How Much FAAB to Bid in a Guillotine League: Real Prices
By Patrick · Survive The Chop ·
For most players, very little. The few stars cut each week cost a lot early and much less later. In Weeks 2 to 6, a typical league's most expensive player sold for 40% to 50% of the starting FAAB budget. On a $1,000 budget, that's $400 to $500. By Week 12 it was about 10%, or $100.
Those are what winners paid, not what we'd bid. Below are real prices by week and position from Sleeper guillotine leagues, then how we decide what to bid.
Most claims cost almost nothing
In Weeks 2 to 8, about 4 in 10 winning bids cost 1% of the starting budget or less. About 2 in 3 cost 5% or less. Only about 1 in 7 cost 20% or more. That was true in both 2025 and 2026.
In a typical league, the 10th most expensive player each week sold for about 1% or less. That held all season. The real decisions are the 2 or 3 players each week that a lot of teams want.
What the most expensive players cost each week
Prices hold through about Week 6, then fall fast. Fewer teams are left, and they have less FAAB to spend. Week 1 waivers run before anyone is cut, so there's little to buy. In 2025, the most expensive Week 1 claim in a typical league cost under 1% of the budget.
| Waiver week | Most expensive, 2025 | 3rd most expensive, 2025 | Most expensive, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | 42% | 16% | 40% |
| Week 3 | 50% | 18% | 43% |
| Week 4 | 45% | 20% | 45% |
| Week 5 | 44% | 18% | 47% |
| Week 6 | 42% | 15% | Not yet |
| Week 7 | 35% | 13% | Not yet |
| Week 8 | 30% | 10% | Not yet |
| Week 9 | 28% | 9% | Not yet |
| Week 10 | 22% | 7% | Not yet |
| Week 11 | 15% | 4% | Not yet |
| Week 12 | 10% | 2% | Not yet |
| Week 13 | 7% | 2% | Not yet |
| Week 14 | 5% | 1% | Not yet |
| Week 15 | 2% | Under 1% | Not yet |
| Week 16 | Under 1% | Under 1% | Not yet |
| Week 17 | Under 1% | Under 1% | Not yet |
Each number is the median across leagues, as a share of the starting budget. On a $1,000 budget, 45% is $450.
What players sell for by position
This table groups players by their rest-of-season rank at their position when they were claimed. A top-3 running back was one of the 3 best running backs for the rest of the season.
| Player | Weeks 2 to 4 | Weeks 5 to 8 | Weeks 9 to 12 | Weeks 13 to 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top-3 running back | 60% | 54% | 23% | 3% |
| Running back ranked 4 to 6 | 50% | 39% | 18% | 1% |
| Running back ranked 7 to 12 | 35% | 29% | 7% | Under 1% |
| Running back ranked 13 to 24 | 20% | 10% | 2% | Under 1% |
| Top-3 receiver | 55% | 35% | 18% | 2% |
| Receiver ranked 4 to 6 | 40% | 30% | 12% | 1% |
| Receiver ranked 7 to 12 | 25% | 19% | 5% | Under 1% |
| Receiver ranked 13 to 24 | 15% | 10% | 1% | Under 1% |
| Top-3 tight end | 21% | 11% | 5% | Under 1% |
| Tight end ranked 4 to 6 | 8% | 10% | 1% | Under 1% |
| Tight end ranked 7 to 12 | 5% | 1% | Under 1% | Under 1% |
| Top-3 quarterback | 22% | 17% | 3% | Under 1% |
| Quarterback ranked 4 to 6 | 8% | 5% | Under 1% | Under 1% |
| Quarterback ranked 7 to 12 | 3% | 1% | Under 1% | Under 1% |
Weeks 2 to 4 use 2026 prices. Later weeks use 2025, the most recent full season. Quarterback prices come from one-quarterback leagues only.
In Week 5 this season, top players sold for more than they did in Weeks 5 to 8 of 2025. Check the latest prices before you bid.
How much we'd bid
Market prices tell you what you're up against. They don't tell you what a player is worth to your team. Early in the season, we usually wouldn't pay what the top players sell for. Here's how we decide.
Start with what the player does for your roster. A player who would start for you every week is worth more than one who would sit on your bench. A backup at a spot you've already filled is worth little to you, whatever he sells for.
Think in shares of the FAAB you have left. For a top-5 running back or receiver, our bid starts at about a fifth of your remaining FAAB. It changes with your roster and your league.
Keep most of your budget early. In 2025, some teams spent 40% or more of their budget in one of the first 3 waiver runs. Those teams won their league about a third less often than other teams. Why our FAAB bids look low has the details.
Bid what he's worth to you, even if it's below the market. Waiver bids are blind, and not every league has a big spender. If you lose, cheaper players often fill the same spot. You don't need to win every auction to build the best team.
Spend more when the chop is close. A starter now can keep you alive.
Spend more late in the season. FAAB you still have when your league ends is worth nothing. By Week 12 in 2025, the FAAB a team had left no longer helped predict the champion.
This week's prices
Our weekly FAAB price report shows what each commonly claimed player sold for in the latest waiver run. Each week's FAAB guide says who we'd target and what we'd bid.
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About this data
Prices come from winning waiver bids in Sleeper guillotine leagues connected to Survive The Chop. That's 202 leagues in 2025 and 461 so far in 2026. We used leagues with a FAAB budget and without individual defensive players. For each player, we used the last winning bid in each league that week. We measured it as a share of that league's starting budget.
For each week, we found each league's most expensive and 3rd most expensive claim. The weekly table shows the median of those across leagues. The position table shows the median price for each group.
Position ranks are where a player ranked at his position for the rest of the season when he was claimed. Many claims from early 2025 are missing that rank, so the position table uses 2026 for Weeks 2 to 4.
Most of these leagues have 18 teams. Prices in 18-team leagues were close to these numbers, and a little higher late in the season.
2026 prices cover Weeks 2 to 5 so far. We'll add more weeks as the season goes on.