Gonna join a league for this site after seeing the review for it but kind of new to this strategy should I target hot rookies for young guys for 4 yr contracts and old studs for less years. Any extra advice would be great since im new to it and wanna do a money league or tips or which players to target.

Brandon Niles 4for4 Scout

Hey, that's awesome, I really enjoyed the format and ended up pretty happy with my team.

I would target young guys for 4 year deals that you think could be worth more in the following years than they are now. DeAndre Hopkins was one of the guys I had in that category, and Teddy Bridgewater too. Rookies are a great investment, especially the hot ones, but the problem is that sometimes everyone loves a rookie, and they end up going for elite money. If you do that, then it really doesn't behoove you to pay the guy. i.e. it's nice to have Amari Cooper locked up for 4 years, but that's really only an advantage if you're paying him a lower wage. Otherwise, you're investing elite money in a guy who hasn't played a down. I'd rather sign Julio Jones to a 2 year, 45 million dollar deal than Cooper to a 4 year, 90 million dollar deal, you know?

My biggest advice is to plan it out ahead of time, and assign first year dollar amounts not to the players you want to target, but to the positions you need to fill. This will help you stay on budget and not overpay for guys, and if you update it as you draft, then you can get an idea how much you really can afford to pay some of your targets.

As far as specific players to target, I think guys that could break out but don't have a tremendous risk are nice options (Teddy Bridgewater, Hopkins, John Brown, Joseph Randle come to mind). And then don't be afraid to give one-two year deals at elite dollar amounts to guys like Marshawn Lynch. They'll tie up your cap in the first year, but will come off and give you space next year, while still contributing heavily in the short term.

Don't be afraid to give elite money to positions you want, but budget for it. And remember that there are going to be some guys left over at the end that you can probably get for 500k or 1 million per year. Don't pay for a kicker or a defense, because you won't have to.

Good luck!

Sep 02, 2015 ยท 11:09 AM EDT