Guillotine League Week 9 Waiver Wire Options & FAAB Breakdown

Welcome to the Week 9 guillotine column, where I go through the top players from the teams that got axed last week, focusing on the waiver wire and FAAB strategies.

Injuries are continuing to pile up so it's likely many of you are scrambling to get replacements from chopped rosters, and we also have two teams resting this week (49ers & Steelers). As we near double-digit NFL weeks it’s time to switch the focus towards more elite players and cut loose some of the middle-of-the-road guys who were fine starters in those early weeks but could sink you now. Teams are strengthening and those cut lines are getting higher.

Before I get into Week 9, here’s some pertinent information on guillotine leagues.

How it works:

• Set up and draft your team just like traditional fantasy football
• Each week the lowest-scoring team gets eliminated
• All of the players from the eliminated team become free agents
• A weekly FAAB bidding war starts among the remaining teams
• Survive the chop and be crowned champion

Because it's a survivor-style format, you can start leagues any week of the season for as long as you want!

Get in now!

This week’s chopped list features some monsters as injury once again took its toll on teams across the guillotine landscape.
Here are the top 10 players chopped across all positions and the percentage of leagues where they were axed.

Quarterback

There were twice as many QBs among the top 50 chopped players as there were last week.

Jordan Love suffered a groin injury but it’s mild enough that he’s considered day-to-day. The Packers are off in Week 10 so they may sit the starter in favor of Malik Willis this week, or they could decide that this contest against the Lions is too important to put the ball in the latter’s hands. He’s risky, but if you’re interested in Love, don’t spend more than $20.

Josh Allen and Jayden Daniels are the only other QBs that are worth spending any FAAB for unless you have to replace Brock Purdy and want to do it inexpensively. Both guys are worth $75-$100.

Standard Waiver QBs

As I mentioned above, if you need to replace Purdy or Love and want to get by with the least money spent here are a few options with plus matchups.

• Matthew Stafford (79.6% available) -$10
• Bo Nix (73.4% available) -$15
• Derek Carr (90% available) - $2

Running Backs

Within the Top 50 most chopped players, 17 of them were RBs in Week 8, down just one from 18 last week.

The RB room in San Francisco is more complicated than we’d like. Jordan Mason left Sunday night’s contest very early and wound up chopped at the highest rate (23.2%) among all players. He suffered a setback with his shoulder but is considered day-to-day and will likely be back after the 49ers bye in Week 10. Isaac Guerendo filled in admirably in his absence and then, of course, there’s Christian McCaffrey, who may suit up as well. It’s a lot to deal with and at this point in the guillotine season, he may not be worth an add. If you still want him, $10-$15 seems right.

Kenneth Walker is the RB5 in PPR scoring on a per-game basis in 2024 and has been solid, considering he’s only averaging 16.8 touches per game which sits 21st among RBs. His only ding is a Week 10 bye, but the Seattle rusher is worth the add considering how shallow the RB pool is in terms of health and consistency. Walker is worth one of the larger bids this week, somewhere in the $200-$225 range.

Breece Hall was the third-most axed RB last week and he’s likely here due to having just one catch against the Patriots. Before Week 8, Hall was averaging 4.6 receptions per tilt with 13.6 carries and should continue to see high usage moving forward. Consider Hall similar to Walker in FAAB amount, maybe a little more if you think your league mates will spend up for the New York RB.

Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry also made the top 50 list and should be pretty expensive this week. Both guys are in the top 3 in PPR points and are consistently getting massive volume, as the fifth (Henry) and sixth (Barkley) in touches among ball carriers this season. Barkley has already had his bye week and has a glorious remaining schedule, with just one defensive unit ranking above 17th in RB aFPA out of 10 games. Henry still has a bye on the horizon in Week 14 but that should not deter anyone from going after the King. It will likely take bids of $325-$375 for these elite backs.

Standard Waiver RBs

There aren’t any sneaky adds this week at RB but these guys were chopped at just under the rate of the ones I already covered.

• Jahmyr Gibbs - $75
• David Montgomery - $65
• James Conner - $50
• Kareem Hunt - $45

Wide Receivers

Twenty WRs were among the 50 most chopped players after the Week 8 games finished.

Drake London is averaging 8.5 targets per game which is WR11 in that category after eight contests. He’s scored a touchdown in three of the last four matchups and has two opponents on tap who have been plagued by injury in the Cowboys and Saints. The Falcons do have a bye coming up in Week 12 and despite the dud last week that earned him the top-chopped WR moniker, London is worth $100 - $125.

Last week’s 2-7-1 line for Amon-Ra St. Brown is not something we are accustomed to seeing and the WR was on 15.9% of chopped teams as a result. With so many mouths in that Lions offense, it’s tough to feed them all every week, even when you score 52 points. This week should be a get-right one against the Packers and hopefully, you can buy any dip leftover from last week’s contest. With his bye in the past, St. Brown should go in the $275-$300 range this week.

The Amari Cooper excitement in Buffalo was short-lived as he saw just two targets in his second game with the Bills, after just five the week before. Khalil Shakir is healthy and Keon Coleman is coming into his own, leaving not much room for the new addition after the heavy run game. There could be better days ahead for Cooper but Buffalo’s remaining schedule features six defensive units that rank 15th or better in WR aFPA in 2024. If you want to roll the dice, throw $15 his way.

A.J. Brown was kept out of the end zone for the first time in 2024 last week but is one of the safest WRs in the NFL from a fantasy perspective. The Eagles have dates with some of the softest defenses in WR aFPA coming up, including Jacksonville (31st), Washington twice (23rd), Baltimore (32nd), and Carolina (25th). Brown will garner at least $300 in FAAB.

Standard Waiver WRs

• Calvin Ridley (63.1% available)
• Xavier Legette (77.5% available)
• Cedric Tillman (83.6% available)

Tight Ends

Just four TEs were among the most chopped players last week but as we all know by now, it was National TE Day/Week.

It was a modest week for Brock Bowers but he did catch all five of his targets for 58 yards. His one single touchdown this season is not ideal, but he's as safe as they come at the position in 2024 as he leads all TEs in targets, receptions, and yards. If you want to lock down the position, the rookie is worth $75-$100.

Standard Waiver TEs

• Cade Otton (35.9% available) -$5

For even more guillotine information from the man who invented the format Paul Charchian, check out the podcast Chop: The Guillotine League Podcast.