Welcome back to this week’s guillotine league mailbag! 

This week we will discuss strategy if you have spent all of your free agent budget, some surprisingly poor positional defenses, players you can sabotage drop, how to deal with studs nearing a return from IR, and 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 6 Strategy

Injuries have ravaged my season, and I’ve already spent all my FAAB budget. What should my strategy be moving forward?

Using up your free agent budget by Week 6 is essentially a death knell, so to survive you will need to be hyper-vigilant moving forward. With 12 teams left, roster construction talent-wise should look like a standard 12-team fantasy league. That means the free agent pool will also be larger and more talented. 

Whenever an owner adds a player, they have to drop another. Pay attention to who is being dropped and see if they have a positive matchup not only this week, but in the near future. With 12 teams left, your odds of being chopped due to chance alone is still under 10%. Remember, you can add/drop for free after the second waiver period.  

You can also bid $0 during the waiver period if you have your eyes on a less sexy player that is available. For example, Deebo Samuel was the most chopped player last week. While players are focused on him, you might be able to sneak in a $0 bid for Jauan Jennings, the 13th-most chopped player. 

Now, for hunting positive matchups, we have a better idea of which matchups can be exploited now that we are over a quarter of the way through the season.

For quarterbacks, the Jaguars are allowing 299 passing yards, second-most, and two passing touchdowns, third-most, per game to the position. If Caleb Williams is available, or dare I say it, Drake Maye, for the following week, they could be (Maye definitely) gettable for $0.

Surprisingly, the Ravens have been awful against opposing quarterbacks as well, ceding a league-high 304 passing yards per game and 1.8 passing scores. They’ve got matchups with Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield in upcoming weeks. You were probably starting them anyway, but keep an eye out for Baker if he becomes available next week. 

For running backs, the Panthers have turned back into a pumpkin, allowing 156 total yards, second-most, and a league-high two touchdowns per game to the position. They’ve got matchups with the committees of Atlanta and Washington the next two weeks, so I really like Tyler Allgeier and Austin Ekeler if you can get your hands on them. 

The Bills have also been hemorrhaging points to opposing running backs, coughing up a league-high 171 total yards and 1.2 touchdowns, fourth-most per game to the position. They’ve got dates with the Jets and Titans upcoming. You probably can’t sneak a $0 bid for Breece Hall, the ninth-most chopped player last week, but you might be able to snag Braelon Allen. Nothing screams offensive explosion more than having just fired your coach, so this could finally be Hall/Allen’s breakout. Tyjae Spears will be an option for cheap as well for the following week.

For receivers, again surprisingly, the Eagles are allowing the most points to the position. They are ceding 181 yards, fifth-most, and 1.8 touchdowns, second-most, to wide receivers. They’ve got the Browns and Giants coming up. 

Boy, it’s tough to trust any Browns’ offensive player, but Jerry Jeudy has quietly overtaken Amari Cooper for the team receiving yards lead. He should be available for cheap. For the Giants, the secret is out on Wan’Dale Robinson, but Darius Slayton is still around and putting up numbers. He should be available for $0.

And finally, faithful readers will know I can’t get through a mailbag column without mentioning the Chiefs’ tight end defense. They are still allowing the most receptions and receiving yards to the position (7-82 per game). They are on bye this week and have the 49ers next week. George Kittle won’t come cheap, and I wouldn’t go as far as playing another Niner tight end. 

The Ravens have been nearly as bad (7-74) per game, so Zach Ertz will be a good play for this week who should come cheap.

Week 6 Sabotage Drops

I’m still holding onto ______, can I (sabotage) drop him?

  • Keenan Allen: Drop him. He’s old and now the third option at receiver and fourth or fifth receiving option overall (Cole Kmet and D’Andre Swift had more receiving yards last week). I can’t think of another team where the third wide receiver is worth a start. Caleb Williams is improving, but he’s still only connected on half of his targets with Allen. His name still has star power, so you might be able to sabotage drop him and get another manager to blow some money on him.
  • Rachaad White: Considering he has a similar rushing profile to Zamir White and Javonte Williams, this question is not as crazy as you might think. Alas, he is still catching four balls a game, and that’s good enough with PPR scoring and 12 teams left. If you are set at running back and want to cause some FAAB chaos, he could be a perfect sabotage drop candidate.
  • Patrick Mahomes: Again, not as crazy as you might think. Over a quarter of the season, Mahomes is 14th in scoring, sandwiched between Kirk Cousins and Daniel Jones. Mahomes has six passing scores and six interceptions. His team just gave the ball to Kareem Hunt 28 times, for crying out loud! With 12 teams left, 14th-best will not cut it anymore. Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, and Justin Fields have all been better and would go for a fraction of budget Mahomes would. Stop chasing the name, but if you have a better option, set him free and watch someone spend over $200 on him. 

Nick Chubb and T.J. Hockenson have been available all season. Is now the time to bid on them?

With both players returning to practice last week, this week will likely be the cheapest they will ever be. 

Jerome Ford has been productive on low volume as the “lead” back in Chubb’s stead. He’s managing 5.2 yards per carry on just under 10 totes per game. He also is, amazingly, tied for the team lead with 20 receptions, but that’s more of a testament to Deshaun Watson’s incompetence so far. 

Unfortunately, Chubb has never really been a pass catcher. I would view Chubb as more of a lottery ticket: I wouldn’t rely on him, but if I was set (at running back), I would throw $25 at him this week and let him sit on my bench to see what he looks like. 

Hockenson intrigues me much more. Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver have combined for a modest 13 receptions, 112 yards, and two scores. That’s essentially Dalton Kincaid’s output so far. Darnold has clearly shown the penchant for targeting the position, and considering the tight end landscape/wasteland Hockenson should turn into a set-and-forget type player with a reliable floor. Don’t forget that last season he had at least 50 receiving yards in 13 of his 15 games. If Hockenson returns to anywhere near that form, I would even consider starting him as a flex. I would throw $50 at him this week.

Last Week's Most-Chopped Players

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

Last week’s most chopped players were Deebo Samuel, Chris Olave, De’Von Achane, Marvin Harrison Jr., Aaron Jones, George Pickens, Malik Nabers, Dalton Kincaid, Breece Hall, and Jordan Mason. Go read Paul Charchian’s column on bidding strategies for these guys.

Just a lot of injuries and down games from top-end starters. I’m more interested in Ty Chandler and Raheem Mostert if Jones and Achane have to miss time. Chandler is on bye after the London game, so he could be a sneaky pickup for cheap this week. 

Jordan Mason being here despite putting up 98 total yards (and a costly fumble) likely showed an overreliance on him. With 12 teams, you can’t rely on just one or two typical studs. That’s why you also see Nabers and Achane on this list. 

Olave is becoming alarming. He’s been out-targeted by usual deep-threat Rashid Shaheed over the last three games. Throw in Derek Carr’s injury, and Olave is someone you should probably not rely upon the rest of the season. 

Hopefully Salah’s firing will get Breece Hall going. That combined with a positive matchup coming this week makes him someone I wouldn’t mind spending some money on.