What You Need to Know in a Salary Cap League

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The Salary Cap Roundtable Series

Joining a salary cap league can be intimidating for even a seasoned fantasy football player. Fortunately, the Footballguys staff has experience in this format and will help you. Over the summer, we'll cover various topics ranging from basic to advanced strategies.

For someone without much salary cap experience, what are some essential concepts a beginning salary cap drafter needs to know before they get in their salary cap room?

Drew Davenport

The first thing to remember is that salary cap drafting is more of an emotional experience than normal snake drafts. This year you won't get the chance to draft Jonathan Taylor and Cooper Kupp on the same team in a normal draft. But in a salary cap draft, you can. It's a heady feeling and you can get overexcited at the beginning of the draft. Controlling that emotion and that adrenaline spike is important to having success. Stick to your plan and don't blow your money in the first couple of rounds of nominations. But, if you get overexcited and spend too much or make a mistake, don't let it ruin your whole draft. Tell yourself that at times you'll do things in a salary cap draft that feel like a mistake, or that you regret. It happens to everyone. How you react to it is what matters.

The second thing to remember closely relates to the first: Have patience. If you are new or inexperienced at salary cap drafting it is always a smart move to sit back and observe until you can get a feel for the room. You can't let all the elite players go without trying to snag a cornerstone for your team, but paying attention to player values while you watch the draft is a good way to make sure you aren't overpaying. Grab a player or two to make sure you don't get shut out on the elite players, but otherwise, you should not be filling your team up in the first couple of rounds of the draft. Observe. Make notes. Have patience. Once you have a feel for values in the room, adjust your strategy and get to work.

Jason Wood

Salary caps, more than any other draft type, are as much art as science. No two salary caps are the same, and even small changes in the risk appetite of a few league participants can dramatically alter the way you need to approach your own roster build. For beginners, the most important thing is a willingness to adapt. The easiest way for a salary cap to go belly up is to come into the draft with a detailed plan of action, and no backup plan.

Beginner or not, you need to be comfortable with the relative values at each position. While you can't overpay for a player you covet because of adrenaline and emotion, you do need to quickly adjust to the draft room. If the first two or three elite players are coming off the board at 20% higher prices than you forecast, you need to be willing to adjust in kind, whether that means paying a higher premium for your own elite player or two or shifting decisively to a more balanced, mid-priced roster cohort.

Jeff Haseley

I have a spending rule that I tend to consistently follow when it comes to salary cap leagues, and that's my 80/80/20/20 rule. Following this rule will keep you aware of your spending and leave you with a balanced, competitive team. I try to limit my spending to $80 for my entire running back depth, $80 for my wide receiver depth, and $20 for my tight ends and quarterbacks. You may ask - what about kickers and defense? Good question - I will not spend over $1 each on either position. Usually, one each is all that is needed unless this is a best-ball format.

Is exceeding $80 or $20 allowed? Yes, but if you happen to overspend in one area just be aware that you may need to limit your budget in other areas. Sometimes you can get outstanding value at quarterback and not need all $20 of your budget. If you can secure your quarterback value early in the draft, you'll know how much you can increase your budget for running backs or wide receivers, or perhaps even a blue-chip tight end.

Ryan Weisse

I will start at the very beginning; you need to find out how the entire process will work. The nomination and bidding process is pretty straightforward if it's a live draft. If it's online, all platforms are different, and I highly recommend you do a mock draft or two on the specific site where you'll be drafting. You'll get an idea of how it works, and being able to navigate the system will eliminate at least one stress of a new league type.

Getting to the actual draft, I just want to add to the great tips from Jason and Jeff. Jeff mentioned having a budget for each position, and Jason said to be ready and able to adapt. One of the best parts of salary cap drafts is that, in theory, you can get all of the players that you like. But if they get overbid, you don't want to blow your entire budget and ruin the rest of your team. So, my advice is to group players into tiers. This way, if you miss a player you wanted, you already have your backup plan in place and aren't scrambling to find a replacement or overspending on a player when value is left in the same tier.

Jeff Bell

I refer to salary drafts as a “snowglobe” - you can shake it up and never get the same result twice. Embrace it. Hunt value always. No draft calls for a more adaptive strategy. If value dictates a stars/scrubs approach, lean into it. For a beginner a good rule of thumb to ensure value is to build a roster that resembles a typical snake draft roster and target an elite first-round talent, then three or four very good players who would usually go in rounds two through five. For someone who wants to embrace risk, target three elite players (I prefer one running back and two wide receivers) filling the rest of the roster with back-end bargains. Health from the elite players and emerging value acquisitions later in the draft and through waivers will allow you to build the best roster in the league.

Chad Parsons

The first preparatory item is getting accustomed to building a team through the vehicle of a salary cap. This requires budgeting and knowing the push-and-pull of spending more or less at each position and roster spot. Also, be aware of the idea that every player is available to roster, not just the ones close to your draft position in a traditional format. Therefore, target players, even if in the same draft zone, can be combined for a salary cap draft haul.