The Perfect First Round of a 14-Team PPR Guillotine League Fantasy Football Draft

Guillotine Leagues are a fun way to play fantasy football in a survive-and-advance strategy. A draft will play out differently than many in a risk-averse manner.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) looks to the end zone during the second quarter in an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Guillotine Leagues™ are the newest fun way to get involved in fantasy football. The layout is simple. You will join a league, set your weekly lineup, and the lowest-scoring team of the week will be cut. The goal is to survive through however many weeks your league runs, which will equal one less than the total league size. E.g., An 18-team league will run through Week 17 after two teams remain, and one prevails.

Today, we will project a smaller-sized league which is 14 teams deep. It must be noted that a common strategy in Guillotine Leagues™ is not to finish last. Favor low-risk assets and get to the end. Here is how a first round will realistically pan out.

1st Pick — Bijan Robinson

The top-tier picks span the top names in any fantasy football format. Robinson will go first over Jahmyr Gibbs and Ja'Marr Chase, aligning with Matthew Berry's ranking.

2nd Pick — Ja'Marr Chase

In my projections, Chase has a higher per-game scoring outlook than Gibbs in PPR formats, which we will play today.

Click here for 2026 Printable Fantasy Football Rankings & Projections (Updated August 17)

3rd Pick — Jahmyr Gibbs

I actually have Puka Nacua as the 2nd-best player in fantasy football. Most people do not. A player often argued to go first overall in all formats, Gibbs will go 3rd in this draft.

4th Pick — Amon-Ra St. Brown

St. Brown has lower risk than Nacua, and for that reason, the drafter at 4th overall may rather play it safe with the Lions' star.

5th Pick — Puka Nacua

In theory, if Nacua is not suspended, he is really not high risk. His preseason injury is not expected to risk Week 1 availability. If Nacua is suspended, it is unlikely to be any more than 1-2 games.

6th Pick — Christian McCaffrey

Age and soft-tissue injuries are evident risks in McCaffrey. Nonetheless, he was active throughout 2025, and if he plays all 17 games, McCaffrey may be the RB1 again. Per my projections, McCaffrey would score about 100 more season-long points than anyone else available at 6th overall.

7th Pick — James Cook

The Bills are the NFL's T-1st-rated offense. Cook owns the backfield. Where is the risk? I can't find it...

8th Pick — Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The risk on Smith-Njigba is his change in play-caller. Klint Kubiak is out, but Brian Fleury is in—a graduate of Kyle Shanahan's system. That risk is low for Smith-Njigba, especially given that he can run any route from any spot on the field.

9th Pick — CeeDee Lamb

Opinions vary on Lamb, given that George Pickens is a threat. However, we list that threat as low relative to output. They both should combine to own >60% of the passing offense, which will be top-5 in the NFL, if not the best. Lamb has WR1 status in his range of outcomes.

10th Pick — Jonathan Taylor

The people love Taylor, who is widely considered a top-10 draft pick. No matter what happens in Indianapolis, Taylor will command high volume.

11th Pick — Justin Jefferson

Kyler Murray can provide variable outcomes for Jefferson. One thing remains true — Jefferson is so good that WR1 status is possible.

12th Pick — Chase Brown

Brown is producing numbers as a top-8 running back when Joe Burrow is on the football field. He is my RB6 in PPR formats.

13th Pick — De'Von Achane

Achane's pass-catching involvement makes himinvolvementAchane's especially low-risk on a bad Dolphins team. In a passing script with a poor pass-catching group, Achane will do just fine.

14th Pick — Ashton Jeanty

The 2025 RB11 should surely make the top 10. Jeanty owns heavy volume with a quarterback and coaching upgrade.