Guillotine Leagues™ Mock Draft: Powering Through The Stinkhole That Is 1.02

At this stage of August, I've done a lot of Guillotine Leagues™ drafts, and the single toughest spot to draft from is 1.02. I call it the "stinkhole."

If you're drafting from the stinkhole, Ja'Marr Chase is off the board, and there's no obvious second-best player. With six or seven plausible options, there's a very real chance that you misfire on the right pick.

Plus, you need to wait 35 more selections before adding a second player. 1.02 is rough.

But I'm here to help you power through the stinkhole at 1.02, specifically for a Guillotine Leagues™ draft.

Guillotine Leagues™ Mock Draft From The 1.02 Draft Position

Early Round 1 (1.02) – MIN WR Justin Jefferson

With Ja'Marr Chase gone at 1.01, I could go a half-dozen viable directions with 1.02, including Brock Bowers, who's uniquely well-suited for Guillotine Leagues™. Part of the reason I chose Justin Jefferson at 1.02 is that I like the running backs who'll be left at 2.17 more than the receivers.

I almost passed on Jefferson because of his Week 6 bye, in favor of CeeDee Lamb (Week 10 bye) or Bijan Robinson (worse, a Week 5 bye). With Jordan Addison suspended, I expect Jefferson to be peppered with September targets. And I don't have much fear about J.J. McCarthy's learning curve, although I admit it's a big variable, particularly in Week 1 against a good Bears secondary.

Late Round 2 (2.17) – NO RB Alvin Kamara

Despite a grillion obstacles last year, Alvin Kamara played shockingly well. Kamara posted his highest yards per carry in three years. He ranked as PFF's RB19, after finishing as RB28, RB31, and RB50 the previous three years.

For Guillotine Leagues™ use, particularly, Kamara brings virtually unparalleled safety because of his remarkable receiving ability that almost ensures double-digit points every week. Last year, he posted 12+ PPR points in 13 of 14 games!

Early Round 3 (3.02) – SF TE George Kittle

I'm getting my tight end squared away now because I think all the safe ones will be gone 35 picks from now. With Brandon Aiyuk out and Jauan Jennings looking iffy for the start of the season, Kittle is going to be a target hog. Getting last year's No. 1 PPR tight end at pick 38 seems like a great value.

Late Round 4 (4.17) – CLE WR Jerry Jeudy

As it turned out, T.J. Hockenson was still on the board for this pick, which is giving me some buyer's remorse about my Kittle selection. A few days ago, I may have chosen Jakobi Meyers here, but with his recent trade demand, I'm nervous that he'll move to a new team and go through a slow acclimation period.

With Jerry Jeudy, I get a player who blossomed once he was unshackled from Deshaun Watson. Once Watson was out of the way, Jeudy scored 12+ PPR points in nine of 10 games, despite the inconsistent quarterbacking of Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Bailey Zappe (two of whom are already out of the league).

Early Round 5 (5.02) – TEN RB Tony Pollard

With Tyjae Spears missing the first month of the season, Pollard will see a massive spike in workload. Last year, in four games without Spears, Pollard averaged 22 carries for 101 rushing yards and three receptions for 16 yards. I don't love his Week 1 matchup in Denver, but Pollard's massive usage should partially mitigate the Broncos strong defense.

Late Round 6 (6.17) – DEN RB J.K. Dobbins

At this point, I'm officially sloughing the quarterback position. The remaining passers are all roughly in the same tier, so there's no point in taking Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott, or Jared Goff, who're all going in this range. I need two flex players, and my first one is J.K. Dobbins, who I expect to get the majority of the Broncos carries.

Let's remember that Dobbins was on pace to be the Comeback Player of the Year through 10 games … before he suffered an MCL sprain in Week 12, missed a month, and wasn't quite the same guy afterwards. Through Week 11, he averaged 4.8 YPC, 72 rushing yards per game, and almost a full touchdown per game. He scored eight TDs in 10 games!

At some point, does Dobbins yield the starting job to RJ Harvey? Probably. But you might have a two-month starter on your team in the meantime.

His first name is J'Kalin, FYI.

Early Round 7 (7.02) – HOU WR Christian Kirk

Christian Kirk is the kind of non-descript player who nobody wants in a regular league but is potentially very helpful in Guillotine Leagues™. Particularly at this stage of the draft, you just want to find a guy who'll get you 10 PPR points each week. As the Texans' No. 2 receiving option (behind Nico Collins, obviously), Kirk has a pretty safe 10-point floor. Five catches for 50 yards sounds like a pretty safe average game for Kirk.

Late Round 8 (8.17) – CAR QB Bryce Young

Carolina's HC, Dave Canales, looks like a wizard. He revived Bryce Young's dying career, turning him into QB15 in the second half of last season. He's got a shockingly deep set of receivers, replete with first- and second-round talents. Importantly for this format, Young should be reliable through the opening month of the year. Carolina has the third-easiest September schedule, based on last year's fantasy points allowed—a flawed metric, but nevertheless a good sign.

Early Round 9 (9.02) – CLE RB Jerome Ford

Weirdly, I'm as excited for this pick as any other in my draft. It's the ninth round of an 18-team draft, and I've just landed an NFL starting running back. Thank you, Quinshon Judkins. Jerome Ford isn't flashy, but he's a perfect example of a solid Guillotine Leagues™ selection. Last year, in five games with at least 10 carries, Ford averaged 15 PPR points! He did it with aerial volume, averaging five catches in those games.

Yes, rookie Dylan Sampson will be a factor in the Cleveland backfield, but more often than not, rookies don't get reliable action for several weeks.

Late Round 10 (10.17) – LV WR Dont'e Thornton

I considered backing up Bryce Young with another quarterback, Sam Darnold probably, but the quarterback position is the easiest to fill down the road. Instead, I'll take a flier on a young, promising rookie receiver, Dont'e Thornton. The possible (probable?) imminent departure of Jakobi Meyers puts Thornton into a starting role in Week 1, even with Amari Cooper newly signed. Thornton is a total wildcard, but we're 179 picks into the draft, so why not fire a dart?