Private Guillotine League Rules

General Overview

In a Guillotine League, the lowest-scoring team(s) are eliminated each week. Eliminated team counts vary depending on the specific league configuration. When a team is eliminated, all of its players become free agents. When a team is eliminated, its entire roster of players becomes free agents, eligible to be acquired by the rest of the league.

There are no head-to-head matchups or win/loss records; the league continues until one team remains or a designated playoff format determines the winner. Depending on the chosen cut setting, such as slow chop or double chop, there may be weeks where no teams or multiple teams are eliminated.

Playoff Formats

Two playoff options are available. In the Final Four Playoff (F4) format, the last four teams compete over the league’s final three weeks, and the team with the highest total points during that span is declared the winner. In the Last Man Standing (LMS) format, regular eliminations continue through the final week, and the last remaining team wins.

League Size & Duration

Leagues can include up to 18 teams and may span varying lengths of time. Contest durations can cover the regular season, the postseason, or a combination of both, depending on the league format selected.

Entry Fees

There are no entry fees or winnings in free-to-play contests, and they are available to users in all 50 US states.

Draft Overview

Guillotine League drafts follow a snake (serpentine) format, where the draft order reverses at the end of each round. Drafts are available in either fast or slow formats and consist of 14 total rounds. Prior to and during the draft, you can customize your player rankings and set your draft queue at any time.

Joining a Draft

1. If the league is at least 70% filled but not yet full 10 minutes prior to the scheduled draft time, the system may automatically delay the draft in 10-minute increments up to 30 minutes, to allow additional participants to join. Once the league reaches full capacity, the draft will automatically begin 10 minutes later.
2. If the league does not reach full capacity following the 30-minute delay period, commissioners of private leagues shall have the option to manually start the draft, using the teams that have joined the league to that point. Upon doing so, a 5-minute countdown timer will begin within the draft room before the draft officially commences.
3. If the draft is still not full after 30 minutes from the originally scheduled draft time and no manual start has occurred, the commissioner will be required to choose one of the following options:
   1. a- Reschedule the draft for a future date and time, provided the new time is at least two hours in the future;
   2. b- Select the “Schedule when league is filled” option, which allows the system to assign a draft time no earlier than 1 hour after the league reaches full capacity, and between the hours of 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM ET; this time may be overridden by the commissioner if necessary; or
   3. c- Disband the league, resulting in the cancellation of the contest.

Draft Types

Live (Online) Draft

Draft Timer: 60 seconds per pick or 120 seconds per pick

All live drafts are held in our online draft room that can be accessed on either a mobile device or through the website. You can access the live draft room at any point after signing up for the league, and once your league has filled, the draft order will be randomly generated. When the draft is about to start, a 10-minute countdown begins, and the draft order is confirmed if not already set. During the draft, commissioners can pause, resume, rewind picks, or adjust the draft clock and team selections as needed

If you do not make a pick before the draft timer has expired, the system will select the top-ranked player in your queue. Or if your queue is empty, the top-ranked player from the remaining available player pool will be selected. In addition, if you fail to make picks before the draft timer expires in 2 or more consecutive rounds, you will automatically be placed on auto-draft, which must be manually turned off. Also, if you are late to the draft room for the start of the draft, you will be put on auto-draft, which must be manually turned off upon entering the draft room.

It is your sole responsibility to ensure you make it to the start of your scheduled draft. If you think you may be late or miss your draft entirely, remember to utilize the pre-draft player ranking feature (mentioned above) to ensure you have the best chance to obtain your preferred players.

Slow Draft

Draft Timer: 1 hour, 2 hours, or 6 hours

Slow drafts are held in our same online draft room as live drafts, but the difference is that slow drafts can take days to complete, not hours. Please note, the draft timer will be suspended every night from 12:00 AM ET to 8:00 AM ET. (For those on Pacific Time, note that the clock will resume at 5:00 AM PT, so be sure to have your preferred players in the queue.)

Just like live drafts, you can access your draft room at any point after signing up for your slow draft. Once your league has filled, the draft order will be randomly generated, and you will be emailed your league's draft order and the scheduled start time (generally 1 hour after the league has filled). As you can prior to the start of the draft, you can enter the draft room at any point while your slow draft is in progress, and you will be notified every time you are on the clock (settings can be adjusted on site).

Depending on your league's timer, once the draft has started, you will have either 1, 2, or 6 hours (when on the clock) to make each pick, and you will be able to move players in and out of the queue for reference, or for use with the auto-draft feature.

If you do not make a pick before your timer has expired, the system will select the top-ranked player in your queue. Or if your queue is empty, the top-ranked player from the remaining available player pool will be selected. In addition, if you fail to pick before the draft timer expires in 1 or more consecutive rounds, you will automatically be put on auto-draft, which must be manually turned off.

Post-Draft

Once a draft concludes, participants will receive a summary of their rosters and draft results. Player rosters lock at the start of each player’s scheduled NFL game each week. If a draft finishes after NFL games have already begun for the week, roster locks vary based on game times. For example, if the draft finishes before Sunday at 1:00 PM ET, players from earlier games won’t lock until then. If the draft ends after Sunday at 1:00 PM ET, the league’s scoring won’t begin until the following NFL week.

In-Season Drafts (After TNF)

Players who have already played, such as those in Thursday Night Football, can still count toward weekly scoring, as long as the draft finishes before Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

Any players who began their games before the draft ended can still be moved within rosters up until the Sunday 1:00 PM ET lock. For all others, players lock at the start of their respective NFL games.

Roster Requirements

Rosters will consist of 14 players (8 starters and 6 reserves). Starting lineups must consist of the following:

*NOTE: Players in your starting lineup can be moved from a mandatory positional spot (RB, WR, or TE) to a FLEX spot (and back) after their game(s) have kicked off, but they cannot be moved to your bench in favor of another player (whose game has not started yet).

Scoring Format

Below is the scoring format for all private leagues.

*If a player who primarily plays offense registers an interception on defense (for example, Travis Hunter) and returns it for a touchdown, the player will be credited for the touchdown, but no points are awarded for the interception.

**Offensive players will also be deducted 2 points for fumbles lost on special teams (punt and kick returns) or while playing defense (for example, Travis Hunter).

Stat Corrections

Guillotine Leagues do not allow for the NFL's stat corrections (that occur on the following Thursdays) for the previous week’s games. All weekly stats are considered final after the last game of the current week, typically after Monday Night Football.

Tie Breakers

In the event of a scoring tie at any point in the season (including Week 1), the following tie-breaking criteria will be used:

1. The team with the fewest year-to-date points is eliminated (excludes Week 1).
2. If Step 1 does not break the tie, the team with the starting player who scored the fewest points is eliminated. In the event of a continuing tie, this methodology continues by comparing the second-lowest-scoring player, the third-lowest-scoring player, and so forth until ties are resolved.
3. If still tied, we apply the above system to bench players, starting with a comparison of the lowest-scoring backup.
4. In the unlikely event that there is still a tie, the team with the lower draft position will win the tiebreaker.

Free Agent Acquisition

All free agents are acquired through a blind bidding system using your Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB). Each team begins the season with a $1,000 FAAB. To place a claim, managers must submit a bid of at least $0. Since this is a blind bidding format, no team can see the amount others have bid on a player until after waivers are processed.

Blind Bidding Periods

Before Week 1, three preseason blind bidding windows follow the same cadence as the regular season: Wednesday, September 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM ET; Thursday, September 4, 2025 at 3:00 PM ET; and Sunday, September 7, 2025 at 11:00 AM ET. In-season blind bidding begins after Week 1 results are finalized and continue weekly through Week 18. During this period, the standard three weekly bidding deadlines are Wednesday and Thursday at 3:00 PM ET, and Sunday at 11:00 AM ET.

In Week 13, due to the Thanksgiving schedule, the three bidding periods shift to Wednesday at 3:00 PM ET, Friday at 12:00 PM ET, and Sunday at 11:00 AM ET. If an NFL international game occurs during a Sunday bidding window, players from those teams are not eligible to be added or dropped in that period. This same rule applies to Friday games in Weeks 1 and 13, and Saturday games in Weeks 16 through 18, restricting player movement during those bidding windows.

Players who are dropped during a blind bidding window become eligible to be claimed in the next available blind bidding period. For example, if a player is dropped during the Wednesday bidding period, that dropped player will become available for bidding for the Thursday bidding period.

Free Agent Processing

A player is awarded to the team that submits the highest bid. In the event of a tie, the following criteria will be used:

1. The player is awarded to the team with the lowest total season-to-date points.
2. If a tie still remains, the tiebreaker proceeds to the starting lineup: the team whose lowest-scoring starting player that week had the fewest points will win the bid. If necessary, this comparison continues down the lineup—second-lowest scorer, third-lowest, and so on.
3. If a tie still persists, the team with the lower original draft position wins the bid. Once a tiebreaker is used to award a player, the winning team is moved to the end of the tiebreaker priority list for the rest of the week to allow other teams a chance to win future ties.

First-Come, First-Served Acquisitions

In private leagues, commissioners have the option to enable first-come, first-served (FCFS) acquisitions. If this setting is active, the league will have only one blind bidding period each week, on Wednesday at 3:00 PM ET. After that window closes, all remaining free agents become available on an FCFS basis beginning at 7:00 PM ET that same evening. FCFS adds are allowed until each player's game time kicks off for the week. Once a player’s game begins, that player moves to waivers and is unavailable until the following week’s blind bidding period. FCFS transactions do not cost any FAAB, meaning even teams with $0 remaining can still make pickups. Additionally, if the commissioner has enabled the option, players dropped during FCFS can be re-added within the same week.

Additional Cuts Options Offered

1. Slow chop is available as an optional setting for commissioners to enable in private leagues. Instead of the standard weekly chop, it allows for teams to be eliminated every few weeks. This extends the lifespan of each team, making it ideal for smaller leagues or players who prefer a slower pace.
2. Double chop is available as an optional setting for commissioners to enable in private leagues. This setting allows for multiple teams to be eliminated each week, making it suitable for larger leagues and players who prefer shorter overall seasons.

Additional Waiver Options Offered

1. Vickrey method waivers are available as an optional setting for commissioners to enable in private leagues. With this waiver style, users place blind bids on players, but the winning bidder only pays the amount of the second-highest bid, regardless of the original bid amount. This creates a more strategic bidding environment for users to play.
2. Public bids are available as an optional setting for commissioners to enable in private leagues. Public bids use a live auction bid system for free agent pickups, where all bids are visible to users in real time. Managers are able to react to offers and strategically place bids before the bidding deadline.

Players acquired after games are played

Occasionally, a player may be added to a different NFL roster after his weekly game has already been played. In that situation, the player's production from the game IS used. An example of this is when Zach Ertz was traded to the Cardinals (in 2021) after he had played for the Eagles on Thursday night. In this scenario, the player would get points for both games, is locked at the start of TNF, and cannot be picked up via waivers because of his TNF play.

Forfeited Games

In rare cases, such as a last-minute forfeiture of a Monday night game, roster adjustments may not be possible. If a game is forfeited, no points will be awarded to any players involved, regardless of their status in your lineup. Bench players who have already played cannot be moved into your starting roster retroactively.

Trades

In private leagues, trading may be allowed if enabled by the commissioner, with trade rules and deadlines abiding by the league’s custom settings. All dates and times are subject to change.