Most common players on eliminated teams from Week 5 in Yahoo Fantasy Guillotine Leagues — plus FAB waiver wire advice

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Five weeks are in the books, which means five managers in your Yahoo Fantasy Guillotine Leagues presented by Liquid Death are no longer around. It’s a wicked game, isn’t it? Of course, it’s wickedly fun when you’re on the good side of things.

Every week I’ll examine the most common NFL players on those cut teams and try to figure out where the puck is headed. I will also offer some FAB advice ($1,000 cap is the Yahoo default), but please remember this area is highly context-sensitive and manager-specific.

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Waiver strategy in Guillotine Leagues

If you’re new to this format, it’s critical to understand that waiver strategy is significantly different in the world of Guillotine Leagues.

You can often win a traditional fantasy league with modest help from the waiver wire, maybe a timely pickup or two. Sure, it’s great if you crush the market and land the right guys, and the best managers will always aim to be smart on the wire, but if your drafted team stays healthy and runs pure, some years that might be enough.

Immediate needs vs. playing the long game

In Guillotine Leagues, the eventual winning manager will have assembled a MONSTER team at the end of the year, a juggernaut, a Pro Bowl-type of roster. And the way you build that beast is usually by having resources all season — by not blowing the majority of your FAB on one tantalizing star. It’s pivotal that you understand that the waiver wire gets stronger and stronger every week in Guillotine Leagues, because the eliminated manager is coming from a smaller and smaller league size every week.

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Unless you have a draft touched by the fantasy angels, you are unlikely to win a Guillotine League without a successful and careful waiver-wire strategy.

[Eliminated or looking for more fun? There’s still time to join or create another Yahoo Fantasy Guillotine League]

My Guillotine League strategy is centered on the concept that I like my squad early in the year and I am confident I can beat at least one team per week while the field of opponents is large. Therefore, while I will dip my toes into the FAB market in the early part of the season, my primary goal is to keep major reserves in play for later in the year, when bye weeks ramp up and injuries are more prevalent — and the pool of opponents is smaller (so advancing is harder, in theory). Again, I urge you to remember: the waiver wire in Guillotine Leagues gets stronger as the year gets deeper, a key reason to be judicious with your resources.

Not everyone will share my strategy, of course. If you want to chase major improvements and use the bulk of your FAB to load up quickly, then shoot your shot. Play the strategy you’re comfortable with. Just understand that my recommendations are predicated on being careful early, and if you prefer something more aggressive, you’ll have to jump the numbers up. You know your room better than an outsider does.

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Understanding FAB recommendations

My weekly FAB recommendations will come in three buckets:

Proactive: This means you highly covet this player, perhaps might even need this player. I realize these bids might not win if someone in your league is lighting money on fire, but as described above, that’s often a short-sighted mistake in this format. With the bye weeks kicking in — you’ll notice multiple players coming off bye below — I might consider a proactive bid more than I did in September.

Reactive: This means you desire the player but the cost has to make sense for your short- or long-term strategy.

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Keep Them Honest: This is a bid that is not designed to win, but might surprisingly land a player if your opponents are distracted by other talent available or unexpectedly passive that week. I often compare notes with other experienced Guillotine League players and we’re surprised at how often the Keep Them Honest bids actually win (this is also a portable strategy for regular season-long leagues; you never know when strange market behavior will come about).

When a first-round pick hits the waiver wire: Something in the $250-300 range is likely the target range for a no-doubt first-round player before we hit Halloween. While that won’t necessarily be high enough to win, that’s probably my theoretical max for a first-round talent this early in the year, but ultimately you have to make the call that’s right for you.

Finally, understand that the FAB recommendations are with the assumption that you won’t be making offers for every available player.

Week 5’s top-10 players on eliminated teams:

Drake London, WR Falcons (16%)

A pesky Week 5 bye tripped up some London managers. He did little in his first three games, but finished WR6 in Week 4. He’s still a foundational player, averaging nine targets per start.

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FAB Recommendation:

• $140-150 proactive

• $80-90 reactive

• $35-45 keep them honest

Drake Maye, QB, Patriots (16%)

He played well in the upset win at Buffalo, but he didn’t run as much and the Bills didn’t allow a touchdown pass. Maye should do better at New Orleans, and the New England schedule this year is tissue-paper soft.

FAB Recommendation:

• $55 proactive

• $20 reactive

• $2-4 keep them honest

Mark Andrews, TE, Ravens (14%)

His production has cratered without Lamar Jackson, and Baltimore’s bye looms in Week 7. Andrews is also navigating his age-30 season, so I won’t be aggressively targeting him for any format.

FAB Recommendation:

• $40 proactive

• $20 reactive

• $3-5 keep them honest

Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons (13%)

Another case of the early Atlanta bye tripping up some fantasy players. Robinson remains a bankable first-round talent and is probably the most attractive free-agent target in many leagues.

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FAB Recommendation:

• $230-250 proactive

• $150-170 reactive

• $110 keep them honest

T.J. Hockenson, TE, Vikings (13%)

He’s had a low YPC in his Minnesota days and he’s scored just one touchdown in his past 15 games. Hockenson has a low ceiling and a Week 6 bye, making him a poor fit for our immediate plans.

FAB Recommendation:

• $25-30 proactive

• $10 reactive

• $1-3 keep them honest

Chuba Hubbard, RB, Panthers (13%)

A calf injury kept him out against Miami, and his understudy (Rico Dowdle) ran wild in his place. Now we have to worry about Hubbard’s role when he does return — he’s likely to start, but his workload will probably drop.

FAB Recommendation:

• $40-50 proactive

• $15-20 reactive

• $3-5 keep them honest

Josh Jacobs, RB, Packers (13%)

His YPC is down at 3.3 through four games, though touchdown deodorant has helped the cause. Some dream matchups are coming, starting with Cincinnati this week.

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FAB Recommendation:

• $160-170 proactive

• $105 reactive

• $60-70 keep them honest

Jameson Williams, WR, Lions (12%)

He’s cracked the Top 50 at the position just once this year, and he fell to one target in the win at Cincinnati. The Lions offense is fun but somewhat crowded, and right now Williams is the odd man out. Splash games will come for Williams, but they’ll be difficult to project ahead of time, which is a tough fit for Guillotine Leagues.

FAB Recommendation:

• $40 proactive

• $15-20 reactive

• $3-5 keep them honest

Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars (12%)

He did post a season-best 80 yards on Monday, though he still doesn’t have a touchdown catch. Seattle’s secondary has a good reputation, though the Buccaneers torched it in Week 5. It’s fair to look at Thomas with a skeptical eye.

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FAB Recommendation:

• $55-60 proactive

• $20-25 reactive

• $4-6 keep them honest

James Cook, RB, Bills (12%)

After four opening games of fantasy gold, Cook was defended well by the New England’s rushing defense. Take heart that the Bills have a cupcake schedule moving forward, though we have to be mindful of a Week 7 bye. Cook is still a favorite to score a touchdown every week.

FAB Recommendation:

• $150-170 proactive

• $90-100 reactive

• $40-50 keep them honest

This news was originally published on this post .

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