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See our thoughts on strategy for other positions:
Your Preferred QB Strategy
Strategy at Running Back
After discussing quarterback and running back strategy it is pretty clear that drafters are going to emphasize the wide receiver position this year over most other options. Let's find out how much.
Drafters believe there is a clear Top 2 this year with Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase, and they command more than $55 in almost every salary cap draft room. The next tier has Cooper Kupp (assuming his hamstring injury is, in fact, minor) and Tyreek Hill, and there is a significant discount ($5-$8) to chase the second tier.
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Will you go after Jefferson and Chase this year? Do you prefer the next couple of tiers? Or will you feel more comfortable not chasing the top guys at all?
Note: All answers assume the following criteria:
- Start 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE
- 4-point passing TDs
- Full PPR
- $200 cap
- 12 teams
Ben Cummins: I’m going after Jefferson and Chase in full PPR. They’re both elite, and I’m taking advantage of the auction/salary format that allows me to grab one of them. This plays into the stars-and-scrubs strategy I typically deploy in this format.
Jason Wood: I see no scenario where I'm rostering either Jefferson or Chase. Salary cap history is very unkind to those who pay for the very highest-cost players, particularly when they're not workhorse tailbacks in their primes. In redraft, I have no problem rostering either in the first round. But in Salary Cap, the odds they outperform their peers like Hill/Kupp by 10%+ is slim to none. I do think you have to have a plan and grab at least two top-tier receivers, meaning those you project as top-15 options. But I'll play in the second and third levels of the group looking to pay in the $30s or low $40s.
Andrew Davenport: I don't think I'll have Jefferson or Chase in most of my salary cap leagues this year. I do think it's a viable strategy to go more top-heavy in smaller leagues, so in 8- and 10-team leagues chasing those two is a little more appealing. But generally, no, I won't focus on those two. The discount on Kupp and Hill, however, is something I'll watch. If they are reasonably priced under $50, I'll take a look when the moment arises. Admittedly, though, those two things don't line up very often, so I think that in the majority of my salary cap leagues this year, I'll be looking at guys like CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Brown, and Stefon Diggs to anchor my wide receiver corps.
Jeff Bell: Jefferson is a player worth chasing, but one would think Ja’Marr Chase would actually separate himself in scoring before separating himself in salary. The values of the next tier are worth taking relative to Chase.