Last week, in as basic of terms as possible, I laid out how CDM Sports’ “Football Challenge – Points Scoring Contest” works. More specifically, I tried to give some insight on the best approach to building a roster and the further nuances of the contest particulars. Considering those building blocks, I would be remiss if I didn’t follow up with the specifications of my seasonal lineup.

Upon first glance, you can tell that I followed through on my word in that I saved on quarterbacks. Like last season, I expect the quarterback position to be the deepest of any, so considering this, I made some value selections and saved my budget for more premium positions. I am fully aware that this is a risk considering my lack of proven fantasy standard bearers at the position. However, with the constricted budget and lopsided scoring system, it felt pertinent to spend more lavishly on the skill positions. The players in whom I found value list as follows: Marcus Mariota, Derek Carr, Dak Prescott.

In this system, with quarterbacks statistically being undervalued even when compared to standard formats, I figured with at least one of my starting quarterbacks spots, I would need to get someone who could score for me as a dual threat. Presented at an affordable $3,510,000 (point of reference: Russell Wilson = most expensive at $5,600,000), Marcus Mariota fit the bill. Considering his Heisman campaign of two years ago and his rookie season of 2015, there is no doubting the potential in young Mr. Mariota. He is an elite runner of the football, can spin it with the best of them, and with another year in the league, is developing his accuracy and ability as a decision maker. With an assertive ground game anticipated out of Tennessee this upcoming season, Mariota has a great chance to do damage with the deep ball and even as a runner on play action roll outs.

While Carr is more of the traditional option, his mere $3,500,000 price tag was too good to pass up. With a young and emerging offense, Carr certainly has the potential to vault into the top-10 rankings of fantasy quarterbacks after all is said and done this season.

My real shot in the dark at the position was the selection of Dak Prescott, as he is entering the season as the Cowboys starting quarterback under circumstances that weren’t exactly planned for. Drafted in just the fourth round in April’s draft, Prescott was expected to be a developmental project for Dallas behind Tony Romo, however with yet another injury to no. 9, Dak was thrust into the staring role. Now normally I would not condone this type of cavalier fantasy ownership move, however considering the fact that he really looked the part in the preseason combined with his position minimum $1,400,000 price tag, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. He – like Mariota – offers some dual threat potential, especially as a red zone touchdown guy, as he showed in the preseason. With the amount of money I saved on Prescott, I was able to really rack up some stars at my other premium positions. It also should be noted that the owner and operator of CDM Sports – “The Godfather” Charlie Wiegert himself – noted the incredible value that the rookie Prescott presents this season. If that isn’t enough of an endorsement, I don’t know what is.

My quarterbacks are backed up with two logical replacement options on the “Taxi” (bench)… 1) Brock Osweiler and 2) Tony Romo. Osweiler holds a comparable price point to my starting quarterbacks, which makes him an easy “bye week replacement” while Romo is there in the case of a healthy return and eventual replacement of my starter in Dak.

While I saved on my quarterbacks, I spared no expense on my running backs.

My champion of the lot is Lamar Miller – who while expensive at $5,350,00 – is still only the seventh most expensive running back on the market. By my estimation, he presented the best value of any top-tier runner listed considering his reasonable price tag and seemingly endless potential in his new home of Houston.

My second elite option was David Johnson, who rolls in at an incredibly affordable $4,100,000. His lower price point likely stems from the lack of PPR in this format, but regardless, his blood hound like nose for the end zone should make him one of the best fantasy backs in 2016. Too much potential and value to pass up on here.

The same goes for my final “elite” running back option, as Ezekiel Elliott is currently valued at a mere $3,000,000. I suppose CDM doesn’t feel comfortable projecting too much upon rookies, so instead they gave a fantasy first rounder a price tag suited for the 30th best running back in the NFL. Again, incredible value here without sacrificing expected production.

As for my final three starting running backs, I loaded up on a combination of guaranteed touches and high touchdown upside. Carlos Hyde, Chris Ivory, and Mark Ingram fit the bill there.

I selected four “Taxi” running backs to support my starters in case of injury or bye week. I did my best to snag a viable replacement for each starter based off of staggering price tags. Eddie Lacy is my “elite” replacement back, while Alfred Morris and Derrick Henry are serving as my “high-upside handcuffs.” DeAndre Washington has been a favorite of mine dating back to February as many of you know, so I took a flier on him in anticipation of him eventually taking the job from Latavius Murray.

Like with running back, I really opened up the checkbook on my wideouts, and this can mainly be attributed to the money I saved on Dak Prescott.

Right off the bat I didn’t hesitate to take the best receiver in the game – Antonio Brown. Little needs to be explained about him, but considering he will rack up over 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns in his sleep, there is no reason not to value him just as high as elite running backs.

I doubled down on the elite receivers, as I spent $3,490,000 on DeAndre Hopkins. Another guy who needs little introduction, but it should be noted that his numbers have improved in each of his first three seasons in the league. Entering year four and expected to continue that trend, the fact that he finally has a seemingly capable quarterback in Brock Osweiler should only support that claim.

My third “elite” receiver is one whom I am currently considering undervalued. Kelvin Benjamin – while coming off of an injury – will be joining one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. Lest we forget in his only season – his rookie season in 2014 – Benjamin tallied over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. With Cam Newton being twice or maybe even three times the quarterback now than he was back then, I see no reason that Benjamin does not have top-10 WR potential in 2016. Hey, if he can get the stone-handed Ted Ginn Jr. into double-digit touchdowns, imagine what he can do with a 6-foot-5, 245 lbs receiver.

As I outlined in my previous article the value in Jarvis Landry was just too good to pass up. Sure this is not a PPR league, which potentially leaves 115+ points on the board, but he still is a guy with 1,300 yards and 7 touchdown upside. I’ll take it at just $2,120,000.

Names like Donte Moncrief and Michael Crabtree don’t exact entice excitement out of fantasy football owners, but both being priced under $2,200,000 made them too hard for me to pass up on; especially Crabtree, as his mere $1,800,000 price point seemed ludicrous to me considering his production last season. In 2015, serving as the no. 2 receiver out in Oakland, the veteran wide receiver not only hauled in 85 catches and 146 targets (both more than Amari Cooper) but he also tallied nine touchdowns (also more than Cooper) and nearly registered 1,000 yards (922). He should return as an incredibly cheap and reliable play this season. Moncrief on the other hand, improved again in his second season in the NFL, despite not having Andrew Luck throwing him the ball for most of the season. With another year under his belt and the return of a healthy Luck, Moncrief should have double-digit upside with the potential to pass the 1,000 yard barrier.

I taxied my wideouts with a mixed bag of four backups. Doug Baldwin has a favorable matchup in Antonio Brown’s bye week of 8, as he and the Seahawks take on the Saints. His price tag of $2,860,000 is more than affordable enough to replace either of my top two receivers. Josh Gordon is a guy undervalued based strictly off of price ($2,010,000) considering his yards and touchdown upside. I plan on relying upon him heavily once he returns from suspension in Week 5. As for my other two “Taxi” receivers, I chose two rookies who I see potentially making a legitimate impact. I certainly expect more from Michael Thomas due to his depth chart standing and higher touchdown potential, however Sterling Shepard’s elite route running and excellent hands make him someone who can just never be counted out.

After splurging on the high-profile positions, I had to begin saving to an extent at the tight end position. My most expensive option was Jason Witten – and not by much – however his mere $1,600,000 price tag was a very affordable option. At this position I went with a mixture of consistency (Witten) and upside (Bennett). Martellus Bennett is the best TE2 that the Patriots have had since Aaron Hernandez, and considering that, expectations are that he may match Hernandez’s career year numbers in 2011 (911 yards, 7 TD’s). The Witten selection needs little explanation considering the price. He’s good for around 800 yards and 5 touchdowns getting out of bed in the morning. Don’t be detracted from him because of the Tony Romo injury.

I taxied my tight ends with guys who fit my lineup budget and may breakout this season. Zach Miller showcased potential down the stretch of last season, while Kyle Rudolph is loaded with talent just waiting to be tapped.

The most accurate kicker in NFL history made 30-of-32 kicks last season – Dan Bailey is good enough for my team at $2,230,000. My other two kickers were admittedly pure bargain hunts. Sebass and the rookie Roberto Aguayo were both reasonably priced around $1,700,000, and while neither is expected to finish as a top fantasy kicker, they both operate in organizations that feature young and emerging offenses. With offensive improvements, their PAT opportunities will go up, which will in turn will increase their fantasy production. Potentially wishful thinking there, but that was my ultimate thought process.

Defense is where I honestly felt that I got the best value. I managed to snag Houston’s defense – which down the stretch (final eight games) was the number one unit in football – at a wildly cheap $2,200,000, while I also stole the Vikings defense – a unit loaded with a beautifully blended mix of veteran leaders and emerging young stars – for an even cheaper $2,150,000.

And there you have it folks. A well thought-out 34-man roster, properly suited to last the grueling 17 weeks of an NFL season with minimal transactions needed. My goal is to only pay when players are on bye weeks, but considering the nature of the NFL, injuries happen as well. I hope that this helps you all out in your CDM Points contest, however not too much because I’m gunning for the top prize!

Note: Opening kickoff may be on Thursday night, however rosters don’t lock until Sunday prior to the 1:00 PM EST kickoffs. All Thursday night players are in play, however you still have time to head on over to http://www.cdmsports.com/football/footballchallenge-points/ and register your team for the season. Good Luck!!