FanDuel Weekly Salary Cap Guide - Week 1

Photo: Brad Mills, USA Today Sports

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It is our assumption that if you're reading the articles in the "Daily Games" section of our weekly content page, that you are aware of how FanDuel works. For those that don't, the very quick summary is that you build teams under a predetermined salary cap in an attempt to score the most fantasy points. Check out FanDuel.com for a full rundown on the rules.

The goal of this article is to help you build the most optimal FanDuel lineups. To do that, we'll exploit "market inefficiencies" with the FanDuel pricing for each player by identifying "plus" and "minus" matchups. We'll use a metric called "dollars per Fantasy Point" to see which players will provide the most projected bang for the buck. It's obviously better here to have a lower figure because that means the player costs less per point.

If you were in Insider last year, you may recognize this metric as it was used by one of our co-owners David Dodds in his weekly FanDuel writeup. We'll be using the same metric here, but we're adding the following features to enhance the experience of building a lineup:

• Adding Sigmund Bloom's offensive projections to give another data point
• Using a fully customizable and sortable Excel spreadsheet to build the team, including a main page showing how far over or under the cap you are
• Including this spreadsheet as a downloadable tool for your own use to build and customize your teams

BUILDING THE OPTIMAL LINEUPS

$55k Salary Cap:

Let's use Dodds' projections to build a great team.

• QB: Tony Romo ($8,200 / $376)
• RB1: Frank Gore ($6,800 / $482)
• RB2: Shane Vereen ($6,400 / $538)
• WR1: Danny Amendola ($6,700 / $511)
• WR2: Marques Colston ($6,500 / $533)
• WR3: Golden Tate ($5,100 / $495)
• TE: Jordan Cameron ($4,900 / $490)
• K: Steve Hauschka ($5,000 / $490)
• DEF: Colts ($5,000 / $667)

The projected points number for this team is 111.4. The net dollars per point figure is $490. That's pretty efficient use of our $55k cap. If you'll notice, however, we still have $400 remaining. Let's see if we can make a few changes and use that full $55k to make our team even better.

• QB: Tony Romo ($8,200 / $376)
• RB1: Frank Gore ($6,800 / $482)
• RB2: Shane Vereen ($6,400 / $538) Daryl Richardson ($6,000 / $455)
• WR1: Danny Amendola ($6,700 / $511)
• WR2: Marques Colston ($6,500 / $533)
• WR3: Golden Tate ($5,100 / $495)
• TE: Jordan Cameron ($4,900 / $490)
• K: Steve Hauschka ($5,000 / $490)
• DEF: Colts ($5,000 / $667) Patriots ($5,400 / $514)

After making the changes above, our projected point total increased to 115.7 - despite still having $400 left over. This team is efficient and optimal.

$60k Salary Cap:

For this format, we'll use Bloom's projections to find our optimal team.

• QB: Robert Griffin III ($8,600 / $420)
• RB1: Reggie Bush ($7,200 / $493)
• RB2: Frank Gore ($6,800 / $486)
• WR1: Dez Bryant ($8,300 / $451)
• WR2: Pierre Garcon ($6,200 / $466)
• WR3: Chris Givens ($5,300 / $453)
• TE: Jimmy Graham ($7,500 / $455)
• K: Steve Hauschka ($5,000 / $490)
• DEF: Rams ($5,100 / $520)

This team is loaded. Our projected point total based on Bloom's projections is 129.0, and this team comes in at $465 per Fantasy Point.

"SCRUB"-BING FOR VALUE

If you've ever done an auction draft, you've likely heard the phrase "stars and scrubs." For those unfamiliar, it's a strategy in which a team spends the majority of their money on high-dollar players and hopes to fill the rest of the roster with low-dollar "lottery ticket" types. This can be a viable strategy in FanDuel too. Let's see some of this week's low-dollar players who might compliment the "studs" on the roster.

At quarterback, the mobile QB market is typically rich for finding "hidden" fantasy points, and Terrelle Pryor is a guy who is capable of getting us some points with his legs. With FanDuel leagues being four-point-per-touchdown-pass leagues, Pryor's questionable arm isn't as much of a drop-off as one might think. Pryor ($5,100) substitued for Romo ($8,200) would give us a ton of wiggle room at the other positions. We could swap out Gore ($6,800) for Jamaal Charles ($8,800) and swap out Amendola for Demaryius Thomas. Here's how that would look on a project points basis:

• Romo to Pryor: -5.2
• Gore to Charles: +4.1
• Amendola to Thomas: +1.5

For running backs, let's look to Indianapolis where Ahmad Bradshaw and Vick Ballard get a soft and shaky Oakland defense. At $6,000 and $5,600 respectively, these guys would allow you betwee $400 and $800 of wiggle room if you inserted them for Shane Vereen in the first $55k example above.

At wide receiver, you may have noticed Golden Tate appearing on multiple teams. At $5,100, he appears to be priced as if Percy Harvin was still going to be a factor in Seattle. As we all know, that's not the case. To get a starting receiver with a competent quarterback at a bargain basement price is stealing. To do it against a shaky secondary in Carolina, it's pretty much grand larceny.

You saw Jordan Cameron at tight end in the $55k examples. At just $4,900, it's clear that the FanDuel market hasn't caught up to the Cameron hype. Exploit that while you can. If you substituted Cameron ($4,900) for Graham ($7,500) in the $60k example above, you could move up to Drew Brees ($9,600) at quarterback and Trent Richardson ($8,400) at RB1. The possibilities for upgrading elsewhere are endless when having that much money to move around.

THE "D.I.Y." SECTION

Below, you'll find the spreadsheet with which you can customize your own team. Before downloading, here are a few notes and instructions to help make it work effectively:

• Upon opening, enable macros and data connections when prompted.
• If you're unable to sort by name, salary, projections, etc. on any of the positional pages, your macros are not enabled.
• Begin at the "Front Page" tab and follow the instructions listed in each section.
• Use the drop-downs on each respective position tab to select your players. Do NOT type anything in any cells. This entire workbook is customized with formulas, macros, and links. Any typing can ruin its functionality.
• The "Lineup Page" tab will only add up the salary figures when a full team of nine players is selected.
• Enjoy!

Create Your Own FanDuel Lineup