Salary Cap Primer

Fantasy Football Salary Cap Primer

Arming you with the knowledge you need to win at Salary Cap Fantasy Football.

Fantasy Football is back!  Yes all you frenzied football maniacs, it’s time to prepare for a frantic four months of football action that will get your heart pumping and blood boiling.  Whether its bragging rights or a cash prize you’re competing for, don’t be left in the cold this year -- FireLeague’s salary cap primer articles will help get you to the promised land.

The salary cap format will make you feel like a REAL GM!  You’ll need to balance critical decisions and long-term plans the same as any real life GM would – who will you select to fill your roster, who will you pick up to fill-in during bye-weeks and, most importantly, how much are you willing to pay to get that stud player on your team?  Here is a matrix that identifies the key differences between a salary cap football league and the more common draft and trade leagues:

The key decisions in this format are based on positional focus, and player value.  First, you’ll want to apply your scoring system and, using last year’s stats or this year’s projections, you need to arrive at a “total points scored” number for each player.  Once completed, use these calculations as a barometer for how much to pay per player.  In doing so, don’t make the common mistake of overpaying for a player because they are ranked #1 at their position.  Instead, your decision should have A LOT more to do with how the next best player at a certain position rates (how many points a player is projected to pick up is important, but how many points you lose by taking your next best option is equally as important when deciding between players).  These factors must be weighed against the player’s salary and your team’s cap room.

Another important note -- in salary cap leagues, a player’s salary will increase or decrease during the season based on that player’s performance.  Increase your team’s salary cap by buying players while their value is low and selling them when their value is at its peak.  For instance, a savvy owner will pick up a reserve player primed for a big week and, if that player delivers and their salary rises, he will sell that player and reap the profits.  By increasing your cap, you can upgrade your roster and field a team of studs in the latter half of the season.

That was a quick overview of how the salary cap style league can differ from a standard league, and what kind of analysis needs to be done for you to be lifting your trophy, and stuffing your pockets with your friends’ cash come January!  Make sure to continue checking back by www.fireleague.com throughout the summer as we will have more previews and primers for the NFL 2010 fantasy season!

FireLeague.com offers competitive fantasy football salary cap games and contests with cash prizes.  FireLeague fantasy football games are skill games and not considered gambling, as such they are 100% legal.  For any questions feel free to contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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