Succeeding in a salary cap draft takes more preparation than a normal serpentine draft. You need to be able to approximate what the prices will look like, figure out your own strategy for attacking the draft, divide up your cap dollars among the positions according to their importance, and then map out what you think a blueprint for success looks like.

For this salary cap draft blueprint, we will assume the following conditions:

• 12 Team League
• $200 salary cap
• Starting Roster: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 Flex, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DEF
• Each roster will have 16 players
• PPR Scoring
• Normal redraft setting where teams set their lineups every week and can add and drop players from the waiver wire.

In a salary cap draft, it is not as simple as showing up and trying to buy cheap players or buying three guys for $50 and then buying a bunch of $4 players. There is a lot of nuance in a salary cap draft, and it requires advanced planning about how you want to spend your money and who you want to spend it on. Here is a blueprint for how to do that this year.

General Salary Cap Draft Approach

The trend in the fantasy community continues to push toward spending more on wide receivers than ever before, especially in a salary cap draft. Combine this with a growing echelon of quality tight ends, and you will have more salary cap draft dollars going toward pass-catchers than ever before. The question then becomes: Should you fall in line with this idea, or is it more profitable to attack the running back position against the consensus?

It's always a good idea to analyze your process every year before your salary cap draft and determine whether you need a change. But, for this year, in most leagues, it still looks like the optimal way going forward is to go with the flow of managers seeking pass-catchers in their salary cap draft. Leaving your draft with multiple high-value players at wide receiver is still the best way to attack roster construction. It's not the only way, but it still grades out as optimal.

There are no one-size-fits-all strategies in a salary cap draft. For example, in a standard league with no points for receptions, it is smarter to go for runners with goal-line roles than second-tier wide receivers. That's just one example, but in general, don't forget that attacking a salary cap draft can be done successfully in many different ways. Find which one makes you comfortable. For purposes of this blueprint, however, you should dial in how to land three to five strong receivers and then construct your team around them.

Allocating Salary Cap Draft Dollars

It's smart to look back at my Salary Cap Draft Mastery series for the finer points of preparing your attack. Building your player lists with values and tiers is the most critical thing you can do to begin formulating what you think are reasonable prices for the different slots on your team. You can also rely on the values that Footballguys has right here to see what range of pricing you can expect in your leagues. These values aren't necessarily supposed to predict exactly what players will end up going for in your own salary cap draft but rather serve as a guide for what you should be paying for the value that player is expected to produce.

In recent years, I have found it profitable to follow the following salary cap draft strategy:

• Roster one solid running back and one nearly elite wide receiver.
• A quarterback who is not bargain basement but won't command a top price – usually something in the $8-$12 range.
• Several cheap tight ends allow a chance to find a productive player but don't command a large percentage of the salary cap.
• Attack the wide receiver value from Garrett Wilson (WR6) down to DeAndre Hopkins (WR39) and land as many highly ranked players from this group as cheaply as possible.
• Draft two to three rotational running backs that can serve as your RB2 and running back depth.
• Spend almost nothing on Kicker and Team Defense.

Based on these ideas, here is what a possible team could look like for your 16-man roster in a 12-team league. If you land a player for cheaper than you had allocated, don't be afraid to overpay at another position, using that extra money to improve elsewhere. Value is only important insofar as it helps further your strategy. Don't get caught up trying to score a deal on every player. If you pay more than a player is worth but land an impact player within the framework of your strategy, it does not matter what the raw dollar value is. You can't take the money with you, so keep track of where you are relative to what you want to spend. Here is my favorite strategy and the team you can try and land from it. Continue reading below to find out how to execute it.

Starting Lineup

• QB1 ($11) – Kyler Murray
• RB1 ($27) – Isiah Pacheco, Kyren Williams, Derrick Henry, or James Cook
• RB2 ($17) – Ken Walker, David Montgomery, Javonte Williams, or Najee Harris
• WR1 ($44) – Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, or Garrett Wilson
• WR2 ($24) – Mike Evans, Nico Collins, Jaylen Waddle, or Brandon Aiyuk
• WR3 ($19) – DeVonta Smith, DK Metcalf, Amari Cooper, or Tee Higgins
• TE1 ($7) – Jake Ferguson, David Njoku, or Dallas Goedert
• Flex ($16) – Terry McLaurin, Diontae Johnson, Rashee Rice, or Christian Kirk
• K ($1) – Brandon Aubrey, Justin Tucker, or Harrison Butker
• DEF ($1) – San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, or Seattle Seahawks

Bench

• RB3 ($8) – Gus Edwards, Jonathon Brooks, or Zack Moss
• RB4 ($4) – Ezekiel Elliott, Jerome Ford, or Blake Corum
• RB5 ($2) – Ray Davis, Ty Chandler, or Jaleel McLaughlin
• WR5 ($14) – Keenan Allen, Calvin Ridley, Jayden Reed or Jaxon Smith-Njigba
• WR6 ($4) – Jameson Williams, Rashid Shaheed, Joshua Palmer, or any Buffalo WR
• TE2 ($1) – Noah Fant, Cade Otton, or Taysom Hill

Attacking Quarterback in a Salary Cap Draft

It's fun to try and grab the top players at the position, like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, or even Patrick Mahomes II with Kansas City's retooled pass-catching corps. But that approach takes money away from our core salary cap draft idea of pushing money to wide receivers, and it does so to little effect. You can approximate the value of the top echelon of signal-callers by chasing rushing quarterbacks from the tier below.

Your chief target for this approach should be Kyler Murray. Murray returned last year in Week 10 from his ACL injury the prior year and immediately started producing top-tier fantasy results. He averaged 30.5 rushing yards per game even while recovering from a knee injury, which included 7 out of 8 games over 20 yards. He even popped in three rushing touchdowns in those eight games. With another 10 months of recovery and the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. to catch the ball, it's easy to chase the Cardinals' field general for your strategy.

If Murray goes for too much money (he is steaming up draft boards as you read this), pivot to the rookie from Washington and pair him with another cheap veteran pocket passer. Jayden Daniels will run a lot of plays in Kliff Kingsbury's offense and has the rushing floor to help his production each week. You can land him for around $6, then pair him with someone who mitigates the risk if Daniels busts. Trevor Lawrence is cheap and once again had a nice rushing floor of around 300 rushing yards and 4 rushing scores, Jared Goff is dynamite at home, Tua Tagovailoa led the league in passing yards last year, and Brock Purdy eclipsed 30 touchdown passes. All these guys are $3 or less in your salary cap draft. Pairing Daniels with one of them should be fairly easy to do for $10 or less.

Attacking Running Back in a Salary Cap Draft

Spending top dollar on running backs in fantasy football is starting to become taboo just like it is in the NFL. While chasing Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, or Bijan Robinson isn't a bad idea, your salary cap draft builds look much stronger when you approach running back somewhat akin to your quarterback approach. Find someone at the back of the Top 12 at the position to chase for less money than the bigger guys will command. Isiah Pacheco or Kyren Williams would be ideal if you can get them for around $27. That may not happen, though, and it's fine to end up with Derrick Henry or James Cook as your top guy. Henry has an easy path to a mess of touchdowns, and Cook was a Top 5 running back down the stretch for Buffalo after they switched to Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady. Landing one of these four players for $27 or less is the goal.

After you have your top guy, you can easily fill in your RB2 slot with someone cheap who is in line for 200+ touches and ideally has the goal-line role for his team as well. Think of guys like David Montgomery or Najee Harris. Nobody is overly interested in either guy, but both have double-digit touchdown upside and see plenty of early-down carries. Getting Ken Walker III would be ideal for this slot, but any of the four mentioned above works fine.

After you secure your top two runners, don't spend much time or cap space chasing running backs in your salary cap draft. They're too easily replaceable in-season off the waiver wire, where volume suddenly falls into someone's lap, as it did for Zamir White down the stretch last year.

There are a lot of players that you can snag for relatively low dollar amounts that have a path toward sustainable volume for fantasy purposes. Gus Edwards looks to be in line to have a sizeable role in Los Angeles in a run-friendly scheme, and Zack Moss should have, at a minimum, early down work for a good offense. Several others, like Ezekiel Elliott or Jerome Ford, aren't exciting but will see the field more than their price tag suggests.

One final note at running back. Hitting on a young player who vastly outproduces his salary cap draft cost is easier than it is at wide receiver because the position is easier to learn as a rookie and because volume still rules for fantasy runners. To that end, if your league has an IR spot or you can afford to stash him, Jonathon Brooks is in a unique situation to be a second-half beast for fantasy squads for a single-digit price. To a lesser degree, Ray Davis and Blake Corum have paths to relevant fantasy production without an injury, but should either starter fall, they'll have a chance to push for Top 15 numbers every week if given the chance. They can both be had for just a couple of bucks near the end of your salary cap draft.

Attacking Wide Receiver in a Salary Cap Draft

This is the only position in a salary cap draft where you want to try and reach into the Top 6 or 7 to secure an elite player. Amon-Ra St. Brown is the goal with your WR1 slot. He may go for more than the $44 on your sheet, but you won't regret spending a few extra bucks on him if that's what it takes. The advantage of having an alpha receiver who commands an elite target share is an advantage that pays fantasy dividends with their weekly floor and upside. St. Brown, A.J. Brown, and Garrett Wilson fit the bill for you and should be approached in that order.

After those players are gone, many wide receivers have weekly Top 12 upside and the ability to be elite in the right situation. All of them have a wart somewhere on their resume, but in general, the sheer number of receivers with top-tier production profiles seems to get bigger every year. As noted above, the group of receivers from WR6 down to WR39 has a lot of similar talent accompanied by red flags. You can decide which ones you want to target, but it's wise to not get too sticky on players in this big group. Seek the value on most of your wide receivers, then go hard for a couple of your favorites. This should produce a nice mix of upside and floor.

It's a smart idea to get in the habit of mixing up your construction with different types of players at this position. Floor guys like Christian Kirk have their place on a roster where you've secured volatile players like DeVonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle. Just make sure you aren't ending up with players like Christian Watson, Jameson Williams, and Romeon Doubs all on the same roster. Their weekly variance and their overall risk factor are hard to deal with in a lineup-setting league, so get one or two of those guys and then mix in some guys you can count on for a consistent target share, even if they're unexciting.

The fun thing about shopping for receivers in a salary cap draft is that there are several guys you can land as your WR2 that seem miscast as WR2s because they have easily identifiable paths to finishing as Top 12 producers. Mike Evans consistently fits this bill and is always undervalued. Nico Collins also seems ready to explode in Houston after a big year with C.J. Stroud last year, yet his price hasn't cracked $25 in most salary cap draft rooms. It's understandable to see Jaylen Waddle in this range, too, but his touchdown luck last year was poor, and his target share is rock-solid. Brandon Aiyuk continues to languish in the low to mid $20 range because of the lack of resolution with his contract. But if he signs with San Francisco, that price will be a memory because everyone has already seen his potential in the 49ers offense as he finished 13th in PPR points per game last year. His price more than justifies the risk right now for a borderline WR1 at a mid-WR2 price.

Do your best to fill your flex spot in your starting lineup as well as your top bench spot with productive receivers before you get out of the Top 39 guys. Ending up with a minimum of 5 of the Top 39 gives you plenty of chances to hit on a big season or survive an injury. The list is long, so pick your guys based on what you already have rostered at the position, and then finish your top five wide receivers with as many as you can from that group.

Go fishing later in the salary cap draft for guys that can go nuclear if they hit. Darnell Mooney has a 1,000-yard season on his resume and gets the best quarterback of his career, Gabe Davis escapes the Buffalo offense and his low target share, and Romeo Doubs has an undeniable connection with Jordan Love in the red zone. These guys are perfect fliers for your squad. Resist the urge to grab low-ceiling plodders like Tyler Boyd who can slug their way to a WR38 finish for a WR83 price tag. That's profit, right? Technically, yes, and in deep leagues where starters are scarce, that's a fine play to make. But in a 12-teamer like this, swing for the fences with your last wide receiver or two, depending on your build to that point.

Attacking Tight End in a Salary Cap Draft

If you want to go for one of the better tight ends this year, pull some money from your wide receivers to give that a shot. That's a completely reasonable strategy. But for this blueprint, it's best to seek out some lower-priced starters and pair them up with a $1 backup. This gives you two chances to find the production you need from this spot and doesn't require you to spend more than about $8. A well-timed nomination of Jake Ferguson or David Njoku should allow you to get one of them for about $6-$8. If that doesn't work, pivot to Dallas Goedert for a couple less dollars. People are finally tired of his disappearing act and injuries, so he's only going to cost you around $3-$4.

After you get your top guy, spend $1-$2 at the end of your draft to grab Taysom Hill as your top backup if he has tight end eligibility in your league. Remember to check that before your own salary cap draft! If Hill isn't in play, then try Cade Otton, who is having a great camp, Noah Fant, who hopefully gets fresh ideas for the Seattle offense, or Jonnu Smith, who might be inconsistent because of his snap share but should be good for spike weeks throughout the season.

It's never been easier to blow off this position in a salary cap draft and find production cheap. Even T.J. Hockenson is only going for a couple of bucks and is again a candidate for an IR designation if you have that in your league. Take your time, don't worry about tight end too much, and wait for prices to crater later in the draft as people save money for a couple more receivers or runners. People usually don't care if you get a great deal on someone like Njoku, and they'll leave you alone for the most part. Take advantage of this and be thrifty.

Attacking Kicker and Defense in a Salary Cap Draft

The most important thing about kickers and defenses is that using them late in a salary cap draft to effectively ‘punt' your nomination is extremely valuable. Calling out San Francisco later in the draft does one of two things – you either land them for $1 and have a strong fantasy defense, or someone bids $2 and they waste a dollar. Why is that a waste? Because kickers and defenses have the least carryover from year to year for predictable fantasy production. They're also the easiest to replace on the waiver wire.

This year, if you don't land San Francisco, there are some possible fantasy stalwarts that have poor early-season schedules that you want to avoid. Baltimore, for example, should have a tough defense, but they open with bad matchups in four out of their first five games. Instead, pivot to Cincinnati, who open with New England, then get Washington and Carolina in Weeks 3 and 4. Seattle also has a nice opening stretch with Denver and New England to start, followed by the Giants in Week 5. After the initial stretch of games, you'll want to reassess the fantasy defense landscape and start streaming if necessary.

Final Salary Cap Draft Thoughts

• Don't waste your early nominations throwing out players you don't want. Instead, try to nominate someone early who is key to your strategy so you know if you'll land them or if you'll need to pivot.
• Watch for the room to be cold to start the salary cap draft and see if you land someone at a discount while people are settling in.
• Pay attention to player tiers above anything else. If you need a player from a tier that is drying up, the best way to attack it is not to wait but to nominate from the tier before it is down to the last 1-2 guys. Overpaying for the last guy in the tier happens in every draft. Try not to be one of those who got caught waiting.
• If you aren't going to bid on the elite running backs, sometimes you can gain an advantage by NOT nominating them early. Attacking other positions or lower-ranked running backs can sometimes get you a small discount while people hang back for the top guys still on the board. If four managers are waiting on a $50 player, you have tied up $200 of cap space by leaving him on the board. Once he is rostered, that number drops to $50 instead of $200. Let other managers nominate the top guys.
• Keep track of every team's cap situation as each player is rostered. When you are in a bidding war, or later in the draft, this information tells you how serious your opponent is for a player or if you can stick them because they are bidding you up.
• Don't spend more than a couple of bucks on your last two players if you can help it. Those represent droppable players for the early season hot waiver wire pickups. Instead, push the money towards better players further up on your roster.
• Use the Draft Dominator to keep track of all your cap situations. Learn to nominate players to target teams with a lot of cap space or players who will further your strategy.

The Salary Cap Draft Blueprint is here for you as a guide, not a strict limit on what you can do. If you spend more on a player than you intended, that's okay! Go to your sheet and see where you can subtract some money and still get by to get yourself back on track. It's good to over- or underspend on players because your flexibility is how you win in a salary cap draft. Keep track of where you've spent more or less than you had allotted, adjust on the fly, and you'll continue to dominate every stage of the draft on your way to a championship-caliber roster.

Follow @DrewDavenportFF