Fantasy Football: 4 stars you don't have to break the bank on in salary cap drafts
By Matt Okada, 4for4
Special to Yahoo Sports
If you're gearing up for a salary cap fantasy draft, you should have already made your way through my tips and tricks piece and my nomination strategies piece. But while there were various highlights on certain players throughout each of those articles, both were meant as bird's-eye-view strategy guides.
What about the specific players worth targeting at discounts in 2024 drafts?
I've got you covered. Here are my four favorite "discounts" in salary cap drafts right now — notably, not all are "bargain bin" salaries, but all are going for less than they're worth. If you come away with these guys at "consensus cost," you're getting major value ... and I wouldn't mind spending a little extra to lock a few of them down. For reference, I'll be using FantasyPros' Dollar Value Calculator to set the "consensus cost" based on 12-team, half-PPR, $200 salary formats.
Just remember these are subject to shift dramatically from league to league!
WR Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
As the offseason has progressed, Puka Nacua has remained sidelined with a minor knee injury, and confidence has continued to build in Cooper Kupp's return to dominance in 2024. The former Triple-Crown winner has quickly become one of my favorite draft targets. His salary is listed for $24 on FantasyPros (and it's worth noting he went for just $20 in 4for4's July mock draft). That's $13 less than Nacua and $20 less than Justin Jefferson.
Last season, even amid Nacua's record-breaking ascent, Kupp was the first read in the offense more often (30.4% to Nacua's 28.5% in the 11 games they both played in full). His rapport with Matthew Stafford might be one of the best in NFL history. And the last time we saw him fully healthy (in 2021), he set the single-season record for fantasy points by a wide receiver (367). While I don't expect him to see 191 targets, 145 catches or 1,947 yards again with Nacua in tow, there's no reason Kupp can't hit 80% of those marks in 2024 — which would be good for roughly 150 targets, 115 catches and 1,500 yards.
Even 60% of his 2021 production would have been enough to crack WR1 territory last year.
At current costs, you could pair Kupp with Bijan Robinson for the same total cost as pairing Nacua with Derrick Henry. They're all great players, but I'm taking the Kupp-Robinson duo six days of the week and twice on Sundays.
The Rams star has WR1 overall upside for the same salary as Kenneth Walker. Sign me up.
4for4 Max Suggested Offer: $17 (obviously, I disagree)
TE Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
The fourth-most expensive tight end is a discount? That's right. At just $19, Trey McBride's salary is the least expensive of the "Elite Four" — Travis Kelce ($27), Sam LaPorta ($25) and Mark Andrews ($22) — by no small amount. There's also a minimal drop-off from him to George Kittle/Dalton Kincaid ($17) and even Kyle Pitts ($16). And yet, for many (myself included), McBride belongs right in the heart of that elite tier ... if not at the top.
With Kyler Murray at quarterback in 2023 (after his return from a torn ACL), McBride had an eight-game stretch that resulted in 53 catches, 538 yards and two touchdowns. Double those numbers (16 games) and you're looking at a 100-catch, 185-fantasy-point tight end (good for TE2 overall last year). While the arrival of Marvin Harrison Jr. will mean McBride's no longer the top target on the team, he will be a secure No. 2 (ahead of guys like Greg Dortch and Michael Wilson) and have plenty of open field to mine for fantasy points.
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McBride has a high floor and a high ceiling and is the tight end I'm most likely to draft at current salary on the entire board. You're getting him for the same cost as Michael Pittman Jr. or Aaron Jones — players he'll likely outproduce straight-up in fantasy but at a more valuable position.
4for4 Max Suggested Offer: $26
QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
If you're looking to spend a little more on the quarterback position without breaking the bank for Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts, C.J. Stroud feels like the sweet spot in current salary. He's going for $12 on FantasyPros, but it's worth noting he went for only $5 in our July mock draft. Even at the $12 mark, he's half the salary of Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson, nearly a third of the salary of Allen or Hurts and oddly a dollar or two less than Anthony Richardson and Dak Prescott (both of whom he's drafted ahead of in aggregate snake draft ADP). Plus, he's in the same salary range as Brian Robinson, Rashee Rice and David Njoku.
Last season, Stroud was the QB9 in 15 games as a rookie without Stefon Diggs (and without Tank Dell for several games). This year, the step forward could (and should) be massive, with added maturation for Stroud, Dell and Nico Collins, plus the addition of Diggs, one of the league's best wideouts for much of the last decade. The Texans are poised to be one of the league's best offenses and Stroud has the talent, scheme and weaponry to be among its best quarterbacks. In my book, he's closer to the tier of Mahomes and Jackson than that of Richardson, Prescott and Joe Burrow, but the salary does not reflect that. Capitalize while you can.
4for4 Max Suggested Offer: $19
RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Once again, I'm flying dangerously high on the "discounts" here, with FantasyPros' third-most expensive running back. Bijan Robinson is going for $46, which is tied with Ja'Marr Chase for fifth-highest overall, but I'm confident paying that salary and more to get the Falcons' star running back. On that note, he went for $52 in our July mock and our max suggested bid at 4for4 is $55 ... in other words, he is indeed going at a discount.
In a horrific Arthur Smith system that made a point of vulturing touches and touchdowns from its best players, Robinson still finished as the RB9 in his rookie year. He failed to crack 1,000 rushing yards and scored just eight touchdowns — both marks destined to rise in 2024 given the improvement at play-caller (Sean McVay disciple Zac Robinson) and quarterback (Kirk Cousins). Atlanta's offense could easily go from bottom-seven (18.9 PPG in 2023) to top-seven, and no one would benefit more from such a reversal than their bell-cow back.
With Christian McCaffrey going for $64 and CeeDee Lamb/Tyreek Hill going for around $58, I don't think Bijan should quite crack those numbers ... but I'd get very close without hesitation and would consider anything in the $50-55 range to be solid value.
4for4 Max Suggested Offer: $55
More analysis from 4for4: 16 Winners and Losers in PPR Formats
This article was originally published on 4for4.com
Matt is nearing a decade of experience in the fantasy football content space, with bylines across the industry and several seasons working for NFL Media in Los Angeles. He's most known for presenting hard-hitting, analytical, sometimes fiery takes in a fun and entertaining package. While he participates in a few long-running redraft leagues (and the Scott Fish Bowl), Matt's true passion is dynasty (with a healthy garnish of best ball). You can find him stuck on an LA freeway, cooking up a fancy data analyzer in Excel, or @MattOkada on Twitter/X.
