Tight End Strategy in Salary Cap Leagues

See Other Positions: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers

The great thing about salary cap leagues is that you can take your team in any direction you want. Your strategy options are completely wide open.

Our Footballguys staff recently sat down to discuss their favored options at quarterback when playing in a salary cap league.

Assume these league settings:

• $200 cap
• 12 teams
• Full PPR
• Starting Lineup
  • 1 QB
  • 2 RBs
  • 3 WRs
  • 1 TE
  • 1 flex (RB, WR, TE)

How do you approach the tight end position in a salary cap draft?

Do you prefer to target an elite player or look for a bargain? Are you more or less likely to price enforce at the position? How much of your budget do you allocate to tight ends?

Jeff Haseley: My target budget range for tight end is $10-15. Like quarterbacks, you don't want to be in a position of need with only one or two legit top-10 options remaining on the board, so it is wise to get your starting tight end secured sooner rather than later. If you want to take a flier on a tight end later in the draft, you have that luxury. Generally, I will stay around the $9-11 range, but if a tight end in my top 3-5 is available for $12 or even $13, I might strike. This also depends on my outlook for quarterback, running back, and wide receiver. If I sell out on a top-end tight end, I will need to reduce costs elsewhere. Salary cap drafts are always a give-and-take process for me. I stay close to my budget and know when I can spend and when I need to hold back. Overdoing it in this format can be costly, especially if you want to be one of the remaining teams with funds left with space to fill your roster when others have spent to their limit. 

Jason Wood: I'm rarely willing to invest heavily at tight end in a salary cap draft, because the cost pulls away from the priority of spending on running back and receiver, even if I'm budget-conscious at quarterback. I aim to land two clear starters for no more than $10 to $12 total (about 5% of the budget), with a preference to top out around $6 or $7 if the pool is still deep enough late, when everyone is bidding $1 or $2 to fill out rosters. I never price enforce at tight end due to those strict budget limits. Still, I will regularly nominate the pricier options, particularly the ones I expect to fall short of their consensus value, to bleed money from the room.