Jake Nagy delivers players to start in Week 12 of Guillotine Leagues, with six NFL teams on byes.

Seven teams remain! We’ve reached the point in the Guillotine League season where everyone’s rosters are stacked. If you’ve been saving your FAAB, start spending on the talented rosters that are getting cut each week. Charch has begun identifying endgame players in his weekly waiver wire columns, and we’re doing the same in our weekly mailbag. 

It’s important to note that on guillotineleagues.com, bidding ends after Week 14, so you only have three weeks left to set your endgame roster, which needs at least eight elite, superstar players.

If you blew all your FAAB but are still hanging on, we’re here every week to help identify cheap, high-floor, replacement-level options to help you keep your head. With seven teams remaining, ground rules are that quarterbacks and tight ends will be outside the top seven and running backs and wide receivers outside the top 14 in rostership. We’re also identifying underperforming but highly rostered flex position players you can drop in favor of a higher-upside option. Next week, with no teams on bye, we’ll pivot to more of a Start-Bench-Cut format.

The Falcons, Bills, Bengals, Jaguars, Saints, and Jets are all on bye this week. That’s the most teams on bye in a single week thus far. Buckle up, because we have another byepocalypse coming in Week 14.

Quarterbacks

Last Week

  • Bo Nix: 28.78 points–yeah, Nix is an actual legitimate Guillotine League asset. There, I said it. Start him again this week in Las Vegas.
  • Russell Wilson: 6.30 points–yeah, Russell Wilson is not a legitimate Guillotine League asset.

Week 12:

Justin Herbert vs. Baltimore Ravens (35.6% owned)

Since Week 5, the only quarterbacks who haven’t eclipsed 23 fantasy points against the Ravens are Bo Nix in a weird blowout and Russell Wilson last week. I know we got burned by Russ last week, but I have news for you: Justin Herbert is better than Russell Wilson. This Ravens defense is still missing safety Eddie Jackson and features multiple players allowing high catch rates and passer ratings in their coverage. Herbert has been absolutely hooping lately—he had a handful of throws in the first half last Monday that had my jaw on the floor—and is my favorite bye-week replacement for Josh Allen or Joe Burrow.

After Herbert, it’s tough to feel overwhelmingly confident in any of the other lesser-owned passers. Jared Goff is subject to the Lions’ weird blowout game scripts, Jordan Love is too erratic, C.J. Stroud is too conservative, and Matthew Stafford has too tough a matchup in Philly. Of those guys, I’d go with Goff if you need to.

Running Backs

Last Week: N/A

Week 12:

No Bijan Robinson, James Cook, Chase Brown, Alvin Kamara, nor Breece Hall this week. Let’s lock in.

Tyrone Tracy vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (62.4% owned)

Regardless of how much I disagree with the decision to start Tommy DeVito over Drew Lock, I don’t think it changes the Giants’ offensive fortunes much. Thankfully, Tyrone Tracy has been immune to the G-Men’s offensive woes for much of this season since taking over the lead role from Devin Singletary. Tracy has cleared 14 points in four of six as a starter, 22 in two of six, and has two duds to his name. You absolutely take a 67% hit rate during this byepocalypse. Tracy has a very positive matchup against a Bucs defense allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing runners.

Bucky Irving at New York Giants (54.3% owned)

Rachaad White is absolutely a viable option; his pass-catching floor has been excellent since Mike Evans and Chris Godwin went down. I wanted to highlight Bucky Irving because he’s the lesser-owned player, but he might just be the better player. White (50% routes, 15% targets) gets more receiving work than Irving (34% routes, 11% targets), but not by much. Irving gets more rushing work and has 8 inside-the-5 opportunities compared to White’s 4. The Bucs are 5.5-point favorites in New York, so they could be using Irving to nurse a lead against a Giants defense allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing runners over the last five weeks. Tampa also gets Carolina and Vegas next, so Irving could be a useful asset in the weeks to come.

Thank You for Your Service:

Once Isiah Pacheco is confirmed back, it’s fair to say goodbye to Kareem Hunt. He’s an ineffective player … We’re holding on to Chuba Hubbard, but actively monitoring the Jonathon Brooks situation … Nick Chubb is a nice story, but is in an ineffective offense, doesn’t get enough touches, and clearly lacks his usual explosiveness.

Wide Receivers

Last Week:

  • Ladd McConkey: 18.30 points—hit, and absolutely fire up McConkey the next two weeks against Baltimore and Atlanta.
  • Jakobi Meyers: 8.80 points—not enough at this point in the season, miss.
  • Cedric Tillman: 7.70 points—we had a 67% shot with the Cleveland WRs and we blew it. Tillman, Jerry Jeudy, and Elijah Moore are nice players, but predicting which will have success and which won’t is too much of a gamble at this point in the season.

Week 12:

Josh Downs vs. Detroit Lions (60.1% owned)

Credit Josh Downs for keeping up his stellar play even with the erratic Anthony Richardson back under center. Now, starting him at this stage of the season is not for the faint of heart for that same reason, but I still like Downs against a Lions defense that has allowed the following stat lines recently:

The Lions play man coverage at one of the league’s highest rates, and Downs is Indy’s most reliable man beater. Detroit also allows the most receiving yards to opposing slot receivers. We could get some garbage time, too—Detroit is a touchdown favorite as of this writing.

Calvin Ridley at Houston Texans (54.7% owned)

Speaking of talented wide receivers who have produced despite multiple recent quarterback changes—hello, Calvin Ridley! This will test your risk appetite as well, but over the last five weeks Houston is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts. Josh Downs, Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams, and CeeDee Lamb have each found their ways to very solid games against the Texans lately, all with suspect quarterback play. Plus, Will Levis has looked … kinda good lately?

Thank You for Your Service:

We genuinely thank him for his service, but it probably isn’t worth holding onto Darnell Mooney through the bye week. He was dealing with an Achilles injury all week before suffering a hamstring injury during Atlanta’s blowout loss to Denver … I’d hold on to Jakobi Meyers and Cedric Tillman to see if they can bounce back on my bench, but I wouldn’t blame you for cutting ties … Tank Dell is on drop watch, but not quite there yet … I’m still holding out hope for BrIan Thomas through the bye.

 

Tight Ends

Last Week:

  • Tucker Kraft: zero burger—I’m not even really sure what to say about this one. My bad, y’all.

Week 12:

Sam LaPorta at Indianapolis Colts (52.5% owned)

Outside of the top seven guys (byes excluded), you kinda just have to pivot to Sam LaPorta and hope one of the Lions’ several touchdowns go to him. He’s day-to-day with a shoulder injury, but if he goes, I like him better than the rest of the options.

You could look to capitalize on Jonnu Smith’s big week last week, but that means he’s definitely due for a dud. Your next best options are Dallas Goedert and Hunter Henry. This is why we recommend you go get a top tight end and forget about it the rest of the way.