Do you love drafting fantasy football teams but can't commit to more waivers, lineup-setting, and in-season management than you've already signed up for? Then perhaps adding some Best Ball teams to your fantasy football experience is for you.
Best ball is a version of fantasy football where all you need to do is draft a team and then watch the season play out. Your top-scoring lineup will be selected automatically each week. Can't decide between starting Brock Purdy or Trevor Lawrence? No problem. Whoever scores more will be your starting quarterback that week.
Best Ball is one of the fastest-growing forms of fantasy football, with its own strategy and nuances. Here's how to approach a Best Ball draft with a focus on a strategy that embraces risk and reward in large entry, high prizepool contests.
How to play
Most big contests offer a 14-week regular season followed by the playoffs, just like in season-long fantasy football. The regular season is based off cumulative points, rather than head-to-head. If you advance from the regular season, you will be placed in a new one-week league for Week 15 (and Week 16 if you advance again). If you advance in Weeks 15 and 16, you will reach the finals in Week 17, where every remaining team will compete for the top prizes.
With no in-season management, your roster will need to withstand bye weeks and injuries, so depth is vital. Don't take a zero by drafting only one quarterback or by taking two quarterbacks with the same bye.
In general for an 18-player draft, you will want
Chasing "spike weeks"
Historically, the best position to invest heavy resources in has been wide receiver, as they typically have the biggest individual spike weeks. Last year among RB/WR/TE, 68% of 30-point fantasy games in full-PPR scoring came from wide receivers. As a result, spending a lot of draft capital at wide receiver -- either by drafting them early or by drafting them often -- has been the optimal strategy.
Those spike weeks are what you need to win the biggest prizes, especially come playoff time. ESPN's consistency ratings show how many times each player ranked near the top at their position each week. Players who are more boom-or-bust are more useful in best ball than in season-long since you can cover up their bust weeks. Last year, Brandon Aiyuk and Michael Pittman Jr. both averaged 14.7 points per game, but Aiyuk's volatility made him better in a best ball format.
Remember that most teams you draft are going to lose, so chasing weekly upside over consistency gives you the best chance to actually win.
Rookies are often good bets for playoff spike weeks as their best production tends to be at the end of the year. Players like Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr. and Xavier Worthy could get off to slow starts due to veteran competition and inexperience, but by the end of the season, they could be the keys to a big score. Just make sure to balance those rookies with players who will provide early production.
Roster correlation and stacking
An easy way to gain an edge in best ball is to correlate your rosters. Try to have at least one pass catcher attached to your quarterback, if not more.
If Tua Tagovailoa is the top quarterback in Week 17, it is likely because either Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle has a huge game. So if you have Tagovailoa, but not Hill or Waddle, you will be falling behind other teams that built that QB-WR stack.
The concept of stacking can also be applied to a full team level. The Tagovailoa-Hill connection was strong last season, but many smart drafters also added Raheem Mostert or De'Von Achane at running back, both of whom paid off their ADP.
These team stacks don't necessarily need to be with early draft picks like Hill or Waddle. Last year in Week 17, Jordan Love finished as QB2 and Jayden Reed finished as WR4. Neither one were going within the first 12 rounds last year, but drafters who picked that stack were rewarded handsomely in Week 17.
In addition to stacking individual teams, consider stacking individual games for the fantasy playoffs. For example, if you have a Joe Burrow-Ja'Marr Chase-Tee Higgins stack, consider drafting a player on their Week 17 opponent (Denver Broncos). If Chase has 150 yards and 3 touchdowns in Week 17, there's an increased chance that a Broncos player has a good game in a potential shootout. This logic can also be applied to Week 15 and 16, but it is most important in Week 17.
One of my favorite undervalued stacks this year is the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lawrence and his top pass catchers (Travis Etienne Jr./Christian Kirk/Evan Engram/Brian Thomas Jr./Gabe Davis) have reasonable expectations in fantasy.
There can also be value in targeting offenses with young quarterbacks that the market thinks will struggle. The Titans, Patriots, Panthers and Broncos all have young quarterbacks with low fantasy expectations. If Will Levis, Drake Maye, Bryce Young or Bo Nix surprises like C.J. Stroud did last season, there could be value in stacking one of those offenses.
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While on the clock...
Think about these four things:
Correlation: Does this pick fill out a team stack or a Week 17 stack?
ADP value: Are there any great values left on the board? Are there any players whose ADP will rise before the start of the season that are worth drafting now?
Roster construction: Is this pick within the right positional limits? Am I allocating enough or too many resources to a certain position?
Player takes: Who are the best players on the board based on rankings, projections, or my own takes?
The biggest thing to remember is to have fun. This is your team. Draft whomever you want, but for the best chance to win in these large field tournaments, correlate your roster and to chase upside. Maybe you'll land that one-in-a-million winning team.