If you're looking to spin up a new Guillotine league–which you can do for free here–these are three quick tips for the format:

1. Prioritize early-season production. As someone who loves prioritizing back-weighted production in fantasy, this requires a big mental shift. Instead of loading your team with young players who peak late into the season, stuff your team with projectable volume. RBs with guaranteed workloads get a boost in this format.

2. Optimize your starting lineup. Because you can't afford a slow start in this format, make sure you aren't punting any position. Prioritize locking in solid starters at every position, especially TE. Late TEs are notoriously liable to put up a bagel, so make sure you are locking up one of the Top 10 options.

3. Floor matters more than ceiling. In most fantasy leagues, first place is all that matters. In this league, not finishing last each week is all that matters. This means we should prioritize floor–projectable volume, role, spot on the depth chart–more than upside. 

For more Guillotine strategy tips on how to put your leaguemates on the chopping block, check out Paul Charchian's latest guide.

What else is in today’s newsletter?

1. Dwain McFarland’s Utilization Report returns.

2. WATERCOOLER: Draft strategy for picking between 1.01 and 1.04.

UTILIZATION REPORT: Preseason Week 1

by Dwain McFarland

The preseason is just the tip of the iceberg when trying to figure out what will happen in the upcoming fantasy football season. It is a portion of a much larger picture that isn't visible to us that we can see, so we tend to overanalyze (yes, I am looking in the mirror).

Because of that, we want to be careful with how much emphasis we place on preseason play, but when paired with other clues – i.e., draft capital, mini-camp and training camp reports, coaching interviews, etc. – it can be helpful in the right cases.

With all that in mind, below are the biggest storylines of Week 1 in preseason and what they mean for fantasy football.

If you want the full breakdown of every takeaway from the weekend beyond my top 10 below – check them out here.

1. Brian Thomas Jr. and Keon Coleman are TRENDING UP

Brian Thomas Jr. played 100% of the snaps with the starters. He wasn't targeted by Lawrence but pulled down a 42-yard reception from Beathard on the third drive to finish his night. 

The Jaguars have some nice receiving options, but none of them are alphas, which leaves room for the first-round NFL Draft pick to emerge in a big way as a rookie. Thomas is one of my favorite targets in fantasy drafts.

Keon Coleman led the Bills with a 100% route participation over the first two drives with the starters. He delivered a 27% target share. I have Coleman projected for 80% route participation this season, with Mack Hollins (who didn't play) taking away some work, but this is still an encouraging sign for the rookie. He has the most unknown upside of any Bills pass catcher and goes outside the top 100 picks on most sites.

2. Two rookie QBs offer upside at a discount

Caleb Williams played 18 snaps and dropped back to pass eight times on two drives. He completed four of seven passes for 95 yards and added 13 rushing yards on a scramble.

Williams looked impressive, converting a third and 12 to DJ Moore, keeping a screen alive with what looked like a no-look pass to D'Andre Swift that went for 42 yards and a sick throw rolling to his right that found Cole Kmet for 26 yards. 

We shouldn't overreact to the preseason (i.e., Sam Howell and Kenny Pickett last season), but Williams made plays we don't see every day. He had an easy check-down option on the long third-down conversion but knew what he needed to get the first and fired away. Williams offers as much upside as any QB going outside the top 12 in fantasy drafts.

Jayden Daniels played the first drive, which included 11 snaps and three dropbacks. He completed two of three passes for 45 yards – including a 42-yard dime – and took a designed rushing attempt for a score from the three-yard line.

Daniels remains one of my favorite draft targets, but we will see if this performance pushes him up the draft boards.

RELATED CONTENT:

• Every takeaway you need to know from Week 1 of the preseason.

• Dwain also walks you through his QB draft strategy for 2024.

The best sweat in fantasy football

Guillotine Leagues is fantasy football, with a twist or two...

It’s simple:

• Create and draft like any league

• Each week the lowest-scoring team is eliminated

• Their entire roster becomes free agents

• An all-out FAAB war ensues

• Survive each week and be crowned champion

Guillotine Leagues is completely free to play and since it is points-based, you can start your league at any point during the season.

But why wait? Now is the perfect time to start your first Guillotine League!

Available on both iOS and Android Apps.

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:

📊 Drafting between 1.01 and 1.04 this season? Your perfect strategy awaits.

👶 Rookies were on full display in Week 1 of the preseason. What we learned from these 21 NFL newcomers.

😅 Huge relief on the Malik Nabers injury scare. Phew.

🚨ICYMI: These ADPs are set to rise or fall based on preseason performance.

🍬 Wait, Keenan Allen weighs how much? Don’t love that.

🏃 Tyreek Hill says he’d beat who in a race? Idk, man.

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