Salary Cap Leagues, Strategy at Running Back

Footballguys Staff's Salary Cap Leagues, Strategy at Running Back Footballguys Staff Published 08/03/2023

To help you prepare for your salary cap leagues, we've hit on a few aspects of running back strategies already.

Starting RB Allocations
Should You Target Elite RBs?
Should You Target Committee RBs?

Today, we'll close the position with a trio of spending-specific questions. You'll have a better idea of how much to spend on running backs, how to deplete your competition, and where to find value.

Note: All answers assume the following criteria:

  • Start 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE
  • 4-point passing TDs
  • $200 cap
  • 12 teams

Running Back Spend

How much of your cap will you allocate for running backs? How much of that will go to your two starters?

Ben Cummins: I plan on allocating around 30% of my cap to the running back position and the majority of that going to my two starters.

Jason Wood: I'm flexible but ideally looking to allocate 35%-45% of my budget to the running back position, with 20%-25% earmarked for my starters.

Jeff Bell: I like to live around 25% on a hero running back and then play with another 15-25% on cheaper RB2 options.

Andrew Davenport: I'm spending far less on the position than most. I'm fine with 20% of my cap on my RB1 (I'd like it to be a bit lower, but ~$35-$40 is ideal), but then I don't want to spend more than another $25-$30 total on the rest of my running backs and about $15 of that is for my RB2.

Already a subscriber?

Continue reading this content with a ELITE subscription.

An ELITE subscription is required to access content for Salary Cap leagues. If this league is not a Salary Cap league, you can edit your leagues here.

Photos provided by Imagn Images
Share This Article

More by Footballguys Staff

 

OTA and Minicamp Believe It or Not! The Fantasy Notebook

Bob Harris

Sorting out the chaos with a big-picture look at fantasy-specific news, notes, and analysis from around the NFL.

06/14/26 Read More
 

Can Ladd McConkey Rebound?

Jeff Blaylock

Jeff Blaylock spotlights Ladd McConkey and why he's a prime bounce-back candidate after a disappointing 2025 season.

06/14/26 Read More
 

Trey McBride: Elite Player, Egregious Environment

Mike Kashuba

Trey McBride has overcome some poor offensive environments, but his 2026 may be the worst to date. Mike Kashuba dives deep into why this may be the year to avoid paying up for the TE2 in early fantasy football drafts.

06/14/26 Read More
 

Myles Garrett: No. 1 DL or Top IDP Overall in 2026?

Gary Davenport

Gary Davenport examines the case for Rams EDGE Myles Garrett as the NO. 1 overall IDP in 2026.

06/14/26 Read More
 

2026 Player Spotlights

An in-depth look at a player, highlighting his pluses and minuses along with a bottom-line expectation for the 2026 season.

06/14/26 Read More
 

DraftKings ADP Movement: How Best-Ball ADP Is Changing

Clayton Gray

DraftKings ADP: A look at the current state of Best-Ball ADP and how it is moving.

06/13/26 Read More