By now you’ve looked at some high-priced targets and some mid-priced targets in the first two articles in the series. But the end game in a salary cap draft is just as important as the rest of the draft. Often, it is the difference between a solid roster and a roster that can win a title, and ignoring the final stages of the draft wastes opportunities and limits your upside. The way to finish your draft strong is to isolate some targets that you want to chase when salary caps are low, and players are largely going for less than $5. This is still a large part of the draft and requires care and precision. Here are some targets you should consider in the end stages of your salary cap draft.
QUARTERBACKS
Tua Tagovailoa – Everyone knows the struggles the Dolphins’ quarterback had last year. He suffered multiple concussions and was limited to 12 full games and a part of another. But in that limited time, he still managed career highs with 25 touchdown passes, a 6.3% touchdown rate, and a league-leading 8.9 yards per attempt. By any metric, Tagovailoa had an outstanding season when he was on the field. He’s certainly a risky pick, but when his average price is around $3, the market isn’t forcing you to commit much money to a guy who, if healthy, has the potential to throw for 30+ touchdown passes with his dynamic wide receiver duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. It’s easy to take the Dolphins’ signal-caller for a few bucks and then turn around and grab a more stable option to give you some insurance.
Jared Goff – The Lions' offense is either better or just as good as the 2022 version in just about every category. They have a talented offensive line, explosive wide receivers, a new rookie tight end lighting up training camp videos, an exciting rookie running back, and a solid between-the-tackles free agent running back to replace Jamaal Williams. Further, Goff’s 4.9% touchdown rate from a year ago doesn’t scream outlier (his career rate is 4.4%), and Detroit punched in a staggering amount of 1-yard touchdowns on the ground last year to boot. Yet Goff still goes for only $2 in most salary cap rooms and it’s not unusual to be able to get him for a minimum $1 bid, either. Take advantage of a guy who has 35 touchdown upside and pair him with Tagovailoa for a dynamic combination costing less than $5.
TIGHT ENDS
Tyler Higbee – The Rams tight end had a career-high 108 targets and 72 receptions last year, leading to a TE8 finish in PPR formats despite a measly three touchdowns. As already discussed, remember that the whole Rams offense struggled last year with injuries and poor production even when guys were healthy. The down year for Los Angeles leaves Higbee as a $2-$3 player, and that makes him a perfect late target if you spend up at other positions.
Cole Kmet – If you take out the weird double goose eggs to start the year for Kmet, he was the TE6 in PPR leagues from Week 3 on. He seemed to develop a rapport with Justin Fields the further the season went along, and he averaged almost 12 points a game in the second half of the year. Despite the strong finish, fantasy managers don’t seem to care and Kmet can be had for no more than $3 in most leagues.
Tyler Conklin – Even though he’s posted over 58 receptions and over 550 yards in each of the past two seasons, Conklin is still an afterthought in most drafts. But he gets a dramatic upgrade at quarterback this fall, and his TE14 finish from last season could easily turn into a Top 12 season with Aaron Rodgers leading the offense. Conklin will only cost you $1 in drafts and makes an attractive part of a committee approach in your drafts.
Hunter Henry – Mike Gesicki got all the buzz in the offseason when the Patriots signed him, but Henry is the one standing out in training camp, and now Gesicki is a bit banged up with a shoulder issue. Henry wasn’t great last year, but just like the rest of the New England offense, they struggled with the lack of an experienced play caller and were bad for long stretches of the year. Henry should bounce back, and challenging for top-12 production wouldn’t be weird in a scheme likely to feature a lot of 2-tight end sets.
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RUNNING BACKS
Samaje Perine – The buzz about the return of Javonte Williams has been a positive development for Perine backers. His price was starting to creep up into the $7-$8 range, and the value was largely muted at that price. But with Williams set to start the season on the field, Perine should again be considered as a late-stage target. Sean Payton was the architect of offenses in New Orleans that were often near the top of the league in total fantasy points scored from the running back position. His tendency to use two backs (and make both productive fantasy assets) is something to pay attention to. They made it a priority to sign Perine, and he will see the football plenty this fall. Target him for around $5-$6, and try to wait to nominate him as long as you can to see if you can snag him as cheaply as possible.
AJ Dillon – Last summer, the hype on Dillon got out of control, and he was far too expensive for the role he was supposed to have. As a result, his fantasy managers felt like he burned them or at least failed to produce up to expectations. That’s the perfect situation to be back in for your salary cap draft. From Weeks 12-17 last year, the Dillon that everyone expected finally showed up, and he was the RB7 in points per game (PPR) the final six weeks of the fantasy year. He scored six touchdowns in five games and pulled in 11 catches while averaging over 14 touches per game. Projecting him for RB7 numbers isn’t the point, but when he’s only $4-$5 in salary cap drafts, it’s not much of a risk for a guy who will have stand-alone value and would be in line for a huge workload should anything happen to the Packers’ 29-year old starter, Aaron Jones. Dillon is the definition of a post-hype sleeper and should be targeted late in your salary cap drafts.
Zach Charbonnet – Incumbent starter Ken Walker has already had some core muscle injuries during camp, and he struggled with the same thing last year. The Seahawks also let several of their running backs walk in the offseason and have an uninspiring depth chart. Charbonnet may not have “league winner” written on him quite yet, but the Seattle philosophy will always involve a strong running game while Pete Carroll is in town. Charbonnet shouldn’t cost more than $3 in most salary cap rooms, and if he gets steamed too high by the time your draft rolls around, it’s easy to shrug and move on. But if he’s only $3 he’s the kind of running back who could pop from an injury to Walker or simply walk into 35+% of the backfield touches if he shows he’s ready. He should get that chance to prove he can produce.
Tank Bigsby – The problem with this pick may end up being two-fold: there are several running backs in Jacksonville competing to be the next guy in the game after Travis Etienne, and people are starting to talk about Bigsby’s possible goal-line role, and therefore the price is starting to get a bit hot. But if you can snag him for less than $5 (his price is still in that range right now), there are some avenues for production right out of the gate. Etienne was notoriously bad in short-yardage situations last year, and despite having no real threat to take targets, he only managed to snag 35 receptions. Enter Bigsby. If he manages to secure some receiving work and the goal-line work, then he will be a smash at his price. If not, he hasn’t hurt your salary cap bottom line too much, and he can be cut fairly easily.
Kenneth Gainwell – You probably don’t want to spend too much on any Eagles running back this year in your drafts, but Gainwell has the potential for the best return on value. The buzz from camp is that Gainwell has earned more than just a specialized receiving role this fall. If that turns out to be true even a little bit, he will be a valuable part of a lot of fantasy teams. Wait until the end of the draft and try to get him for $1-$2.
Tyler Allgeier – Allgeier finished 2022 on an absolute tear as the PPR RB7 during the fantasy playoffs and the RB24 from Week 7 on. The Falcons just drafted their running back of the future, but Allgeier now moves into prime backup territory. Atlanta loves running the football, and if something were to happen to Bijan Robinson, then Allgeier has obvious value. But, even without an injury, Allgeier should have stand-alone value from time to time based purely on volume. He’s an easy $1 choice near the end of your salary cap draft.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Rashod Bateman – Trying to decipher the leader in the Ravens wide receiver corps is no small task, but Bateman is only as cheap as he is right now because fantasy managers are spooked by his foot injury that continues to linger. However, the last time we saw Bateman in action, he was terrorizing defenses for two long touchdowns in four games of action. The word from Baltimore is that Bateman is getting back to his old self, and the investment of $3-$4 in salary cap drafts is so small that trying to capture his explosiveness for the back of your roster seems like a worthwhile endeavor.
Rondale Moore – Every year fantasy managers turn their noses up at bad offenses where fantasy value can be found. It’s not wise to try and roster a bunch of Arizona Cardinals this year, but Moore is going for a minimum $1 bid in most drafts, and he has the potential to see a lot of targets opposite Marquise Brown. Health has been a concern for Moore, but he costs nothing, and if he earns the second-most targets on the team, then he shouldn’t be ignored.
Michael Gallup – The veteran receiver admitted that his knee was never right in 2022. He struggled to produce and gamely fought his way through the issues to have a disappointing year. But that’s all behind him now, and 60+ catches and 900+ yards are again in play for the Cowboys’ receiver. Fighting through Brandin Cooks and CeeDee Lamb for targets won’t be easy, but that’s why he’s only a few bucks in most draft rooms, and that makes him an easy late-round target in your salary cap draft.
Van Jefferson – Another example of a receiver who struggled after off-season knee surgery, Jefferson projects as the #2 wide receiver in the Rams’ offense. It’s hard to say what he would’ve done with starter Matthew Stafford at quarterback because the two only played one game together in Week 11 (Jefferson had 3 catches for 41 yards), but the offense was the worst of McVay’s tenure largely because of the injuries to their top two players – Stafford and Cooper Kupp. With all three guys healthy and on the field in 2023, Jefferson has the chance to take a step forward and provide production for only $1-$2 in your draft.
Isaiah Hodgins – After earning a full-time role in New York last year (from Week 10 on), Hodgins was the PPR WR21 to finish the year. The Giants don’t have a clear-cut wide receiver hierarchy, but betting on Hodgins to lead the wide receiver corps in fantasy scoring is a good bet to make. He’ll get every chance to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke, and the best part is that you can have him for only $1 in your drafts.
CONCLUSION
Don’t forget that finishing a salary cap draft strong is not easy to do if you wander aimlessly throwing out $2 or $3 bids on whoever gets nominated. Instead, find the guys you think will be undervalued and zero in on them as the draft gets near the end. These targets are low-priced options, but that doesn’t mean they are low-value options. Finding production near the end of a salary cap draft is a skill you must focus on to finalize your roster with the floor, and ceiling, you want for your team to have a shot at a championship.