Week 1 Guillotine League Mailbag: Hunter Renfrow, Elic Ayomanor, and More Last-Minute Adds
Looking to fix a few errors on your Guillotine League teams? Jake Nagy has some suggestions!
I have a Buffalo Bills Super Bowl XXVIII shirt I thrifted (in Tampa, Florida, of all places) that has “WE’RE BACK!” blasted across the chest. Below that is the gaudy, peach-themed Super Bowl logo (remember when those were fun?), and further down is a smaller “DEAL WITH IT AMERICA!” It’s so perfectly 90’s (Ed. Note: We found it!). I wear it to commemorate reunions with fellas I haven’t seen in a while or to cheer on the Bills in the playoffs once my Saints have inevitably been eliminated. I’m also wearing it as I write this because football is back. Guillotine Leagues are back. I’m back writing the mailbag for you this year. WE’RE BACK!
I’ll be here once per 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: If I sloughed a position, who are some of your favorite late-round targets or immediate adds to help get me through the first few weeks?
If you sloughed a position, I hope it was quarterback. It’s much more difficult to fill your running back, receiver, tight end, and flex spots early on. Still, there are some fun late-round steals at each position.
Quarterback
Joe Flacco, Guillotine League ADP: 224.5 (Round 12)
In Week 1, Joe Flacco gets a Bengals defense that was historically bad in 2024 and did not meaningfully improve at any position. To make a bad problem worse, they scapegoated defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and hired Al Golden, who’s never called plays at the NFL level. Say what you will about Old Man Flacco, but the last time we saw him in a Browns uniform, he averaged over 20 fantasy points per game. He has challenging matchups after Week 1, which is why I would supplement him with the next guy.
Russell Wilson, GL ADP: 219.8 (Round 12)
Russell Wilson starts his Giants tenure against the old folks home we call the Washington Commanders defense, followed by the now Micah Parsons-less Dallas Cowboys. Sign me up for that action. Wilson should be able to get you through the early weeks with a steady diet of moon balls to Malik Nabers.
Running Back
Chris Rodriguez, GL ADP: 192.6 (Round 10)
The Bill Croskey-Merritt hype train has gone off the rails, giving the Chris Rodriguez hype train a clear track to a peaceful ride through the first few weeks of the season. The Commanders released their Week 1 depth chart, with Austin Ekeler listed as RB1, followed by Jeremy McNichols, Rodriguez, and finally our friend BCM. I’m not buying Ekeler and McNichols as between-the-tackles runners at this stage of their careers, so I’ll bank on some early-down and goal-line work for Rodriguez.
Dameon Pierce, GL ADP: 214.8 (Round 11)
Guaranteed touches are tough to find in the running back doldrums, and Dameon Pierce definitely isn’t guaranteed any touches, but I’m willing to take a chance in a backfield with only Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks to start the season. Pierce has languished for snaps the last couple seasons, but will benefit from transitioning to new Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley’s gap scheme. He’s one Chubb injury away from a high workload.
Wide Receiver
Hunter Renfrow, GL ADP: 215.9 (Round 11)
Remember Hunter Renfrow? If you played Guillotine Leagues with us way back in 2021, you certainly do. The Panthers suddenly find themselves without their top two slot receivers, Adam Thielen and Jalen Coker, to start the season. So, they called up Hunter Renfrow (whose daughter declined so that she could watch Bluey, which is fair), who practiced with the team all throughout camp and will now step into the starting slot receiver role.
Elic Ayomanor, GL ADP: 227.1 (Round 12)
Through the first few weeks of the season, I’m usually against drafting and starting any rookies in my Guillotine League. I’ll make an exception here because Elic Ayomanor is virtually free and offers upside to start the season. The Titans recently listed him as the WR2 behind Calvin Ridley, who’ll draw top coverage from opposing defenses. Week 1 is a perfect example, as Patrick Surtain will be blanketing Ridley, leaving rookie Cameron Ward without his top target in his first career start; he’ll have to look Ayomanor’s way.
Tight End
Cade Otton, GL ADP: 180.6 (Round 10)
Tight end is the worst position to slough in your Guillotine League drafts, because the options get slim quickly. Cade Otton is probably the best consolation prize, as the top tight end in a Buccaneers offense that finds itself short on established receiving talent to start the season.
Juwan Johnson, GL ADP: 222.1 (Round 12)
Hitch your Week 1 wagon to Spencer Rattler at your own peril, but Juwan Johnson is the most established pass catcher Rattler has after Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Arizona’s defense is solid, but not great, so Rattler likely won’t completely implode… right?
Q: If CeeDee Lamb flops against the Cooper Dejean and the Eagles on Thursday, I should definitely spend all my FAAB on him, right? It’s CeeDee Lamb! On Waivers! In Week 2!
That right there is the beauty of the Guillotine League, but I have to be the wet blanket here, unfortunately. The clearest path to victory in a Guillotine League is to save your FAAB budget and, ultimately, have the most money left down the stretch. This answer goes for any of the superstar-caliber players that will inevitably find their way to your league’s waiver wire. Unless you planned on starting Rashee Rice, Tyjae Spears, and Jalen Coker in Week 1, you should save your money.
Guillotine Leagues are a ton of fun, but how can I make them even more fun this season?
I picked up this habit from Charch, but I send my home Guillotine League a Monday morning email recap each week detailing the most likely chop candidates. This always sparks a little trash talk. If the chop candidate is already decided going into Monday, you can have fun roasting their lineup decisions. You can also delegate this responsibility to the person who gets chopped the previous week to get and keep everyone involved!
If your league meets in person frequently (work league, anyone?) the chop-ee could bring in coffee or donuts for all of the survivors each week. Extra incentive to not get chopped early.
On the financial side, I’ve seen leagues where the first chop-ee gets their money back. I’m personally not a fan, since getting chopped in Week 1 is the ultimate failure, but to each their own. You could also have each week’s loser submit a parlay using one of each survivor’s picks. On the other side of that coin, the week’s loser could donate the equivalent of their buy-in to their lowest-scoring player’s affiliated charity.
If you have a fun way to spice up your Guillotine League, let us know!
