How to play Salary Cap Sports

Overview

In many ways Salary Cap Sports is similar to other fantasy sports leagues. You select and manage a roster of players that score points based on their performance in real world games.

Salary Cap Sports is also different in a few important ways:

  • There isn't a draft. You can start building your roster immediately.
  • You can buy any player that you can afford.
  • Your team will start the season with a $50,000,000 salary cap.
  • A trade in Salary Cap Sports is simply a roster transaction. You will sell one player and buy another to replace him.
  • Once the season begins, you will be provided a set amount of trades per week. You can use these trades immediately or accumulate them for use in future weeks.

Creating a team

If you are not already a Salary Cap Sports member, you must register for an account.

Once you have registered and logged in, you can create a team by navigating to the Home page from the menu at the top of the page and click 'Create Team' from the Teams section. If the 'Create Team' button is not available, this means the sport is not currently in season. You can choose a different sport from the menu at the top of the page. At least one sport is always in season and you can create up to 10 teams per sport.

Your team will start the season with $50,000,000 to build a team with. This allotment is your Franchise Value. Each player you add to your team has an individual price. The price of each player you add to your roster will be subtracted from your Available Franchise Value.

Scoring

Stat groupStatScoringNotes
PassingPassing Yards.5 points per yard
PassingPassing Touchdowns40 points per TD
PassingPassing Interceptions-40 points per interception
PassingSacks-10 points per sack
PassingPassing 2 point conversion10 points per conversion
RushingRushing Yards1 point per yard
RushingRushing Touchdown60 points per touchdown
RushingRushing 2 point conversion20 points per conversion
ReceivingReceiving Yards1 point per yard
ReceivingReceptions5 points per catch
ReceivingReceiving Touchdown60 points per touchdown
ReceivingReceiving 2 point conversion20 points per conversion
All Offensive PlayersFumbles Lost-40 points per fumble lost
Special TeamsFG Under 40 yards made20 points per FG made
Special TeamsFG Under 40 yards missed-20 points per FG missed
Special TeamsFG 40 yards and over made30 points per FG made
Special TeamsExtra Point made5 points per XP made
Special TeamsExtra Point missed-5 points per XP missed
Special TeamsKickoff Return Yards.5 points per yard
Special TeamsKickoff Return Touchdowns60 points per touchdown
Special TeamsPunt Return Yards1 points per yard
Special TeamsPunt Return Touchdowns60 points per touchdown
Special TeamsPunt Downed Inside 20 yard line20 points per punt inside 20
DefenseTouchdowns Allowed175 Points to start game. Subtract 70 points for each TD allowedFor Example - Defense allows two touchdowns in a game. 'Touchdowns Allowed' scoring would be 175 - (70 * 2) = 35 points
DefenseYards Allowed350 Points to start game. Subtract 1 point for each yard allowedFor Example - Defense allows 310 total yards. 'Yards Allowed' scoring would be 350 - 310 = 40 points
DefenseFumbles Recovered25 points per fumble recovered
DefenseInterceptions25 points per interception
DefenseSacks10 points per sack
DefenseDefense scores a touchdown60 points per touchdown
PositionStatScoringNotes
HitterSingle10 points per single
HitterDouble20 points per double
HitterTriple30 points per triple
HitterHome Run40 points per home run
HitterRuns10 points per run
HitterRuns Batted In10 points per run batted in
HitterWalk10 points per walk
HitterHit By Pitch10 points per HBP
HitterStolen Base20 points per stolen base
HitterStrikeout-5 points per strikeout
PitcherInning Pitched24 points per inning pitchedThis equates to 8 points per batter retired
PitcherEarned Runs-20 points per earned run allowed
PitcherStrikeout10 points per strikeout
PitcherHits Allowed-5 points per hit allowed
PitcherWalks Allowed-5 points per walk allowed
PitcherHit Batters-5 points per batter hit
PitcherWins80 points per win
PitcherLosses-30 points per loss
PitcherSaves80 points per save

Note: Pitchers do NOT get credit for batting stats and hitters do NOT get credit for pitching stats.

PositionStatScoringNotes
AllPoints Scored1 SCS Point per point scored
AllRebounds1.5 points per rebound
AllAssists2 points per assist
AllBlocked Shot2.5 points per blocked shot
AllSteal2.5 points per steal
AllTurnover-1.5 points per turnover
PositionStatScoringNotes
SkaterGoals15 points per Goal
SkaterAssists10 points per assist
SkaterPlus/Minus5 points per plus/minusFor Example - Player has plus/minus of -2, this equates to -10 SCS Points
SkaterShots1 point per shot
SkaterHits1 point per hit
SkaterBlocked Shots1 point per blocked shot
SkaterPower Play Points3 points per power play pointThis is 3 points in addition to SCS Points gained for an assist or goal.
SkaterShort-Handed Points3 points per short-handed pointThis is 3 points in addition to SCS Points gained for an assist or goal.
GoalieWins20 points per Win
GoalieGoals Against-5 points per goal allowed
GoalieSaves1 point per save
GoalieShutouts15 points per shutout

Note: All official scoring changes and resulting SCS point changes will be applied retroactively.

Roster Management

Roster requirements

  • Football: 2 QB, 3 RB, 3 WR, 2 TE, 1 DEF, 1 Spec Teams
  • Baseball: 1 of each infield position, 3 OF, 1 DH, 5 P
  • Basketball: 2 PG, 2 SG, 2 SF, 2 PF, 2 C
  • Hockey: 2 C, 2 RW, 2 LW, 4 D, 2 G

Creating initial roster

To fill your initial roster you simply need to buy players for each of the empty position slots on your team. To buy a player, you can either start in the Roster page and click 'Buy' on each empty position or you can go directly to the Players page and search for players. Once you have found a player you want to buy in the Players page, you click on the player's Price to buy that player.

New teams will be built differently depending on whether the team is created during preseason or after the season has begun:

  • If you create a team during the preseason, you will have unlimited trades until the season begins. You can buy and sell players as many times as you need.
  • If you create a team during the regular season, you can buy and sell players an unlimited number of times on the day the team was created. Each player will lock when their game starts on that day or when the clock strikes midnight EST. In other words, on the second day of ownership you will need to use one of your allotted trades to make a roster move.

Please note: You must have a full roster. Points will be deducted from your team for each open roster spot. For Football, 100 points per week will be deducted for each open roster spot. For all other sports, 50 points per day will be deducted for each open roster spot. This does not apply to Baseball for the 2024 season and it does not apply to teams that have a completely empty roster.

What if the Price is not clickable for the player I want to buy?

If you can't click on the price for a player, this means the player is not available to buy at the moment. Below are the reasons this could happen:

  • You have not selected a team in the Teams page. Make sure you select a team before trying to buy players for the team.
  • The player's game is in progress or already completed for that day/week.
  • For SCS Football, trading is disabled between Monday 10pm and Tuesday 8am EST during the regular season.
  • For SCS Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey, trading is disabled between 10pm and 7am EST each day during the regular season.

Managing Roster during the season

During the season, you can buy and sell players at any time after the morning lock period and before the player's game starts for that day. Each Sell transaction consumes a Trade, Buy transactions do not consume Trades. This means you can sell a player and buy their replacement, all with one Trade.

The selling of one player and buying of another can be done in one step or in two:

  • To Sell/Buy in one step, in the Players page, search for a player to buy and click on their price. The next page you see will ask you which player you would like to sell. Choose the player from your roster that you'd like to sell and confirm the transaction.
  • To Sell/Buy in two steps, in the Roster page, click the price of a player on your team to sell them and then separately search for and buy their replacement through the Players page.

Completing the Sell/Buy transaction in one step is quicker, and can be beneficial if it is close to game time.

SCS provides injury news for players when it's available to us. Please do not depend solely on SCS for your injury information. Trades will not be retroactively undone in the event of an injury.

General Strategy for SCS

  • Franchise Value Matters. Many successful managers prioritize growing Franchise Value in the early part of the season. Greater Franchise Value allows you to buy higher priced players, and accumulate more points, later in the season.
  • Look for Bargains. Choosing bargain priced players that outperform expectations will help you to accumulate points and save salary. That extra salary can then be spent on the rest of your team.
  • Play the Market. Buy low, sell high. By buying players in high demand and then selling them to reap the gains, you can increase your total team value and buy better, higher-priced players.
  • Be Aware of Injuries. Injuries impact a player's ability to score points and their price, and can be an important part of fantasy sports.
  • Know Your Opponent.The strength of a player's opponent will often impact their performance on any given day. Facing a tough opponent (for example: a dominant ace pitcher) is a prime example of this.
  • Schedules are Important.Your players can't score points if they aren't playing! Pay attention to off days, rainouts, and NFL bye weeks.

Trade Management

How do trades work?

In the preseason you have unlimited trades. You can buy and sell players as many times as you want in order to build that winning roster.

During the regular season, each time you sell a player from your roster, a trade is deducted from your team. Buying a player to fill an open spot does not count as a trade. If you do not use all of your trades during a week, the remaining trades will carry over into the next week.

How many trades do I start the regular season with?

  • Football - You start the season with zero trades but you will immediately receive 4 new trades after week one is complete.
  • Baseball - You start the season with 3 hitter trades and 3 pitcher trades.
  • Basketball - You start the season with 4 trades.
  • Hockey - You start the season with 4 trades.

Please note: You must have a full roster. Points will be deducted from your team for each open roster spot. For Football, 100 points per week will be deducted for each open roster spot. For all other sports, 50 points per day will be deducted for each open roster spot. This does not apply to Baseball for the 2024 season and it does not apply to teams that have a completely empty roster.

When do I get new trades?

  • Football - 4 new trades each Tuesday at 8:00am EST.
  • Baseball - 3 new hitter trades and 3 new pitcher trades each Monday at 8:00am EST.
  • Basketball - 4 new trades each Monday at 8:00am EST.
  • Hockey - 4 new trades each Monday at 8:00am EST.

When can I make trades?

  • Football
    • The weekly trade window opens each Tuesday at 8am EST.
    • You can buy or sell any player between 8am EST on Tuesday until the start of their game that week.
    • Once a player's game starts, you can't buy or sell them for the rest of that week.
    • The weekly trade window closes Monday night at 10pm EST.
  • Baseball, Basketball, Hockey
    • The daily trade window opens each day at 7am EST.
    • You can buy or sell any player between 7am EST and the start of their game.
    • Once a player's game starts, you can't buy or sell them.
    • The daily trade window closes each night at 10pm EST.

How do I trade players?

To sell a player, go to the Roster page of your team and click on the price next to the player.

To buy a player, go to the Players page and click on the price next to the player.

It is possible to complete a Buy/Sell in one step. In the Players page, search for a player to buy and click on their price. If your roster already has a player at the position you are buying, the next page will ask you which player from your roster you would like to sell. Choose the player you'd like to sell and confirm the transaction.

Can I buy more trades?

No, everyone is provided new trades at the alloted time. If you run out of trades then you need to wait for more trades to be provided.

Can I undo a trade?

Yes! Trades can be undone on the day (week for football) the trade was made and only if the player's game has not started. Go to the Trade History page to see a list of trades you've made and click the Undo trade button to undo the trade.

In addition, during the all-star break, you can undo trades made at any time during the break until 10:00pm EST of the last break day. For example, if the NBA all-star break starts on Friday and there are no games until the next Thursday, trade undo's are allowed from Friday until Wednesday night at 10pm EST.

How come I can't always click on the price of a player to buy or sell?

There a several reasons why this could happen:

  • You have not selected a team from the Home page. Make sure you select a team before trying to buy players for the team.
  • The player's game is in progress or already completed for that day/week.
  • For football, trading is disabled between Monday 10pm and Tuesday 8am EST. For all other sports, trading is disabled daily between 10pm and 7am EST.

Player Pricing Market

What makes players' prices change?

The Salary Cap Sports Player Price Market is a feature whereby players' prices go up and down based on total trade activity, similar to the stock market. If a player is bought much more than he is sold then his price goes up. If a player is sold more than he is bought then his price drops. The key to increasing your Franchise Value is to anticipate the demand for specific players, and buy them before their price goes up. In addition, your knowledge of which players on your roster are slumping, injured, or have a poor upcoming schedule, can allow you to sell a player before his price plummets.

A second, smaller component of player price movement, is ownership percentage. Players that are on a large percentage of active rosters will experience a slight price increase based on this ownership. Conversely, players with very low ownership will experience a price drop.

When do price updates happen?

  • Football: Price changes will be calculated every Tuesday at 3:00am EST starting after week 2 of the NFL season.
  • Baseball, basketball, and hockey: Price changes will be calculated every day at 3:00am EST starting after day 2 of the season.

When are new players made available (IPO's)?

New players will be added to SCS when it becomes apparent they are going to play in their first game. They will be added to the game at a time that makes it fair for everyone, i.e. early in the morning, while trading is still frozen. All IPO's will be announced on your Home page.