Wide Receivers To Upgrade In Guillotine Leagues: Courtland Sutton And More
Paul Charchian dropped his wide receivers who should be ranked higher in Guillotine Leagues than redraft, highlighted by Courtland Sutton and Jauan Jennings.
Hey everyone, it's Charch back again for Round 3, and I'm still the founder and foremost expert in Guillotine Leagues™, the newest, hottest way to play fantasy football. Guillotine League drafts will make the phrase "Avoid the chop!" a part of your vocabulary all season.
Like every fantasy league, winning a Guillotine League starts on draft day. You can definitely recover from a bad draft more easily in a Guillotine League—after all, you can simply spend your way to a better roster. But, a great draft means that you don't have to spend money early, giving you a major late-season advantage.
So, let's take a look at the different decisions I'd make at the wide receiver position with five players whom I value higher in Guillotine League formats than in redraft formats.
WR Upgrades In Guillotine Leagues For 2025
Adam Thielen—Panthers
—55 spots higher than standard league consensus
Everyone knows Bryce Young performed a startling 180-degree improvement over the course of last season. Much of the credit goes to Adam Thielen, who was magnificent with Young upon his return from a hamstring injury. From Weeks 13 forward, Theilen was PFF WR11 and PPR WR20. I vividly recall two astounding, circus catches, the likes of which few players can replicate. The drafting of Tetairoa McMillan doesn't change my outlook for Thielen, who'll enter the season with all the advantages that come with his veteran skill set and a full season under Dave Canales. I worry about Thielen's recurring soft tissue injuries, but remember, in Guillotine you're drafting for September, not December. And Thielen will start the season as Carolina's go-to wideout.
Khalil Shakir—Bills
—33 spots higher than standard league consensus
Last year, overdrafting Khalil Shakir saved my bacon in September and October in almost all my Guillotine Leagues. And even though his ADP is much higher this year, I'm going to overdraft him again. 2024 was his breakout year, roughly doubling his previous year's targets, receptions, and yards. And Shakir is a slippery runner after the catch. Among receivers with more than 50 catches, Shakir finished No. 1 in YAC last year: 8.0 yards! And it was no fluke. The previous year, he was third, behind Deebo Samuel and Tyreek Hill. The Bills rewarded Shakir with a new four-year deal in the offseason, suggesting they plan to further utilize his skill set. He had just two drops last year. Working against Shakir is a low ADOT, just 5.6 yards, one of the shortest in the league. And his lack of end zone targets, with just a 10% end zone target rate.
Jakobi Meyers—Raiders
—26 spots higher than standard league consensus
With Ashton Jeanty on the roster, the Raiders are likely to become one of the most run-heavy teams in the league. And while that caps Jakobi Meyers' upside, he's still a very viable Guillotine asset, particularly for the first two months of the season, when we need a high floor, not a high ceiling. Despite some truly awful quarterbacking last year, Meyers posted double-digit PPR points in nine of the last 11 games. The Raiders drafted a bunch of rookie receivers, but none of them appear ready to dethrone Meyers as the Raiders' workhorse wideout. And Geno Smith is the best passer Meyers has had since Tom Brady!
Courtland Sutton—Broncos
—24 spots higher than standard league consensus
Courtland Sutton is in the conversation as the most "alpha" of any team's receivers. After Sutton, Denver's dropoff at receiver is so severe, the next closest receiver, Devaughn Vele, had less than half as many targets.
In Guillotine, we care a lot about target share, and Sutton's alpha status ensures that he's always getting fed. After Bo Nix started cookin' in Week 6, Sutton averaged 8.5 targets and 5.8 catches per game. From Week 6 forward, Sutton finished as WR12, despite a rookie quarterback, no running game, and a battered offensive line that couldn't set up many long plays. All of those situations should improve this year.
And his big, physical frame makes Sutton an ongoing end zone target. Only Mike Evans averaged more end zone targets per game than Sutton.
Jauan Jennings—49ers
—31 spots higher than standard league consensus
Pretty much everyone believes the Niners offense is going to get a lot better this season, thanks to the return of Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams. But let's not forget, Jauan Jennings looks like the team's go-to wideout, at least to start the season, and likely beyond.
Brandon Aiyuk will be rehabbing from his ACL/MCL tear throughout the summer, is expected to miss training camp, and most people expect him to start the season on the PUP list.
The Niners cut bait on Deebo Samuel, a wise decision if his waistline is any indication of his dedication to the game.
So, San Francisco's starters will be Jennings and Ricky Pearsall. They were the starters in Week 18 last year, when both Aiyuk and Deebo missed the game. A small sample size in a meaningless game helmed by Josh Dobbs, but with promising results for Jennings: 10 targets, 7 catches, 52 yards.
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