Updated rules August 2023
Intro to the guillotine league/concept - last team standing wins
At the end of a knockout week of the NFL season, two things happen:
-the bottom scoring team from that week gets beheaded (eliminated from the league), and
-that team’s roster is dropped into the free agent pool (leaving their carcass for everyone else to vulture).
Every week, great players will end up hitting free agency. What will your strategy be when an elite player hits free agency?
-Do you stick with your drafted team, because you can’t improve on perfection? Do you hold back money, knowing that each week, increasingly good rosters are going to get eliminated? -Will you bid wildly in your difficult bye weeks? Will you go all in on the first stud that appears?
-Do you shift your roster drastically every week based on match-ups, weather and all kinds of research? Don’t ask me!
Rules/league settings
-Roster is 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX (WR/RB/TE), 1 DST, plus 3 Bench and 1 IR slot.
-Scoring system is PPR, with some big play bonuses (see League Settings for specifics)
Injured Reserve
-You can’t draft a currently injured player to stash on your IR, and then add another player.
-The slot is only for use prospectively (eg .if you draft a currently injured player at the start of the season, he’s on your bench not your IR).
-Anyone healthy that you draft can go on there if they get injured, for as long as they are IR designated on Sleeper.
-Once bidding starts you can bid on available IR players (eg if Davante Adams is on someone’s IR when their team gets knocked out, everyone can bid for them). If you sign an injured player, you can add him to your IR - but remember that the bidding process will be over for the week and you'll not be able to fill their roster spot until the next bidding process
FAAB bidding rules
-Secret bidding only – don’t discuss bid amounts or coordinate bids in any way.
-You can discuss players (eg ‘oh look CMC is available, I am going to bid for him’), you can pretend to be interested in players to try to convince/distract others (eg ‘2021 is Joe Flacco’s year, I’m gonna bid for him no one stop me’). You just can’t discuss bids in a way that directly reveals/spoils anything to do with the secret bidding process.
FAAB bidding system/instructions
-Free agent blind bidding (FAAB) budget will be $100 per the full bidding weeks (eg if final is in week twelve, the budget is $1,200).
-Each team will be given their budget to use over the entire season at the start.
-All bids must be whole dollars amounts, with a minimum of $1. If someone has blown their budget load, and has zero left they can bid $0, but obviously it's impossible to win players others have bid for (unless versus other bankrupt players).
-Highest bid wins. In the event of equal winning bids, Sleeper waiver order will determine the winner.
-There are no maximum bids/total bids in any week, except the budget amount in your account/roster limits. If you make and win multiple bids that are more than your budget, Sleeper processes them in the priority order you set (it automatically prioritises higher value bids, so remember to consider your budget if you win bids because it would prevent your other bids if you can't afford them).
-Sleeper publishes all bid requests for players that get transferred (including losing bids), and remaining budget amounts are visible on the League screen (total transparency).
Example bid, and how its processed (from someone bidding with $100 left)
1) CMC $95 - second highest bid in league. Lost auction.
2) Davante $75 - highest bid in league. Won auction. Gets player for $75.
3) McLaurin $50 - highest bid in league. Won auction, but Sleeper voids your bid since you now don't have $50. Player joins next highest bidder.
4) Fournette $25 - highest bid. Won auction. Get player for $25
5) Wednesday bids concluded - you can't add a player to your team until the next week (*with certain exceptions, listed below)
FAAB bidding system/weekly pattern
Tuesday:
-Sleeper confirms week's official fantasy scores, with any late scoring/yardage adjustments [please, fantasy gods, don't do this!].
-Once confirmed, the losing team is stripped of their players [please help your commissioner and drop your players if you can!].
Wednesday:
-Teams make their bids for the losing teams' (and all other available) players on Sleeper only, by 15:45 BST latest (it locks bidding at a certain time, so don't leave it late)
-Sleeper will resolve the bids at 16:00 BST so you'll have your set roster for the week.
Thursday:
-Remember to set your players in positions, be careful of Thursday Night Football!
Saturday (or equivalent 1 day before a player’s game day):
-If one of your players is reported to have an injury that occurred since the bidding deadline on Wednesday, you have an amnesty/grace to replace them [communicate with commissioner in Sleeper chat].
-Note your amnesty replacements are restricted to players that had no bids all week (ie they weren't in demand).
Sunday (or game day):
-With late announced injuries (eg pulled hammy during the warmup) you can’t change your roster, unfortunately - can't guarantee being available sorting any commissioning admin at that time - make sure you invest in good backups!
Setting out concept/examples
The idea of the game (and the allowed injury amnesty backups) is to encourage the bidding market to be active by rewarding the prepared (and disincentivising the last minute route, so check out injury news!). This is also for admin reasons, so commissioners don't have to do too much!
Example situation
-You have Dalvin Cook carrying an injury 'Questionable' after Wednesday bids, but hope for the best he'll practice and play, so keep them on your roster.
-On Saturday, you hear they are still not practicing (all but 'Out' for the week).
Option #1 - You planned (ideal)
-You simply swap Cook out and play your backup RB (because you were smart and planned for this!) instead.
-You'll still have Cook on your roster the next week if you survive.
Option #2 - You didn't plan (gamble)
-You don't have a backup RB on your roster
-Cook is a 'gametime decision', so it's time to weigh up your 2 options:
1) You risk it, because Cook is so good and you don't want to drop him from your roster. If he doesn't play, you score 0 for that position. You'll still have Cook on your roster the next week if you survive.
2) You decide to play safe, someone is better than noone. So you message the commissioner on Sleeper, confirming you can replace Cook and naming the RB you want to add in Cook's place - restricted to players that had no bids all week (ie they weren't in demand). You won't have Cook on your roster the next week if you survive.
Option #3 - You didn't look til Sunday (screwed, soz)
-Avoid this option! No roster decisions can be made on Sunday. Consider it the commissioners day of rest.