Fantasy Football 2025 Salary cap draft results, recap: Every bid, best buys, worst values, strategies, more
Nothing beats a salary cap style draft
By
Dan Schneier
•
9 min read
Nothing beats a salary cap style Fantasy Football draft, and if you've listened to any of my appearances on Fantasy Football Today, you know I haven't gone a single episode without clarifying my feelings. I respect the snake drafts because they are quicker, more popular, and reach a broader spectrum, but salary cap is the only style draft where you can build your roster in the way you've envisioned. If you love Ja'Marr Chase this year and believe he'll outpace the field by 100 points, you don't have to worry about getting the eighth overall pick and having no shot at drafting him -- he's yours for the right price!
I really can't encourage you enough -- if you have the chance to take part in a Salary Cap Draft, go for it! You can even do them right here on CBSSports.com.
Below, we'll recap our an industry expert salary cap draft organized by Dave Richard. I didn't get a chance to participate because I was busy recording the best strategies for drafting from each slot in your drafts with Jacob Gibbs on Beyond the Boxscore. You can find that here.
So today I'll play the role of judge and juror as these experts compete to find the most value.
These are the results of our 12-team, full PPR $100 budget draft. Every manager fielded a team that must start a QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, a TE, 2 FLEX (RB/WR/TE), along with six reserve spots and two IR spots. Our scoring includes six points for all touchdowns, along with one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving, one point for every 25 yards passing, and minus-two points for every turnover.
Our league consisted of the following drafters:
Our bidders:
| Adam Pfeiffer, FTN | Chris Harris, Harris Football |
| Alfredo Brown, Football Guys | Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports |
| Ben Gretch, Stealing Signals | Jim Coventry, Rotowire |
| Colin McTamany, FTN | Joey Wright, Football Guys |
| Dave Richard, CBS Sports | Matt Donnelly, Fantasy Points |
| Drew Davenport, Football Guys | Scott Pianowski, Yahoo! Sports |
Below, you'll find the complete draft results with a breakdown of the final bids sorted by position and team by team. But first, I want to have some fun and break down my favorite value buys, the worst values (according to me), how much all the buzz players went for, and more. But remember -- we used a $100 budget -- *I know most leagues have moved to a $200 budget, so just double the prices you see for your leagues and you'll have an idea of what you want to do in your salary cap drafts!
And finally, I wanted to point you in the direction of a three-part Salary Cap Summit hosted by Davenport, a must-watch if you're thinking about starting a Salary Cap/Auction style league, or if you're about to participate in one and need some strategies: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (featuring our guy Dave Richard)
Best values
- Saquon Barkley, $23
- Nico Collins, $22
- Ladd McConkey, $14
- Tee Higgins, $13
- Tyreek Hill, $11
- James Cook, $10
- Marvin Harrison Jr., $8
- Jaylen Waddle, $6
- Isiah Pacheco, $6
- Travis Kelce, $4
- Joe Mixon, $2
- Colston Loveland, $1
Worst values
- Christian McCaffrey, $27
- Drake London, $23
- Breece Hall, $13
- Chuba Hubbard, $12
- Ricky Pearsall, $10
- David Montgomery, $8
- Dak Prescott, $4 (Nix, Fields, Purdy went for $2)
Key draft takeaways
- As is typical in a one-QB salary cap draft, quarterbacks present an opportunity to grab value. We've talked all offseason about the historical data that suggests the easiest way to find a small win in your drafts is by grabbing one of the elite quarterbacks in the third rounds of your snake draft. In this salary cap format, you barely had to pay double digits to secure one of them. Unproven rookies (Harvey) and second-year upside fliers (Pearsall) came off the board for the same price as Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. Those who waited at quarterback gave themselves an opportunity at a player like Emeka Egbuka -- in turn -- passing up on Jackson and Allen.
- It's easy for me to tell this is an industry salary cap draft because the prices are very in line with how I see the board. They're also in line with our consensus rankings and ADP. In addition to that, the players rising up boards all went off the board; here are some of the most highly-contested bids.
- If you weren't targeting one of the elite quarterbacks, as is typical in this format, the best option was to wait -- and keep on waiting. Bo Nix and Justin Fields were excellent $2 buys.
- Some of the best values can be found on the least trendy and buzzworthy players. Marvin Harrison Jr. came off the board super cheap, relatively speaking. I couldn't believe Tyreek Hill barely eclipsed the double-digit salary mark at $11.
Draft results by position
| Quarterbacks | |
|---|---|
| Lamar Jackson, BAL | $11 |
| Joe Burrow, CIN | $10 |
| Josh Allen, BUF | $10 |
| Jayden Daniels, WAS | $10 |
| Jalen Hurts, PHI | $7 |
| Dak Prescott, DAL | $4 |
| Patrick Mahomes, KC | $4 |
| Drake Maye, NE | $2 |
| Bo Nix, DEN | $2 |
| Justin Fields, NYJ | $2 |
| Brock Purdy, SF | $2 |
| Kyler Murray, ARI | $2 |
| C.J. Stroud, HOU | $1 |
| Baker Mayfield, TB | $1 |
| Jared Goff, DET | $1 |
| Caleb Williams, CHI | $1 |
| Running backs | |
|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson, ATL | $33 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs, DET | $30 |
| Christian McCaffrey, SF | $27 |
| Saquon Barkley, PHI | $23 |
| Ashton Jeanty, LV | $23 |
| Chase Brown, CIN | $22 |
| Derrick Henry, BAL | $21 |
| De'Von Achane, MIA | $18 |
| Bucky Irving, TB | $16 |
| Kyren Williams, LAR | $15 |
| Josh Jacobs, GB | $15 |
| Jonathan Taylor, IND | $15 |
| Omarion Hampton, LAC | $14 |
| Breece Hall, NYJ | $13 |
| Alvin Kamara, NO | $12 |
| TreVeyon Henderson, NE | $12 |
| Chuba Hubbard, CAR | $12 |
| Kenneth Walker III, SEA | $11 |
| James Conner, ARI | $10 |
| James Cook, BUF | $10 |
| RJ Harvey, DEN | $10 |
| David Montgomery, DET | $8 |
| D'Andre Swift, CHI | $6 |
| Tony Pollard, TEN | $6 |
| Isiah Pacheco, KC | $6 |
| Jordan Mason, MIN | $6 |
| Aaron Jones, MIN | $5 |
| Tyrone Tracy Jr., NYG | $4 |
| Zach Charbonnet, SEA | $4 |
| Jaylen Warren, PIT | $4 |
| Kaleb Johnson, PIT | $3 |
| Travis Etienne, JAC | $3 |
| Jaydon Blue, DAL | $3 |
| Tank Bigsby, JAC | $3 |
| Bhayshul Tuten, JAC | $3 |
| Braelon Allen, NYJ | $3 |
| Cam Skattebo, NYG | $3 |
| Isaac Guerendo, SF | $2 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt, WAS | $2 |
| Joe Mixon, HOU | $2 |
| J.K. Dobbins, DEN | $2 |
| Quinshon Judkins, CLE | $2 |
| Austin Ekeler, WAS | $2 |
| Rachaad White, TB | $2 |
| Jerome Ford, CLE | $2 |
| Dylan Sampson, CLE | $2 |
| Najee Harris, LAC | $2 |
| Jarquez Hunter, LAR | $1 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson, NE | $1 |
| Brian Robinson Jr., WAS | $1 |
| Nick Chubb, HOU | $1 |
| Javonte Williams, DAL | $1 |
| Rico Dowdle, CAR | $1 |
| Ollie Gordon II, MIA | $1 |
| Trey Benson, ARI | $1 |
| Ray Davis, BUF | $1 |
| Tyler Allgeier, ATL | $1 |
| Will Shipley, PHI | $1 |
| Chris Rodriguez Jr., WAS | $1 |
| Blake Corum, LAR | $1 |
| Jaylen Wright, MIA | $1 |
| Tyjae Spears, TEN | $1 |
| Kyle Monangai, CHI | $1 |
| Wide receivers | |
|---|---|
| Ja'Marr Chase, CIN | $30 |
| CeeDee Lamb, DAL | $25 |
| Brian Thomas Jr., JAC | $25 |
| Justin Jefferson, MIN | $24 |
| Malik Nabers, NYG | $24 |
| Drake London, ATL | $23 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET | $23 |
| Nico Collins, HOU | $22 |
| Puka Nacua, LAR | $19 |
| A.J. Brown, PHI | $18 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA | $15 |
| Ladd McConkey, LAC | $14 |
| Garrett Wilson, NYJ | $14 |
| Tee Higgins, CIN | $13 |
| DeVonta Smith, PHI | $12 |
| Tyreek Hill, MIA | $11 |
| DK Metcalf, PIT | $11 |
| Tetairoa McMillan, CAR | $11 |
| Davante Adams, LAR | $11 |
| Mike Evans, TB | $11 |
| Zay Flowers, BAL | $11 |
| Courtland Sutton, DEN | $10 |
| Ricky Pearsall, SF | $10 |
| Terry McLaurin, WAS | $9 |
| Xavier Worthy, KC | $9 |
| Calvin Ridley, TEN | $9 |
| George Pickens, DAL | $9 |
| Matthew Golden, GB | $9 |
| Marvin Harrison Jr., ARI | $8 |
| Rome Odunze, CHI | $8 |
| DJ Moore, CHI | $7 |
| Jameson Williams, DET | $7 |
| Emeka Egbuka, TB | $6 |
| Rashee Rice, KC | $6 |
| Travis Hunter, JAC | $6 |
| Jerry Jeudy, CLE | $6 |
| Jaylen Waddle, MIA | $6 |
| Chris Olave, NO | $6 |
| Jakobi Meyers, LV | $5 |
| Deebo Samuel, WAS | $4 |
| Stefon Diggs, NE | $4 |
| Michael Pittman, IND | $4 |
| Keon Coleman, BUF | $4 |
| Jordan Addison, MIN | $3 |
| Chris Godwin, TB | $3 |
| Jauan Jennings, SF | $3 |
| Wan'Dale Robinson, NYG | $3 |
| Khalil Shakir, BUF | $3 |
| Cedric Tillman, CLE | $2 |
| Jayden Reed, GB | $2 |
| Josh Downs, IND | $2 |
| Cooper Kupp, SEA | $2 |
| Keenan Allen, LAC | $2 |
| Christian Kirk, HOU | $2 |
| Demario Douglas, NE | $2 |
| Rashid Shaheed, NO | $2 |
| Darnell Mooney, ATL | $2 |
| Dyami Brown, JAC | $1 |
| Brandon Aiyuk, SF | $1 |
| Jayden Higgins, HOU | $1 |
| Luther Burden III, CHI | $1 |
| Marquise Brown, KC | $1 |
| Rashod Bateman, BAL | $1 |
| Josh Palmer, BUF | $1 |
| Xavier Legette, CAR | $1 |
| Adonai Mitchell, IND | $1 |
| Marvin Mims, DEN | $1 |
| Dont'e Thornton Jr., LV | $1 |
| Jalen Coker, CAR | $1 |
| Jaylin Noel, HOU | $1 |
| Romeo Doubs, GB | $1 |
| Tight ends | |
|---|---|
| Brock Bowers, LV | $15 |
| Trey McBride, ARI | $15 |
| George Kittle, SF | $11 |
| Sam LaPorta, DET | $6 |
| T.J. Hockenson, MIN | $5 |
| David Njoku, CLE | $4 |
| Tyler Warren, IND | $4 |
| Travis Kelce, KC | $4 |
| Evan Engram, DEN | $3 |
| Mark Andrews, BAL | $3 |
| Tucker Kraft, GB | $3 |
| Jake Ferguson, DAL | $3 |
| Jonnu Smith, PIT | $1 |
| Colston Loveland, CHI | $1 |
| Kyle Pitts, ATL | $1 |
| Dallas Goedert, PHI | $1 |
| Dalton Kincaid, BUF | $1 |
| Mason Taylor, NYJ | $1 |
Draft Results By Team
| Adam Pfeiffer | |
|---|---|
| Brock Purdy, QB, SF | $2 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, DET | $30 |
| Quinshon Judkins, RB, CLE | $2 |
| Austin Ekeler, RB, WAS | $2 |
| Dylan Sampson, RB, CLE | $2 |
| Ray Davis, RB, BUF | $1 |
| Nico Collins, WR, HOU | $22 |
| Tee Higgins, WR, CIN | $13 |
| George Pickens, WR, DAL | $9 |
| Emeka Egbuka, WR, TB | $6 |
| Chris Godwin, WR, TB | $3 |
| Rashid Shaheed, WR, NO | $2 |
| Marquise Brown, WR, KC | $1 |
| T.J. Hockenson, TE, MIN | $5 |
| Alfredo Brown | |
| Caleb Williams, QB, CHI | $1 |
| Bijan Robinson, RB, ATL | $33 |
| De'Von Achane, RB, MIA | $18 |
| Rachaad White, RB, TB | $2 |
| Javonte Williams, RB, DAL | $1 |
| Ollie Gordon II, RB, MIA | $1 |
| Blake Corum, RB, LAR | $1 |
| Kyle Monangai, RB, CHI | $1 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, SEA | $15 |
| Rome Odunze, WR, CHI | $8 |
| Keenan Allen, WR, LAC | $2 |
| Marvin Mims, WR, DEN | $1 |
| Jalen Coker, WR, CAR | $1 |
| Trey McBride, TE, ARI | $15 |
| Ben Gretch | |
| Bo Nix, QB, DEN | $2 |
| TreVeyon Henderson, RB, NE | $12 |
| Kenneth Walker III, RB, SEA | $11 |
| RJ Harvey, RB, DEN | $10 |
| Travis Etienne, RB, JAC | $3 |
| Bhayshul Tuten, RB, JAC | $3 |
| Cam Skattebo, RB, NYG | $3 |
| Brian Thomas Jr., WR, JAC | $25 |
| Tetairoa McMillan, WR, CAR | $11 |
| Xavier Worthy, WR, KC | $9 |
| Jayden Reed, WR, GB | $2 |
| Josh Downs, WR, IND | $2 |
| Jayden Higgins, WR, HOU | $1 |
| Sam LaPorta, TE, DET | $6 |
| Colin McTamany | |
| Lamar Jackson, QB, BAL | $11 |
| Baker Mayfield, QB, TB | $1 |
| Derrick Henry, RB, BAL | $21 |
| Isiah Pacheco, RB, KC | $6 |
| Tank Bigsby, RB, JAC | $3 |
| Rico Dowdle, RB, CAR | $1 |
| Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, WAS | $1 |
| Tyjae Spears, RB, TEN | $1 |
| Drake London, WR, ATL | $23 |
| A.J. Brown, WR, PHI | $18 |
| Calvin Ridley, WR, TEN | $9 |
| Adonai Mitchell, WR, IND | $1 |
| Romeo Doubs, WR, GB | $1 |
| Evan Engram, TE, DEN | $3 |
| Dave Richard | |
| Jalen Hurts, QB, PHI | $7 |
| Jared Goff, QB, DET | $1 |
| Christian McCaffrey, RB, SF | $27 |
| Kyren Williams, RB, LAR | $15 |
| Kaleb Johnson, RB, PIT | $3 |
| Isaac Guerendo, RB, SF | $2 |
| Jarquez Hunter, RB, LAR | $1 |
| Puka Nacua, WR, LAR | $19 |
| Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, ARI | $8 |
| Jameson Williams, WR, DET | $7 |
| Keon Coleman, WR, BUF | $4 |
| Dont'e Thornton Jr., WR, LV | $1 |
| Tyler Warren, TE, IND | $4 |
| Dalton Kincaid, TE, BUF | $1 |
| Drew Davenport | |
| Justin Fields, QB, NYJ | $2 |
| Alvin Kamara, RB, NO | $12 |
| James Cook, RB, BUF | $10 |
| Jordan Mason, RB, MIN | $6 |
| Malik Nabers, WR, NYG | $24 |
| Davante Adams, WR, LAR | $11 |
| Matthew Golden, WR, GB | $9 |
| Rashee Rice, WR, KC | $6 |
| Stefon Diggs, WR, NE | $4 |
| Michael Pittman, WR, IND | $4 |
| Jordan Addison, WR, MIN | $3 |
| Cooper Kupp, WR, SEA | $2 |
| Colston Loveland, TE, CHI | $1 |
| Dallas Goedert, TE, PHI | $1 |
| Harris Football | |
| Josh Allen, QB, BUF | $10 |
| Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI | $23 |
| David Montgomery, RB, DET | $8 |
| Aaron Jones, RB, MIN | $5 |
| Nick Chubb, RB, HOU | $1 |
| Tyler Allgeier, RB, ATL | $1 |
| Jaylen Wright, RB, MIA | $1 |
| Zay Flowers, WR, BAL | $11 |
| Courtland Sutton, WR, DEN | $10 |
| Ricky Pearsall, WR, SF | $10 |
| Khalil Shakir, WR, BUF | $3 |
| Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF | $1 |
| Jaylin Noel, WR, HOU | $1 |
| Brock Bowers, TE, LV | $15 |
| Jamey Eisenberg | |
| Drake Maye, QB, NE | $2 |
| Kyler Murray, QB, ARI | $2 |
| Ashton Jeanty, RB, LV | $23 |
| Omarion Hampton, RB, LAC | $14 |
| Zach Charbonnet, RB, SEA | $4 |
| Jaylen Warren, RB, PIT | $4 |
| Najee Harris, RB, LAC | $2 |
| Trey Benson, RB, ARI | $1 |
| CeeDee Lamb, WR, DAL | $25 |
| Tyreek Hill, WR, MIA | $11 |
| Chris Olave, WR, NO | $6 |
| Darnell Mooney, WR, ATL | $2 |
| Luther Burden III, WR, CHI | $1 |
| Tucker Kraft, TE, GB | $3 |
| Jim Coventry | |
| Dak Prescott, QB, DAL | $4 |
| C.J. Stroud, QB, HOU | $1 |
| Chase Brown, RB, CIN | $22 |
| Josh Jacobs, RB, GB | $15 |
| Breece Hall, RB, NYJ | $13 |
| James Conner, RB, ARI | $10 |
| DK Metcalf, WR, PIT | $11 |
| DJ Moore, WR, CHI | $7 |
| Jakobi Meyers, WR, LV | $5 |
| Deebo Samuel, WR, WAS | $4 |
| Cedric Tillman, WR, CLE | $2 |
| Dyami Brown, WR, JAC | $1 |
| David Njoku, TE, CLE | $4 |
| Jonnu Smith, TE, PIT | $1 |
| Joey Wright | |
| Joe Burrow, QB, CIN | $10 |
| D'Andre Swift, RB, CHI | $6 |
| Jaydon Blue, RB, DAL | $3 |
| Braelon Allen, RB, NYJ | $3 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, WAS | $2 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, NE | $1 |
| Will Shipley, RB, PHI | $1 |
| Ja'Marr Chase, WR, CIN | $30 |
| Justin Jefferson, WR, MIN | $24 |
| Ladd McConkey, WR, LAC | $14 |
| Rashod Bateman, WR, BAL | $1 |
| Xavier Legette, WR, CAR | $1 |
| Mark Andrews, TE, BAL | $3 |
| Mason Taylor, TE, NYJ | $1 |
| Matt Donnelly | |
| Jayden Daniels, QB, WAS | $10 |
| Bucky Irving, RB, TB | $16 |
| Jonathan Taylor, RB, IND | $15 |
| Joe Mixon, RB, HOU | $2 |
| Brian Robinson Jr., RB, WAS | $1 |
| Garrett Wilson, WR, NYJ | $14 |
| Mike Evans, WR, TB | $11 |
| Travis Hunter, WR, JAC | $6 |
| Jerry Jeudy, WR, CLE | $6 |
| Jauan Jennings, WR, SF | $3 |
| Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, NYG | $3 |
| Josh Palmer, WR, BUF | $1 |
| George Kittle, TE, SF | $11 |
| Kyle Pitts, TE, ATL | $1 |
| Scott Pianowski | |
| Patrick Mahomes, QB, KC | $4 |
| Chuba Hubbard, RB, CAR | $12 |
| Tony Pollard, RB, TEN | $6 |
| Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, NYG | $4 |
| J.K. Dobbins, RB, DEN | $2 |
| Jerome Ford, RB, CLE | $2 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET | $23 |
| DeVonta Smith, WR, PHI | $12 |
| Terry McLaurin, WR, WAS | $9 |
| Jaylen Waddle, WR, MIA | $6 |
| Christian Kirk, WR, HOU | $2 |
| Demario Douglas, WR, NE | $2 |
| Travis Kelce, TE, KC | $4 |
| Jake Ferguson, TE, DAL | $3 |
