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Seven weeks are in the books, which means seven managers in your Yahoo Fantasy Guillotine Leagues presented by Liquid Death are no longer around. It’s a wicked game, isn’t it? Of course, it’s wickedly fun when you’re on the good side of things.

Every week I’ll examine the most common NFL players on those cut teams and try to figure out where the puck is headed. I will also offer some FAB advice ($1,000 cap is the Yahoo default), but please remember this area is highly context-sensitive and manager-specific.

Waiver strategy in Guillotine Leagues

For the first six weeks, I used this space to talk up the long game. I like to trust myself (and my depth) in the early weeks, and take heart that it’s not that difficult to beat just one team when the league is still large.

The rules are starting to shift now. Seven of your opponents are checked out for the year. And the meatiest bye week of the season — six teams don’t play this week! — is staring us right in the face. And of course the injuries keep coming in the NFL, part of why these games are so challenging, and downright cruel at times.

[Eliminated or looking for more fun? There's still time to join or create another Yahoo Fantasy Guillotine League]

Understanding FAB recommendations

I’ll still offer bidding in three buckets, and you’ll need to season the recommendations to taste. You know your context and league habits better than an outsider would. But just know the immediacy has stepped up a bit. I still think it’s a mistake to spend all of your money in the present — the wire gets stronger and stronger in every passing week — but I also understand the gravity at hand. So don’t be afraid to get in there with some competitive bids, especially if your available options are a little better than the collection of names you find below.

My weekly FAB recommendations will come in three buckets:

Proactive: This means you highly covet this player, perhaps might even need this player. I realize these offers might not win if someone in your league is lighting money on fire, but as described above, that can be a short-sighted mistake in this format. With the bye weeks ramping up, I would consider a proactive bid more than I did previously. 

Reactive: This means you desire the player but the cost has to make sense for your short- or long-term strategy.

Keep Them Honest: This is an offer that is not designed to win, but might surprisingly land a player if your opponents are distracted by other talent available or unexpectedly passive that week. I often compare notes with other experienced Guillotine League players and we’re surprised at how often the Keep Them Honest bids actually win (this is also a portable strategy for regular season-long leagues; you never know when strange market behavior will come about).

Finally, understand that the FAB recommendations are with the assumption that you won’t be making offers for every available player.

Week 7's top-10 players on eliminated teams

Let’s examine the most-cut players and formulate some bidding strategy.

1. Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles (18%)

He’s having the worst non-injured season of his career, and it’s a mixture of things. The line hasn’t been as good, and Barkley isn’t hitting the second level on many runs. Maybe a revenge game against the Giants will get things popping, though Barkley had just 67 total yards against them two weeks ago. Barkley wouldn’t be a first-round pick if we redrafted today.

FAB Recommendation:

• $175 proactive

• $120 reactive

• $50-70 keep them honest

2. Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jaguars (17%)

It was Travis Hunter who took over in the second half last week, and now the Jaguars slide into their Week 8 bye. A second-round pick in most leagues, Thomas lags as the WR33 in points per game. When does a bad start become a bad season? We might be there with Thomas.

FAB Recommendation:

• $90 proactive

• $45 reactive

• $20 keep them honest

3. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Raiders (17%)

The Raiders hit a new low in the Week 7 loss at Kansas City — three first downs and 95 yards of offense. Hopefully Las Vegas can spend the bye week figuring out how to utilize Jeanty as a receiver, something that’s been lacking thus far.

FAB Recommendation:

• $100 proactive

• $50 reactive

• $25 keep them honest

4. Drake London, WR, Falcons (17%)

Variance is a fact of life with receivers, and London crashed down to WR46 after WR2 and WR6 showings. Miami is an appealing draw for Week 8, and London’s bye week is already past.

FAB Recommendation:

• $210 proactive

• $140 reactive

• $75-90 keep them honest

5. Nico Collins, WR, Texans (16%)

C.J. Stroud’s poor play has kept Collins down this year, and now we have to worry about the fourth-quarter concussion Collins suffered at Seattle on Monday.

FAB Recommendation:

• $140 proactive

• $100 reactive

• $55 keep them honest

6. Baker Mayfield, WR, Buccaneers (16%)

He had his worst game of the year at Detroit, a mixture of poor throws and wide receiver injuries. Mayfield can get back on track at New Orleans, but it stings to lose alpha WR Mike Evans to a broken collarbone. 

FAB Recommendation:

• $110 proactive

• $70 reactive

• $25 keep them honest

7. Sam LaPorta, TE, Lions (16%)

After a couple of TE4 finishes, LaPorta downgraded to a small role in the win over Tampa Bay. He’s part of the jumbo-sized bye package in Week 8, so he’s a wait-for-it commodity.

FAB Recommendation:

• $80 proactive

• $40 reactive

• $10 keep them honest

8. Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints (15%)

It hasn’t been a fun year for older running backs, though Kamara might be needed more now that Kendre Miller is out for the season. Just be aware that Kamara is averaging just 3.9 yards per touch, easily a career low.

FAB Recommendation:

• $80 proactive

• $40 reactive

• $10 keep them honest

9. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Dolphins (15%)

After two fruitful weeks for Waddle, things collapsed against the nasty Cleveland defense. Things should be better against Atlanta, though struggling QB Tua Tagovailoa is difficult to trust.

FAB Recommendation:

• $100 proactive

• $50 reactive

• $25 keep them honest

10. Jared Goff, QB, Lions (14%)

His efficiency stats remain excellent, but the Lions aren’t playing pinball as often this year — Detroit ranks 30th in pass-play percentage. The Lions have a challenging schedule after the Week 8 bye, which might actually be good for Goff’s fantasy potential.

FAB Recommendation:

• $90 proactive

• $50 reactive

• $15 keep them honest

You've almost made it to the midway point of the fantasy football season. Good on you. If you're still riding high with the quarterback you drafted, also good on you. If not, you're probably deep in the streaming pool or dealing with an injury or two. You also may be in need of a replacement with six teams — the Lions, Raiders, Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks and Jaguars — on bye in Week 8. Not to fear. Here are some good fantasy football streaming options at QB this week courtesy of Justin Boone's weekly waiver wire column.

Fantasy Football Week 8 QB Streamers

Jaxson Dart, Giants vs. Eagles (42% rostered on Yahoo)

Yes, Dart is still widely available in Yahoo leagues. We're as surprised as you are. The rookie QB has burst onto the fantasy seen since becoming the full-time starter in Week 4. He was the QB3 in Week 7 behind 283 yards passing and three TDs, while adding 11 rushing yards and another score for 29.42 fantasy points. That was against one of the top defenses in the NFL in the Broncos. On the road, no less. It was also just a few weeks ago when Dart posted 23.6 FP against this same Philly defense he'll face in Week 8.

Dart isn't just a great streaming option this week — he's looking like he's going to be a good play for the rest of the season. 

Joe Flacco, Bengals vs. Jets (12% rostered)

Flacco has played well in two starts since joining the Bengals via trade from the Browns. This past week, he finished as the QB6 in fantasy after throwing for 342 yards and three TDs against the Steelers. That netted him nearly 26 fantasy points. The matchup vs. New York is very solid as the team is reeling at 0-7 on the season. The spread would also suggest Cincy shouldn't run away with this game, which is a plus. Flacco isn't a bad play in deeper formats. 

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Michael Penix Jr., Falcons vs. Dolphins (24% rostered)

Of course in a week where you likely need to stream someone there are plenty of great QBs to pick from. Penix and the Falcons take on a Miami team that just got nearly shut out by the Cleveland Browns. The only concern with firing up Penix is that Atlanta could just feed Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier all game considering how bad Miami has been vs. RBs this season. But you'd think Penix gets a few deep shots in and his floor feels pretty good this week. 

Aaron Rodgers, Steelers vs. Packers (28% rostered)

You've got to think Rodgers gets up for this game going up against his former team in the Packers in primetime. A-Rod has thrown for four TDs in two games so far this season, so he isn't completely washed. Green Bay has also had issues in the secondary and let Jacoby Brissett post a 110.8 passer rating in Week 7. You could do worse than Rodgers as a replacement QB this week.