The Annual Footballguys Subscriber Contest is open to all premium subscribers. It combines the strategy of best ball and salary cap, featuring a $35,000 prize pool plus $5,000 to be donated in the first-place winner's name to a food bank in the city of their choice. The best part is that it is free to subscribers.
You can't win if you don't participate, so be sure to take the time to build your team and submit your entry before the season begins. The deadline to submit your final entry is 11:59 pm ET on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. This is the day before the first game of the season. This article provides an example of how to approach the contest and which strategies or suggestions can help you construct what might be the winning team.
If you're already a subscriber, to submit an entry for the contest, Click Here.
First things first - you can make as many changes as you want to your entry form, even if you click SUBMIT. Think of it as the last time you hit submit; that's your final entry. Some people have submitted an entry over 100 times, so don't feel bad if you are making several changes. If you decide to make a change, that is completely fine and warranted. I would recommend getting your final entry a day or two before the deadline so you can be on top of injuries, camp news, team decisions, etc. The closer to the season, the better -- just don't forget about it.
So what's the strategy?
Select productive players. That seems evident, but it has to start and end there. Electing to go heavy reduces the number of players you can have, so you have to get strategic with your selections. Going with a roster of 30 adds more opportunities to reap the benefits, but are more players necessarily better? Perhaps a good mix of the two is the way to go. There is no correct strategy, which is what makes this contest so appealing.
You must select players from various positions (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, Defense). The cap for your players must not surpass $250. Below is a brief overview of the contest rules.
How many players you select to reach that $250 cap is up to you, but you must have at least 18 and a maximum of 30 players on your roster. Last year's winner had 18 players, but I have seen teams win this contest with much more than that. For reference, here is the roster of last year's winning team
This team went with two higher-cost players in Amon-Ra St. Brown ($34), and Jonathan Taylor ($28) followed by some strategic aims at upcoming talent, namely Malik Nabers, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Brian Thomas Jr. ($19, $15, $13 respectively). To further nail the mid-range winners, Chase Brown was selected for $13. Hitting on a middle-cost player is obviously a good thing. Hitting on four is sensational, and that's what helped catapult this team to victory. Find the gems, find success. But it's not about scoring the most points; you have to consistently be good each week to reach the point total to advance to the next week. One bad week and you're toast. This is another reason to be mindful of bye weeks and potential injury situations.
One thing I will do is try to target one strong player at each position (QB, RB, WR, TE), if not the highest cost player. There is a reason why they are expensive: they produce. If you can limit your running backs and wide receivers to three players each, with some low-cost value darts, that's a good start. The bottom line is you must escape injuries and hope some of your lower-cost players produce.
Stacking & Handcuffing
Like best-ball contests, stacking two players from the same team to earn double points, especially a quarterback and wide receiver (or tight end), can be a beneficial strategy. You may want to consider Joe Burrow at quarterback if you selected Ja'Marr Chase at wide receiver. But will history repeat itself? Just because something worked in 2024 doesn't mean it will work in 2025.
Who are the players to target in 2025?
I like the handcuff combination of Ken Walker III ($23) and Zach Charbonnet ($17) for a total of $40 in Seattle. It's no mystery, Klint Kubiak wants to run, and both players can be productive on their own any given week. Combining them gives you an edge to have both, where you can cash in nearly every week. Another stack I like is Buffalo's tight ends, which costs $14 between Dalton Kincaid ($11) and Dawson Knox ($3). That's a nice, affordable stack, especially for an offense with Buffalo's potential in a best ball format. The slow start for Khalil Shakir (high-ankle sprain) also favors this duo. To a lesser degree, Tyler Higbee ($5) and Terrance Ferguson ($5) can lock in the Rams' best tight ends for $10.
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