical archetype of who you want early in the season. If you still have them, get them in your lineup. If they are available, I would go up to $100 for each. 

Defenses to Avoid in Guillotine Leagues

As rosters are getting better and better, what defensive matchups should I start avoiding?

The Seahawks are allowing the fewest passing yards and have ceded a single passing touchdown to opposing quarterbacks so far. To be fair, they’ve played Bo Nix, Jacoby Brissett and Skyler Thompson. If they can shut down Jared Goff this week, I would be hesitant starting quarterbacks against them in the future. The Jets and Steelers have also smothered opposing quarterbacks so far.

The Lions are allowing league-lows of 18 touches for 52 total yards per game to opposing running backs. It’s no fluke, as they’ve already shut down Kyren Williams, James Conner and Rachaad White. For reference, the average defense allows 26 touches and 127 total yards to the position, so steer clear of starting running backs against Detroit if you can. Other staunch running backs defenses are the Steelers, Ravens and Vikings. 

The Broncos are allowing only 84 receiving yards per game to opposing wide receivers, second-fewest and 58 fewer than league average. That includes matchups with DK Metcalf, George Pickens, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, so their receiver defense certainly looks legit so far. Other receiver defenses to avoid are the Seahawks (although it could be a function of facing poor quarterbacksm as discussed above), Titans and Bills. 

There aren’t a lot of outliers for tight end defenses since their volume is already low, but the Titans, 49ers, and Buccaneers have all allowed less than 20 receiving yards per game to the position. The average defense allows 42 yards per game to tight ends, so there’s not too much of a difference here. 

Last Week's Most-Chopped Players

What are your thoughts on last week’s most chopped players?

The top 10 most chopped players last week were Rhamondre Stevenson, Rashid Shaheed, Anthony Richardson, Jameson Williams, Jaylen Warren, Tyreek Hill, Jalen Hurts, CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Brown and Mark Andrews. Go read Paul Charchian’s article about bidding strategies for these players. 

We talked last week about the dangers of boom-or-bust types such as Rashid Shaheed and Jameson Williams. You can throw in Xavier Worthy and Alec Pierce, too. As rosters improve, these volatile players should not be relied on. The more mundane Amari Coopers, Dionte Johnsons and Courtland Suttons will always be safer plays. 

Rhamondre Stevenson got off to a great start but finally came back to Earth against a good defense. The struggles might continue against the 49ers, Dolphins and Texans in the upcoming weeks; they are all in the better half of the league in limiting opposing running back touches.  

Mark Andrews has been on this list every week so far. Quit chasing the name. Go get Will Dissly, Brenton Strange or Zach Ertz (ninth in targets and sixth in receptions among tight ends!) for cheap.