How To Apply the Utilization Score to Guillotine Leagues — and More from the Mailbag!

I’ll be here once a week answering questions from you, the readers. If you have a specific Guillotine-related question you want answered in this column, shoot me a tweet @jakenagy98 on the former Twitter.

Q: How can I apply the Week 1 Utilization Report to my Guillotine Leagues™️?

For my money, the Utilization Report (presented by DraftKings) is the single most helpful tool in all of Fantasy Football. Dwain does a great job breaking down the key takeaways in his weekly column, but how can we apply this to our Guillotine Leagues™️?

At a high level, we can interpret utilization the same way we would in our “normal” leagues. Players have to have the ball in their hands in order to score points. Due to the consequences of your players not getting the ball, this is even more critical in a Guillotine League. As the season goes along, you should strive to have as many guys with 80+ Utilization Scores in your lineup. Below, I’ll outline some player-specific points, with the disclaimer that we’re only working with one week of data, so we must consider the possibility of outliers.

Here are some commonly available players that should be rostered in Week 2, and can be started in a pinch, based upon their Week 1 utilization:

• Dylan Sampson: Sampson saw a target on over half of his routes, and thus notched the highest Utilization Score of the Browns backfield by far. Quinshon Judkins is expected to enter the fold this week, but I like Sampson’s head start.
• Elic Ayomanor: Ayomanor failed to deliver in the box score despite his team-leading aDoT and air yards share, but if you’re desperate this week, he did notch the second-highest Utilization Score of any Titans pass catcher last week. I’ll note the Rams are a tough matchup.
• Harold Fannin Jr.: Fannin’s 65% route participation is troubling, but his 88 Utilization Score indicates a concerted effort by Kevin Stefanski to get the ball in his hands. With 17 teams still remaining in a standard Guillotine League, there probably are not 16 better options at tight end.

Here are some players who were likely in Week 1 starting lineups who should be benched in Week 2 based upon their Week 1 Utilization:

• Braelon Allen: So much for that timeshare plan. Allen posted a 24 Utilization Score compared to Breece Hall’s 70. Allen is purely a handcuff, but worth rostering still.
• Matthew Golden: The Packers receiving corps remains crowded, so much so that Golden’s Utilization Score trailed three fellow receivers and, on the whole, five fellow skill players. Golden should sit on benches until he can overtake two of Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, or Jayden Reed.
• Adam Thielen: I had hoped that Thielen could make an immediate impact in his Vikings return, but his Utilization Score trailed five Vikings skill players. He should not be started until we see more from him or if the Minnesota receiving core thins out even more.
• Mark Andrews: See above. Every underlying metric was brutal.

Q: What are your thoughts on Week 1’s most chopped players?

A: The most chopped players in Week 1 were:

1. Ja’Marr Chase
2. A.J. Brown
3. Joe Burrow
4. Bo Nix
5. Nico Collins
6. Joe Mixon
7. Xavier Worthy
8. Mark Andrews
9. Amon-Ra St. Brown
10. Rashee Rice

A handful of these guys were chopped in my leagues. I won’t be bidding on any of them. Seriously. Charch penned a sweet season-long strategy for FAAB spending, and the key tenant is that we want to save our money in September. You should be bidding no more than $75 on these guys, just in case they fall through the cracks; yes, even the consensus Guillotine Leagues™ 1.01 Ja’Marr Chase.

I’m not worried at all about Chase, Nico Collins, nor Amon-Ra St. Brown. Bad games happen, and I’m confident each of their offenses will bounce back from poor showings last week. Go get these guys if you’re absolutely desperate, but don’t go crazy.

I have concerns about A.J. Brown, but none of them are new. Going into the season, we knew that Brown’s weekly floor would be compromised by Philly’s run-heavy offense and average quarterback play. I would not spend much on him at this point in the season.

We as a fantasy football collective have reached a bowel-loosening level of existential dread regarding Mark Andrews. A 6% target share is not going to cut it; he’s no longer a focal point of Baltimore’s offense. I would not roster him.

I personally do not spend money on quarterbacks until I absolutely have to, so I will not be bidding on Joe Burrow or Bo Nix. Unless you’re rocking Spencer Rattler, Russell Wilson, or a similarly sketchy passer, let someone else blow their money on a quarterback.

Joe Mixon and Rashee Rice should not be rostered. Let me say that again. Joe Mixon and Rashee Rice should not be rostered. They definitely should not have FAAB spent upon them. They will continue to show up on this list so long as they are not playing, and you will have more chances to scoop them up much closer to when they actually start to see the field (if at all, in Mixon’s case). You’re much better off rostering handcuff running backs (Bhayshul Tuten, anyone?) so that you suddenly have a top-24 rusher on your hands should the starter miss time.

Tuesday's CHOP got into the most-chopped players a little deeper, too. It's a fun show!

Q: I have George Kittle and am desperate at Tight End. What should I do?

This is a tough break for Kittle managers; tight end is arguably the most pivotal position in Guillotine Leagues. There’s a decent chance T.J. Hockenson or even Trey McBride were chopped in your league. 

We err on the side of not spending big on those guys early, but if you feel like you have to in order to stay alive, I won’t fault you. If you want to go cheap, I mentioned Fannin above. Michael Mayer is also worth a shot. Even if Brock Bowers suits up, Mayer was playing more in single tight end personnel groupings because he’s a better blocker. We’ll see if that continues through the season, but I’d bet it will this week with Bowers a little gimpy. 

Of all people, Juwan Johnson posted the highest Utilization Score of any player in Week 1, so definitely scoop him up if he’s on your waiver wire.