We've got 11 weeks are in the books, which means 11 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.
If you’re still reading our weekly Guillotine League missive, congratulations. You’re still alive. You made it to the middle of November.
Now is when the game gets really interesting.
I’ll run through the most commonly-cut players and some FAB advice, as usual, but the strategy becomes more and more context-dependent as we meander through the late stages of the season. And it’s critical that you audit the FAB budgets remaining for your competitors. It’s not unlike poker, where a good player is constantly reevaluating the chip dynamics of the table, who’s deep and who’s thin. Leverage is everything.
[Eliminated or looking for more fun? There's still time to join or create another Yahoo Fantasy Guillotine League]
The waiver wire will be especially rich every week onward, as the cut teams become stronger and stronger. It’s also more plausible to find useful players on the wire for nothing, players who would never be free agents in a casual league. Remember, your manager pool keeps shrinking in size.
You always audit every injury closely, but also pay keen attention to teams on bye. There are still eight NFL teams who have not hit their holiday yet. This has to be factored into your strategy.
Understanding FAB recommendations
Proactive: This means you highly covet this player, perhaps might even need this player. I realize these offers might not win if someone in your league is going all in, but as described above, that can be short-sighted in this format with how much talent is available each week.
Reactive: This means you desire the player but the cost has to make sense for your short- or long-term strategy.
Keep Them Honest: This is an offer 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).
Finally, understand that the FAB recommendations are with the assumption that you won’t be making offers for every available player.
Week 11's top-10 players on eliminated teams
Again, the FAB buckets are an extremely loose guide. Play the hand you’re dealt, and consider what’s around you. You know your league dynamics better than an outsider ever could.
1. Josh Jacobs 32%
Injuries are a killer for any fantasy dream, and especially this late in the Guillotine League season when your opponents have superstar teams, too. With Jacobs uncertain to play for a while, we need to be tempered with our offers.
FAB Recommendation:
$70 proactive
$30 reactive
$15 keep them honest
2. Justin Herbert 28%
The Jacksonville matchup was a good one on paper, but the crumbling Los Angeles offensive line couldn’t protect Herbert. It’s been a messy year at quarterback league-wide, hasn’t it?
FAB Recommendation:
$40 proactive
$18-20 reactive
$5 keep them honest
3. Ashton Jeanty 27%
As fantasy managers gradually build superteams in Guillotine Leagues, players like Jeanty are no longer automatic starts. At least his receiving work has ticked up since the Las Vegas bye.
FAB Recommendation:
$45 proactive
$20 reactive
$10 keep them honest
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown 27%
Forever a consistent asset, the Sun God was eclipsed by a nasty Philly defense and an ugly performance from Jared Goff. Take heart, Detroit fans, the team stays indoors for the next six weeks.
FAB Recommendation:
$90 proactive
$45 reactive
$25 keep them honest
5. Jonathan Taylor 26%
The bye week is a fact of life for everyone. Taylor’s schedule gets harder over the next six weeks, but he’s proven he can post crooked numbers against anyone.
FAB Recommendation:
$250 proactive
$210 reactive
$150 keep them honest
6. Lamar Jackson 25%
Cleveland’s defense is not to be messed with. But you’ll love the next four weeks on Baltimore’s schedule: Jets, Bengals, Steelers, Bengals again. Yahtzee.
FAB Recommendation:
$80 proactive
$40 reactive
$20 keep them honest
7. Ja'Marr Chase 25%
He had his worst game in two months against a gettable Pittsburgh secondary, and now he’s looking at a possible one-game suspension (under appeal). I’m still going to place a proactive bid on him, if it’s available to me.
FAB Recommendation:
$235 proactive
$200 reactive
$140 keep them honest
8. Ladd McConkey 21%
The Chargers don’t force the ball to any isolated target, and the offensive line injuries shipwrecked the entire offense at Jacksonville. McConkey is still in the weekly conservation for traditional leagues, but this late in the Guillotine League season, you need stronger starters.
FAB Recommendation:
$30 proactive
$10-12 reactive
$2-4 keep them honest
9. Emeka Egbuka 21%
He’s been so reliable this year, it’s impressive to list 5-40-0 (on nine targets) as a bad game. Still, Egbuka has just one spike in five weeks and Tampa Bay’s usage tree is about to widen, with Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin closing in on returns.
FAB Recommendation:
$50 proactive
$20-22 reactive
$5-8 keep them honest
10. Saquon Barkley 21%
Regression has hit Barkley hard in 2025, and he has just one finish inside the top 20 over his past five games. Dallas and Chicago look like fun matchups the next two weeks, but Barkley’s monstrous 2024 season feels like it was five years ago.
FAB Recommendation:
$155 proactive
$115 reactive
$65 keep them honest