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.

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

• $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 running back position in a salary cap draft? Feel free to discuss price enforcement and budget allocation.

Thoughts from Jason Wood

Running back remains the position you have to break the bank for, even if non-salary-cap leagues are now more balanced, particularly in terms of wide receiver values versus running backs. I cannot tell you how many times I've tried sticking to my pre-draft salary values at the running back position only to find myself squeezed out of all the top-tier options.

You have to be willing to spend aggressively and adjust your budget for all other positions accordingly. Because of their cost, I think getting more than one elite back is difficult, but I absolutely try and get two $30-plus options, which ideally would be a $50-plus elite tier player and then a high-end RB2 in the $30-$35 range.

You have to enter the draft with a clear understanding of how many starting tailbacks you would happily have in your lineup. And then be willing to overpay if there are only two or three left on the board and you're still without one.

Overall, I'll look to spend $90-$100 at the position. 

Thoughts from Drew Davenport

Typically, in salary cap drafts, I'm using the value at running back to avoid devoting too much of my cap to the position. I almost never chase the elite guys because I usually don't like my build when I pay $40+ for my top runner. Instead, I like to take a guy who stands to get 250+ touches as my RB1, but I want him to be less than $30 if possible. That doesn't always work, and if it doesn't, I'm fine with one between $30 and $40.

After that, however, I'm completely dumping out of the position and hoping to spend less than $30 on 3 or 4 more running backs. Salary cap rooms are continuing to devalue the running backs in the lower tiers, so landing players like Javonte Williams, Tony Pollard, Gus Edwards, Raheem Mostert, and Devin Singletary isn't expensive. But no matter who you prefer, none of them are commanding a double-digit price, and landing a couple for $12-$16 allows you to find an RB2 among them.

Ideally, I want three or four guys in this range and bank on one or two of them hitting to give me a quality starter. Running backs aren't important enough for me to spend too much on them, and replacing them with volume plays from the wire during the season is easier than at any other position.

I don't want to completely ignore running backs in my salary cap drafts, but I no longer feel the need to spend too much on them and would prefer to push the money elsewhere.

Thoughts from Andy Hicks

In salary cap drafts, the most difficult position of late to figure out is running back. Do you go all in on one of the few remaining elite backs or load up on a bunch of guys who will see touches?

Injury attrition means we will see unexpected guys starting. I mean, Chris Rodriguez, Ty Chandler, and Khalil Herbert were fantasy playoff starters. You can load up on good backups in situations such as Tyler Allgeier. Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins are a great combo to take on the cheap. Rookies like Trey Benson, Blake Corum, and MarShawn Lloyd are excellent depth. Ezekiel Elliott has a shot at 200-plus touches and is a good option. Nick Chubb and Brian Robinson Jr are also great value. 

Essentially, we can spend heavily on two or three top 12-priced backs or take many from the middle, like Najee Harris, Aaron Jones, Rhamomdre Stevenson, Raheem Mostert, and Tyjae Spears.

This might be the year I eschew an elite back and load up in the middle, with the value backs adding depth. Christian McCaffrey would take up almost all of my running back budget. This year, depending on how other positions are going, I could be spending $60 to $100 on the position. I am probably most confident of finding good options on the cheap here.

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