Salary Cap Leagues, Early Nominations

Photo: USA Today Sports

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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.

What drives your early nomination strategy? How do you decide whom you will nominate in the early rounds?

Jason Wood

Every salary cap draft is different, of course, but generally speaking, I'm throwing out the highest-priced players I can whom I have no interest in rostering. I'll veer away from that if we approach a key tier break and only two players are left in the tier I'm targeting. Then I'll nominate a player I want to try and roster.

Jeff Haseley

I will nominate players that fetch a high price in the early rounds. The faster I can get people in salary budget trouble, the better. I want someone to spend over $100 on two players or over $140 on three players. The faster they are out of the budget battle, the easier it is to succeed in the mid-late game, where salary cap drafts are often won. I will nominate my $1 kicker and $1 defense early on. I can pinpoint my team before other big-name kickers or defenses are gone, always giving the impression that a better kicker is still on the board. This usually helps solidify a winning bid for $1.

Chad Parsons

I generally want to extract money from the room. The higher-priced players, specifically at positions where I target mid-tier options later on for potential discounts. As the nominations progress, I shift more towards players of interest for my roster.

Andy Hicks

Depends on the room. Like other guys, I want money out of the pool, but preferably on the players I don’t want at their expected prices. Sometimes I sneak a player through that I like, which may attract more money when the elite players are all taken. Surprise can have its victories.