National fantasy football contests have come and gone by the dozens over the years, a number with spectacular flair and almost as many with equally spectacular failure. The Football Challenge operated by CDMSports has been a mainstay in the industry for over 20 years and provided the original salary cap game that many of us used to compete in our first league that was not a private draft among friends. I played my first year of CDMSports Challenges in my senior year of high school in 1996, before the wide spread use of internet results; at this time back in the dark ages, we actually had to wait until Thursday or Friday to get results in the mail ... not email, actual paper results delivered by the mailman. Fantasy sports have come a long way in the two decades I havve been playing; CDMSports Challenges have been a constant throughout it all.

GAME FORMAT

For those of you who have only competed in draft leagues, salary cap games can be a big change to your view of fantasy football; no longer are you hoping that you get a good draft slot, or worrying how to best allocate your auction funds -- you are now looking for the best way to spend your cap on a preset list of player prices that do not fluctuate during the season or based on demand. This means that identifying and starting those good cheap players early can get you a few extra weeks of valuable stats at a low cap hit; plus if you choose those players for your initial roster, it can save you one of your all-important new player purchases.

In the Football Challenge, the entry fee is $39.95 and each team selects a 20-player starting lineup, which consists of the following mandatory positional breakdown:

  • 3 Quarterbacks (QB)
  • 6 Running backs (RB)
  • 2 Tight ends (TE)
  • 6 Wide receivers (WR)
  • 3 Kickers (K)

In addition to the starting lineup, teams select an 11-player taxi squad, which is a fancy word for “bench”. The taxi squad consist of any mix of players you desire.

At all times during the season the starting lineup must remain at or under the salary cap of $30 million. Players from the taxi squad do not count against the salary cap until they are placed into the starting lineup in exchange for another player. This is a called a “taxi squad switch” and costs $3. If the incoming player was on bye the previous week or the outgoing player is on bye the current week, this is a “Bye Week Switch” which costs only $1.

Professional football is a fickle game. Players get hurt, players get benched, players emerge from obscurity and then fade back into obscurity. Each Football Challenge team is allowed to add 16 new players during the year, with a corresponding drop of a player from its roster. These are the “new player purchases” I previously mentioned and they cost $10 each. These are one of the most important aspects of the game, because you always want to be able to improve your roster; so if you run out of these purchases early in the season, you limit your ability to insure against the inevitable injuries and your ability to pick up the cheaper salary players that emerge as the season progresses.

Up until a few years ago, the average team that managed their roster fully to the end of the season would spend in the neighborhood of $400-450, but thanks to some new pre-purchase transaction packages, you can eliminate all the fees mentioned above and receive your entry, plus all 16 of your new player purchases and unlimited player switches for $289.95. This number may seem expensive, but any team finishing 3rd or better in league will turn a profit, while getting a shot at the big money in the overall competition. It may take you a few tries to get the hang of it, but there is no better game out there. After a few seasons, I was turning some small but significant profits; my co-owner and I broke through and won the Football Challenge in 2008 and nearly won it again in 2012, having the overall lead headed into Week 16, ultimately finishing 5th overall.

Teams are ranked in their League (25 teams), Division (10 leagues, 250 teams), and overall (all teams) using a Rotisserie scoring method in eight statistical categories:

  • Passing Yards
  • Passing Average (Yds/Att)
  • Rushing Yards
  • Rushing Average (Yds/Att)
  • Receiving Yards
  • Receiving Average (Yds/Catch)
  • Kicker Scoring
  • Total Scoring (Pass TDs x 3 + Other TDs x 6 + Field Goals x 3 + Extra Points)

If you have never played in a Rotisserie scoring league before, be aware that to have a strong showing you need to be good in all eight scoring categories. Being extremely strong in one will not outweigh being poor in another. You need to be balanced across the board.

The overall grand prize is $20,000. However teams ranked in the top five of their league, top 25 of their division, and in the top 100 overall will earn cash prizes, in addition to weekly prizes for both the top team of the week and the current overall leader.

STRATEGY

Salary and roster balance is a key aspect to the game. Every team can select the best players in the NFL, so the ability to use those players when they have favorable match ups becomes paramount. Nothing is worse than having a stud RB go off for 150 yards and two scores on your taxi squad because you could not fit him under the cap. Some newer players to the Football Challenge do not take this factor into account; they roster all of the studs they can, only to watch them languish unused most weeks. Salary balance is one thing, but positional balance is important as well. You do not want to have too many or too few of any particular position. With your 11 taxi squad spots you will want to roster two QBs, three RBs, three WRs & one K, which leaves two additional spots for a third QB, fourth RB and/or backup TE. I would not advise a fourth WR since receivers do not require as much match up discretion as QBs and RBs do – and by no means should you bother to carry a fifth kicker.

Scheduling and byes play a major role in the Football Challenge. My co-owner and I used to make out our ideal starting lineup for Week 3 & Week 4 and work backwards from there to add players who fit our team to make a good Week 2 and then Week 1 roster. From there if we had unused taxi squad spots, we would move forward to Week 5, and beyond, until we had a full roster; then we began to tinker with the roster we had created after that process. Most owners choose their Week 1 roster first, but I feel this creates some heavy bias towards good Week 1 match ups and teams can do better long term by planning for a first month roster, rather than a first week roster. There are a couple of difficult bye weeks to keep an eye on when creating your rosters: Weeks 4, 9 & 10 all have six NFL teams on bye; and even more specifically a rough Week 4 at RB, Week 9 at the QB & WR positions and Week 10 at the TE position.

The Average categories are something a newcomer may never have dealt with before in a draft format where quantity is the only thing that matters, but in the Football Challenge the quality of that quantity is extremely important.

Which of these two WR were more valuable in the Football Challenge last season?

  • Andre Johnson: 109 receptions, 1407 yards, 5 touchdowns
  • Torrey Smith: 65 receptions, 1128 yards, 4 touchdowns

Anyone who plays in a standard or PPR league knows that Andre was obviously the more valuable player; but not in the Football Challenge where the Smiths 17.4 yards per catch was up in elite company, while Andre’s 12.9 yards per catch -- stretched out over 109 receptions -- dragged down his owners' averages. Getting into a deep hole in an average category is a great way to end your season prematurely. Make sure to focus on at least a core group of players who will provide a good base in the average categories. Beware of the RBs who add 60-plus receptions at sub-8.0 receiving averages. These are a huge drain on your stats if they are not exceptional rushers. Some of my favorite PPR league targets -- Shane Vereen, Pierre Thomas, Danny Woodhead and Darren Sproles -- make for terrible choices in the Football Challenge.

Injuries suck in fantasy football. It is terrible to watch your first draft pick go down with a torn ACL and then struggling to replace any of his production you can. However, injuries and injury avoidance should not be a major concern in the Football Challenge. Of course any injury in the first quarter of a game will hurt your statistics for the week, but with the depth and quality of players you will have on your taxi squad, you should be more “risk-loving” and willing to gamble on perceived injury prone players in the Football Challenge than you maybe should in a draft-format league.

Do not ignore kicking. Kickers help in their own dedicated category; kicker scoring also makes up a large portion of the total scoring category. The average Kicker contributes around 120 points; whereas the average QB contributes around 85 points, the average RB around 45 points, the average WR around 40 points, and the average TE only about 35 points; the only two non-Kickers to produce over 120 total points were Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. There is no bonus for long field goals, but the top kickers are pricey, so focus on value kickers in solid offenses so that you can get extra points in addition to field goal attempts. Make sure to select four kickers with different bye weeks and do not be afraid to use an early purchase on a kicker if you fall behind early in kicking, as it is a very difficult category to make gains in late in the season due to the randomness at the position.

The Cheat Game became a reality about a decade ago when the NFL decided to play the season-opening game on Thursday nights;. CDM benefits from having signups open until Sunday morning, so they have allowed teams to see the results from this “Cheat Game” before entering and/or submitting their final roster. Some years the game does not have a big impact; other years it has a major impact, with last year being a prime example with most teams adding Peyton Manning (462 yds, 7 TD), Demaryius Thomas (161 yds, 2 TD) and a little known TE at the time, Julius Thomas (110 yds, 2 TD). I do not foresee a major impact from the Cheat Game this season between Green Bay and Seattle, but there is always potential for a few big performances on the opening Thursday that will require unplanned rostering.

PLAYER ANALYSIS

Below are some suggested players to target or avoid in each of the ranges. There are some obvious players to avoid that I am not going to dwell on. Just know that although I am not listing Steve Smith as an "Avoid" WR, that does not mean that I advocate selecting him. Each position has a different schedule of prices that I like to break down into “Expensive”, “Middle”, and “Cheap” ranges:

POSITIONEXPENSIVEMIDDLECHEAP
QB2700+1800-2700500-1800
RB1800+1100-1800400-1100
TE800+500-800300-500
WR1400+1000-1400400-1000
K1500+---1000-1500

*Numbers are in 000’s for simplicity (example: Peyton Manning at 3630 is really $3,630,000 against cap)

QUARTERBACKS (EXPENSIVE)

BUY: Drew Brees (3370) does not put up quite the numbers Peyton Manning does, but his early schedule is much more favorable than Denver’s. Opening week at Atlanta, the home opener Week 3 vs. Minnesota, and Week 4 at Dallas all have me salivating to view the stats Brees put up in the first month. The numbers are just insane. He has averaged 5271 passing yards at 8.0 per pass with 44 TDs over the past three seasons.

BUY: Aaron Rodgers (3170) should provide better value than Peyton Manning early on. Rodgers has one of the best receiver duos in the league -- Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb -- and he has been among the most efficient in the NFL in Pass Average. The NFL North is riddled with terrible pass defenses this year. Take advantage of offensive players from this division. You will also pick up an additional 250 yards rushing plus that aforementioned Pass Average boost.

SELL: Peyton Manning (3630) is the most expensive QB this year. His efficiency and volume still could make him a solid selection even at the hefty price tag. So why is he a "sell" candidate? Denver has an improved defense, which will take some of the load off the passing offense. Then there's his schedule: the Indianapolis and Kansas City games are pretty good, but early on in the season it is hard to afford the extremely expensive players because fewer trustworthy value players have emerged. Week 3, Denver travels to Seattle. You would not play him this week; and then Denver has a bye in Week 4. Coming out of the bye, the Broncos play a home game against a talented Arizona defense and then they travel to the solid defensive Jets, along with a return trip home vs. San Francisco all pose potentially tough games. I do not expect Peyton to struggle a whole lot, but for his price tag you need him to be the best QB in the NFL over that stretch. Save you cap space and plan on using a purchase on him Week 8 home vs. San Diego for the start of a good stretch in the Denver schedule.

SELL: Cam Newton (2810) is a talented NFL QB who can be considered one of the most valuable players to his specific team. But in the Football Challenge his shortcomings in Pass Yards and Pass Average outweigh the additional gains he adds via his rushing stats. Do not start with Newton. But you might add him later in the season if you have built up strong passing numbers and need a boost in rushing boost. Newton could be in your plans to fix those numbers.

QUARTERBACKS (MIDDLE)

BUY: Tony Romo (2580) is primed for a career year if his back holds out; but as I mentioned in the strategy session, be more risk-loving with injury issues in the Football Challenge because players are easier to replace. Dallas has a perfect storm for a monster year offensively: They have one of the best offensive lines in the league, a talented group of receiving players (Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Jason Witten, Demarco Murray), but most importantly they have perhaps the worst defenses in the entire league. Romo should approach or post career highs in Yards and TD, and with the protection he will have with a great line, I would expect his efficiency in the pass game to be very solid, rebounding nicely from last year. A line of 5000 yards, 7.7 average and 35 TDs is not out of the question.

BUY: Matt Ryan (2540) struggled with his efficiency last year but still amassed 4515 passing yards and 26 TDs without the help of Julio Jones and Roddy White for 14 combined games. The Falcons' horrendous defense -- combined with a great schedule and the return of a healthy WR duo -- should allow Ryan to step up nearly all of his numbers, climbing back into elite territory. A 4900-7.8-30 season should be within reach for Ryan, and that will play very well in the Football Challenge at his price tag.

BUY: Jay Cutler (2000) was on pace for a huge season last year, and when his numbers are combined with those of Josh McCown you have an elite QB. With stud WR targets in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, plus solid TE Martellus Bennett and one of the best pass catching RBx in Matt Forte – there are weapons galore for Cutler to take advantage of in the Marc Trestman offense. I like Cutler to put up a 4000-7.5-30 type of line this year, which would be a great play at his price point.

SELL: Eli Manning (2300) has a career trajectory that is not headed in the right direction, and the team has passing weapons in Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle. Still, with a poor offensive line and lack of pass catchers at the TE and RB positions, those receivers get lots of coverage in the secondary. Eli Manning's Pass Average is among the league's worst, and he offers next to nothing in the rushing categories. Eli will not be a good selection this year in the Football Challenge even if his numbers rebound across the board.

QUARTERBACKS (CHEAP)

BUY: Ryan Fitzpatrick (1570) inherits a team full of weapons that Matt Schaub could not use properly. Fitzpatrick was solid filling in for Jake Locker last year, amassing 2454 yards with 14 TDs in 10.5 games, which projects to a 3740 yard, 21 TDs line in a full 16 game season. His Pass Average was not great at just over 7.0, but a new offense with Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, Garrett Graham and Arian Foster out of the backfield should help improve upon that number.

BUY: Shaun Hill (1000) may not be a world killer, but he has been a relatively successful QB when he has gotten a chance to start. In 19 starts during the 2008 and 2010 seasons, Hill amassed a line of 4644-6.8-29 with only 19 interceptions. That projects to a 3910 yard season over 16 games, with 24 TDs to 16 INT. With home games in a dome, a good offensive line, some talented receivers and a decent running game to take the pressure off, you could do a lot worse. I don't recommend starting Hill every week, but those numbers would be well worth a few spot starts during some favorable match ups at a rock-bottom price point that would allow you to load up elsewhere if you needed to make up ground in other categories.

SELL: Matt Cassel (1370) has been discussed as a potential cheap option for the Football Challenge, but I am not buying. His efficiency numbers are slightly better than Shaun Hill's, but I do not like Cassel's situation nearly as much. Minnesota is moving outdoors this year and last time I checked, Minneapolis does not exactly have the best weather. A potentially bigger threat than the weather, however, is Teddy Bridgewater; the talented rookie will keep Cassel on a short leash and if the team struggles out of the gate with a tough early schedule (at STL, vs. NE, at NO, vs. ATL), the rookie may be starting sooner rather than later, leaving Cassel owners holding the bag.

RUNNING BACKS (EXPENSIVE)

BUY: LeSean McCoy (2970) is the second most expensive RB on the salary list, however in Philadelphia's high-powered offense, his potential to put up 2000-plus scrimmage yards with 20 TD, plus a 5.0-plus Rush Average makes him my top choice ahead of the other usual suspects like Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles. McCoy’s receiving average was not even a drain last year, putting up 539 yards on 52 receptions for a 10.4 average; this is likely to regress back into the 8.0 range, but it is nice to know that the potential to avoid a big drag there is possible.

BUY: Arian Foster (2070) is a risky proposition in a Draft League format, but if you are going to use him anywhere, this is the format to try it in. Houston has the best schedule in the NFL and Foster is usable in about seven of the first nine weeks of the season. Foster is the perfect type of player to start with in the Football Challenge, because if he gets hurt, he is an easy drop for a New Player Purchase; however, if you do not start with him, he is a risky pick up since you have now shortened the distance until his potential injury and used one of your limited purchases on him.

BUY: DeMarco Murray (1870) is on the lesser end of the “Expensive Range”, but he likely going to end up being under priced by a few hundred. Murray fits the mold of my risk-loving injury comments in the strategy section as a guy who is risky early pick in a Draft League, but likely an ideal selection in the Football Challenge. With a 5.2 rush average, nearly 1500 total yards and double digit scores, Murray offers good numbers across the board. His only negative were the 53 receptions at 350 yards, however with Dallas having one of the best Offensive Lines in the league, combined with one of the worst Defenses in the NFL, I foresee better receiving efficiency this season out of Murray, with a near repeat of his rushing numbers.

SELL: Reggie Bush (2030) is a much better real life player and PPR League choice than he is for the Football Challenge. Bush did amass 1500 total yards last year, for the first time in his career, and put up very solid averages (4.5 rushing, 9.4 receiving). However, he is likely to lose touches to Joique Bell in the run game and should see more short receiving targets; this would likely drag his receiving average back down into the 8.0 range as he takes over the Darren Sproles role in the Saints-style Offense that is being implemented by the new Offensive Coordinator in Detroit.

RUNNING BACKS (MIDDLE)

BUY: Eddie Lacy (1650) is a dark horse candidate for Fantasy RB of the Year and could lead the NFL in Rush Yards and TD. With opposing defenses game planning for Aaron Rodgers and the Packer WR, Lacy should see open running lanes all season and ample Red Zone opportunities. His receiving is a slight negative, as he is likely to up his catch totals this year but should maintain a mediocre range 7.5 yard-per-catch. This is a slight hiccup in the resume of a player who will be widely owned and should be on your roster from Day 1 of the Football Challenge.

BUY: Andre Ellington (1460) is probably the top valued RB in the entire Football Challenge due to his price tag and ability to produce both good Rushing and Receiving Averages. I am not the biggest fan of Ellington or the Arizona offense, but his ability to produce value in this game is undeniable, as such I think it is probably a smart idea to just roster him and see how things shake out. If he struggles, he will be an easy drop without much hurt to your roster; but to not start with him on the roster and then watch him break off a few big runs in the first couple weeks, before you eventually purchase him, would be very detrimental to your team. A Rush Average of 5.0 and a 10.0 Receiving Average is well within reach, which are great efficiency rates at his price point.

BUY: Montee Ball (1280) finds himself in a great spot lining up behind the best QB in NFL History; only once in Manning’s career has his RB not finished in the top 26 in the NFL in Rushing/TDs fantasy scoring; and in 11 of those 15 years, his RB has finished in the top 12. Ball was a first round talent who was relegated to a second round pick due to the new style of the NFL, however he has got the opportunity now that the Knowshon Moreno is gone and the talent to be a perennial Pro Bowl selection. I do not expect Montee to burn down the house in any specific category, but he should provide plus production in yards and scoring, with a solid rush average and he is an underrated pass catcher on a team that targeted the RB out of the backfield 115 times last year.

BUY: Toby Gerhart (1130) is one of the more polarizing players in fantasy this year, but I am buying. Jacksonville is not a good team, but they are trying to establish an identity in the model of the Seattle Seahawks. With a former Seattle Defensive Coordinator, Gus Bradley, manning the helm in Jacksonville they want to play solid defense and run the ball on offense. Gerhart was a stud coming out of Stanford, but was lost in the shuffle playing behind the alien that is Adrian Peterson; however Gerhart was very productive in his limited touches in Minnesota putting up 1305 yards on 276 carries (4.7 average), plus 77 receptions for another 600 yards (7.8 average) with 8 total touchdowns – it is not unreasonable to think he could nearly approach those rushing numbers in a full season as a starter to the tune of something like 260 carries for 1200 yards, plus another 40 receptions for 300 yards and 8-plus touchdowns, which would make him a steal at his price tag.

SELL: Giovani Bernard (1300) is probably not a name that most would expect to be on an “Avoid List” this year, but he is just not a very good fit in the Football Challenge scoring system. I like Gio, but he just has not been as productive as you might expect: including the playoffs and preseason, over his past 7 games, he has 169 rush yards on 71 carries (2.4 average); couple that with his high volume of likely sub-9.0 catches, and he looks like more of a negative producer in this format. Couple that with the solid preseason showing of rookie teammate Jeremy Hill and a set tough AFC North Divisional defenses and Gio is someone I would pass on in the Football Challenge.

SELL: Le’Veon Bell (1260) is high…on my avoid list this year, but it is not due to potential legal issues that may arise, as he is not likely to face a league suspension until 2015. My dislike of Bell stems from the lack of dynamic ability, he averaged 3.5 yards per carry last year and although he is likely to improve on that, I doubt he crosses the 3.9 barrier which is still not very good for this game. Toss the addition of his Doobie Brother, Legarrette Blount, to the mix and there is a likely drop in Red Zone touches on the horizon. All of this, plus a difficult division to run against, puts Le’Veon on my list of guys to avoid.

RUNNING BACKS (CHEAP)

BUY: There are not many Cheap RBs I would consider starting out the season with. Rather than trying to pinch a penny here, take an extra guy in the Middle group and try to save a few hundred at another position. If you are going to take the plunge at a sub-1000 RB, the only guy I could make a mild case for to start out would be Jeremy Hill (900), who appears to have taken over the BenJarvus Green-Ellis role in the Cincinnati Offense, he also will not hurt your receiving average much; but I would not expect much overall production out of Hill and do not consider him a great selection. Players to keep an eye as the seasons moves along are Jonathan Stewart (980), Mark Ingram (950) and Bishop Sankey (900).

SELL: I mentioned a few of these guys up in the strategy section, but avoid rostering the pass catching-only backs like Danny Woodhead (990), Pierre Thomas (980), and Shane Vereen (930). Another hot name earlier in draft season that I would avoid in the Football Challenge is Lamar Miller (950), he seems to be losing his grip on the 1A spot to Knowshon Moreno, who may not be quite as dynamic a runner, but is a far superior pass blocker and will play more in high leverage situations on passing downs and in the goal line.

TIGHT ENDS (EXPENSIVE)

BUY: Jimmy Graham (1290) is the most expensive TE, but he is also by far the best TE in the NFL and should be planned around in the Football Challenge; try to setup your team so that you almost never have to take him out. I have found years where I take Graham out, it becomes increasingly difficult to put him back into the lineup. Jimmy Graham is the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie of the NFL, just “Set Him and Forget Him”.

BUY: Jordan Cameron (800) has some polarizing opinions this preseason, but I think he is in line for a large season with the confirmation of the Josh Gordon suspension. Analyst have pointed to the 2nd half last year when defenses “figured out” Cameron – they did not figure him out, the Browns offense just morphed into a “throw deep to Josh Gordon” system and everyone else was phased out. But in the first four games with Brian Hoyer (two of which were with no Josh Gordon), Cameron put up 30 receptions for 360 yards and 5 TDs – those are better rates that Jimmy Graham. Is Cameron better than Jimmy Graham, of course not, but he is also 490 cheaper making him a solid secondary option and I like him as a solid TE2 that you can start/bench based on match ups and variable salary cap situations.

SELL: There are a few no brainer avoids in the top tier, as Jared Cook (870), Brent Celek (860), and Scott Chandler (850) will all be very sparsely owned and rightfully so.

TIGHT ENDS (MIDDLE)

BUY: Jordan Reed (780) is an alternative to Jordan Cameron as a solid TE2 type. A talented player who on his way to a 90 catch, 1000 yard, 6 TDs season before suffering a season ending concussion, which could become a long term hindrance but while he is on the field the production will be there. The only concern with Reed is the high catch total at a fairly low Receiving Average; you will see a lot of TE with lower Receiving Averages, but try to only have one guy like Reed who will have a high catch total.

BUY: Zach Ertz (620) may be the best value TE on the entire list, as he becomes the main TE in the explosive Philadelphia offense. Ertz likely will not blow the doors off in yardage totals, but he will have a very good Receiving Average and should provide plus scoring for the position. With the lack of options in the Cheap TE section, Ertz could theoretically be your 3rd TE if you budget a little extra cap space to the position.

SELL: Ladarius Green (710) was the Draft League darling for a few weeks, until people remembered that Antonio Gates is still alive and kicking. Green will likely post one of the top Receiving Averages at the position, but I am not quite sure the volume will be there yet for that Receiving Average to be very impactful. Green is very talented, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in San Diego with Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd, Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead and Gates all requiring targets. Bypass Green to start, but keep an eye on the health of Gates as the season progresses.

SELL: Dennis Pitta (690) is similar to Jordan Reed, except with about 25 less receptions for 300 less yards. If I am gonna take the Receiving Average hit from one of these mid-tier TE, might as well get a few hundred extra yards.

TIGHT ENDS (CHEAP)

BUY: Travis Kelce (300) is the only cheap TE I can endorse from the get go. I was high on him last year before he had knee surgery that cost him his entire rookie year. The preseason hype this year, coupled with two very good performances in preseason games have made him a hot commodity in Draft Leagues, the good news for you is his salary is set at 300 all season in the Football Challenge, if you are not 100% against him, he should be your cheap TE option.

SELL: Levine Toilolo (300) will be a popular selection by the Kelce non-believers, but I have a feeling they will rue the decision a few weeks into the season. Toilolo may provide a few extra scores, but the yards will not be there and his Receiving Average will likely be in the 11.0 range, which is not good at all in the Football Challenge format.

WIDE RECEIVERS (EXPENSIVE)

BUY: Dez Bryant (1690) is primed for a career year as the main WR in the Scott Linehan run offense that has been feeding the ball to Calvin Johnson for the past few years in Detroit. A scheme change is not the only reason for optimism on Dez, as the Cowboys have one of the worst defenses, if not the worst, in the NFL, which will result in a lot of shootouts down in Texas. 100 receptions for 1400 yards and 14 TDs could be a realistic target for what to expect out of Dez in 2014.

BUY: Julio Jones (1620) was on pace for a monster season last year before the foot injury with 580 yards at a 14.1 clip in his first 5 games; that pace would have put him atop the NFL Receiving Yard leaders by a fair margin. The foot issue is real, but something I would be more concerned with in Draft Leagues; start with Julio and run him out there Weeks 1, 3 & 4 vs. NO, TB and MIN. The Falcons like the Cowboys have a subpar defense and will need to throw a lot to stay in games.

SELL: Antonio Brown (1530) is a PPR stud in Draft Leagues, but in this game his volume hurts his Receiving Average a bunch and you do not want 100-plus catches at a sub-13.0 average from an expensive WR. He is no doubt the Steelers #1 weapon on offense, but he is likely to regress from his 8 TDs total last year as history has shown that 5’10” WR have trouble finding the end zone consistently. A tough set of AFC North defenses and rough winter weather are also working against Brown providing value in the Football Challenge.

SELL: Randall Cobb (1420) is one of my favorite PPR Draft League targets, but he will not grace my lineups in the Football Challenge for the same Receiving Average reasons as Antonio Brown. Cobb did record a 14.0 average last season, but it was only over 5.5 games and included a fluky Week 17 game where he had a 48-yard TDs on a broken play. He will have some good games, but attempting to time his good average games against his 6 for 60 games will be a nightmarish undertaking, there are better places to spend that type of money at WR in 2014.

WIDE RECEIVERS (MIDDLE)

BUY: Michael Floyd (1230) has passed Larry Fitzgerald as the primary fantasy target in Arizona, especially when Receiving Average is considered. Floyd averaged 16.0 yards per catch last season and seems primed to increase his catches and yards, while still maintaining a strong 14.5-plus Receiving Average. Floyd only found the end zone five times last season, but should make gains in that area this year as well.

BUY: Terrance Williams (1100) will not have quite the volume as his counterpart Dez Bryant, but he is likely to outdo Dez in the Receiving Average category, while still providing near 1000 yards receiving and a handful of scores. Williams should be up in the 14.5 yard-per-catch range on 65 to 70 receptions, making him a solid selection at his price tag.

BUY: Rueben Randle (1080) is being vastly underrated in all fantasy leagues this year; while I am not big on the efficiency of Eli Manning, his volume is still there and Randle will be the primary beneficiary of the exodus of Hakeem Nicks. Randle hauled in 41 catches for 14.9 per reception last season, he is a near lock to increase his receptions to 65-plus and if he can maintain that Receiving Average, he will be pushing the 1000-yard mark. Randle is also a Red Zone machine with nine career touchdowns on his 60 career receptions; I think Randle is a lock for 8 TDs this year, but could easily surprise and crack the double digit mark with the lack of a TE on the Giants roster.

SELL: Pierre Garcon (1340) is another high volume guy with a subpar Receiving Average, but he is also very likely to regress in all the counting stats due to the additions of other weapons around him. The Redskins added DeSean Jackson from Philadelphia and will have Jordan Reed healthy from the outset of the season. The writing has been on the wall for Garcon all preseason as DJax has looked more productive in exhibition games.

SELL: Michael Crabtree (1230) has a high ceiling in terms of NFL ability, but like many others on my WR avoid listings, he is a low average, high volume receiver. 1000 yards and 8 TDs is a solid line for a WR in this price range (see Terrance Williams and Rueben Randle), but not when it comes on 80 receptions and a 12.5 yard-per-catch figure.

WIDE RECIEVERS (CHEAP)

BUY: Emmanuel Sanders (970) was a guy I was not ready to trust fully, but that was before Wes Welker received another concussion and is now straddling the line of retirement. Sanders has shown a great rapport with Peyton in exhibition games and should provide some nice return for this price range.

BUY: Justin Hunter (870) is a stud in the making, a guy I was big on coming out of the University of Tennessee; he took a little while to come around but finished the season with two big games in his final three games of the season (6-109-1 and 4-114-1). He is a massive 6’4” target in the Red Zone for Jake Locker to find and surely work his way into more looks in the middle of the field.

BUY: Markus Wheaton (400) is the only WR I will even consider below 750 (Kenny Britt), but I would expect him to be very widely owned to start out the year as he is not the best kept secret in fantasy circles. Wheaton is not the largest guy out there (5’11”, 182), but he is a monster compared to his teammate Antonio Brown. While I like TE Heath Miller to draw a lot of the Red Zone targets that exited along with Jerricho Cotchery, I think Wheaton should put up as many, if not more, TDs as Brown, which likely providing a better Receiving Average in the process. A 65-900-6 line would not be shocking and it would be an absolute steal at his price point.

SELL: Cordarrelle Patterson (850) is an electric player, who I have no doubt will expand his skills into a nice season for the Vikings; however he will be a short dump and run type of receiver, which will ultimately lead to a lot of 1- and 2-yard receptions that will drag his Receiving Average into the sub-12.0 range. Patterson is likely to rack up 75-plus receptions, but like many of my avoids before, I doubt he will crack 1000 yards on those receptions, he may not even break 900 receiving yards. Buy in PPR Leagues, but avoid him in the Football Challenge.

KICKERS (EXPENSIVE)

BUY: Dan Bailey (1630) is in one of the better offenses in the NFL and should rack up a lot of points playing in a good weather stadium.

BUY: Matt Bryant (1560) plays on a strong passing offense that is likely to lack efficiency in the Red Zone with a poor running game and the loss of their Hall of Fame TE Tony Gonzalez. Atlanta also has one of the best weather schedules in the league this year with nine dome games and only one bad weather game all year (at GB Week 14).

SELL: Blair Walsh (1590) is a talented young kicker with a big leg; however one of the biggest concerns with him this season is Minnesota moving outdoors for their home games, it is just not a situation I want to invest in.

SELL: Phil Dawson (1550) plays for a good team in a relatively good weather stadium, however the wind in the Bay Area wreaked havoc with the kickers in the preseason and Dawson admitted to not being about to figure out the wind patterns any time soon.

KICKERS (CHEAP)

BUY: Nate Freese (1000) plays for one of the better offenses in the NFL and draws 10 dome games; the Lions are not one of my favorite kicking teams in the NFL due to their good efficiency in the Red Zone, but for the price point, he is a near must carry to start out the year.

BUY: Cody Parkey (1000) beat out Alex Henery for the Eagles Kicking job with a spectacular preseason. The rookie, who put up 111 points for Auburn last season, hit on Field Goals of 53 and 54 yards in the preseason, both of which were longer than the career long of Alex Henery. With a high powered Eagles offense the Field Goal attempts might be few in number, but there will be plenty of points to be had for a minimum price tag.

SELL: Maikon Bonani (1000) may currently be holding down the Tennessee kicking job, but it is tenuous at best; in fact the Titans have had multiple kickers in for tryouts the past week and it seems likely they will sign someone else shortly.

SAMPLE TEAM

POSSTARTERSTEAMSALARY_TAXI SQUADTEAMSALARY
QBBrees, DrewNO3370Romo, TonyDAL2580
QBRyan, MattATL2540Foles, NickPHI2350
QBFitzpatrick, RyanHOU1570Cutler, JayCHI2000
RBMcCoy, LeSeanPHI2970Foster, ArianHOU2070
RBMurray, DeMarcoDAL1870Lacy, EddieGB1650
RBEllington, AndreARZ1460Hill, JeremyCIN900
RBBall, MonteeDEN1280
RBStacy, ZacSTL1270
RBGerhart, TobyJAX1130
TEGraham, JimmyNO1290Ertz, ZachPHI620
TEKelce, TravisKC300
WRJohnson, CalvinDET2000Bryant, DezDAL1690
WRJones, JulioATL1620Williams, TerranceDAL1100
WRFloyd, MichaelARZ1230Hunter, JustinTEN870
WRRandle, RuebenNYG1080
WRSanders, EmmanuelDEN970
WRWheaton, MarkusPIT400
KBailey, DanDAL1630Vinatieri, AdamIND1540
KFreese, NateDET1000
KParkey, CodyPHI1000
TOTAL29980

-Article by Russ Prentice