Why You Should Play Best Ball
Are you missing fantasy football? Do you wish you could draft a team right now?
Well, there’s a way to participate in fantasy drafts in the offseason. It’s called Best Ball.
The best part of fantasy football is drafting. The excitement of every pick, the strategy behind building the perfect roster, and the thrill of finding that sleeper that no one saw coming in the later rounds are reasons we all love it so much.
After the draft is over, it’s then time to manage that team throughout the year. Fantasy managers will have to make the right lineup decisions each week, will have to actively scour the waiver wire, and occasionally make trades to improve their team. That’s a lot to handle across an 18-week season.
That’s exactly why everyone should be playing Best Ball. It keeps the excitement of drafting and eliminates the stress of keeping up with that roster throughout the season.
Best Ball is the perfect format for those who love drafting but hate the weekly grind of roster management. No lineup decisions, no waiver wire, no trades. All you have to do is draft, and the top-scoring players will automatically fill your starting lineup each week. There are also huge cash prizes in these Best Ball formats.
If you are interested in playing, WalterPicks CEO Sam Factor has already participated in 39 Best Ball drafts this offseason. Here are some of his biggest tips.
TIP 1:
I’ve liked going just 1-2 RBs early, then waiting awhile and grabbing the rookies projected to have the best draft capital after Jeremiyah Love in the draft, then pairing those guys with veterans who have a better chance at an early-season role than they are getting credit for.
I’m almost always drafting 3 QBs in these 20-round drafts.
Fun zero-RB team here, Blake Corum is such an obvious smash for zero-RB teams. Sam selected Corum in the ninth round of this 12-team Best Ball draft.
TIP 2:
Tyreek Hill is a highly drafted player for me. If he’s playing during Week 15-17, he’s a clear smash for me at this Round 15 cost. Hill as your WR7/WR8 shouldn’t be possible in Best Ball, even with him being a high risk to be non-existent for most of the season as he works back from an injury. He’s vowed to play this season, and his ADP WILL rise once he signs with a team and there are videos of him running routes in a few months.
Sam took Hill in the 15th round in this Best Ball draft. That’s insane value for a wide receiver who should be fully healthy by the time the fantasy playoffs come around.
TIP 3:
Interesting draft here picking at the No. 12 spot.
Sam went RB-RB to start the draft with two young potential workhorse RBs. He then didn’t take another RB until Round 12. Getting Ryan Flournoy in Round 16 could be a steal. He has potential for spike weeks and a real ceiling if CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens miss time.
Sam’s Top Exposure Through 39 Drafts:
QB:
RB:
WR:
TE:
Most Drafted Players:
QB Malik Willis (46%)
WR Kayshon Boutte (43%)
TE Gunnar Helm (35%)
RB Jonah Coleman (33%) — Rookie
RB Blake Corum (33%)
WR Tyreek Hill (33%)
TE Greg Dulcich (28%)
Sam’s Notes:
So ready for Greg Dulcich season. He’s literally their WR2 right now.
People are not going to like it, but Deshaun Watson is the clear favorite to be starting Week 1 for the Browns. It feels gross, but he's free in Round 20.
I don’t understand why Kayshon Boutte is going so late. He’s perfect for Best Ball since you just need spike weeks + don’t need to predict when they will come. I get the Pats signed Romeo Doubs, but they also let go of Stefon Diggs, which is far more likely to be the role Doubs plays. Boutte is getting no respect for being one of the best deep threats in the league. His 12 yards per target ranked #1 in the NFL last year. Boutte averaged PPR 18.1 fantasy points per game last year in his four games with at least five targets. For context, Pickens averaged 18.1 fantasy points per game last year, which ranked 6th most among WRs.
Isaiah Likely and Malik Willis are two of my most drafted players across 39 drafts. Both have clear top-10 upside at a Round 11+ cost. Yes please.
Final Thoughts
SO much will change between now and the season, but that’s true for everyone you’re drafting against, too. This is why roster construction strategy is even more important for these early drafts.
Ideal roster construction in these 20-Round drafts (two rounds longer than usual) is:
3 QBs
5-7 RBs (5 if you draft 2-3 early, 7 if you don’t).
7-10 WRs (7 if you draft 3-4 WRs early, 10 if you don’t and go early TE or QB and end up only taking 2)
2-3 TEs. I prefer punting TE and taking 3 late since it’s the only position you're drafting clear starters in rounds 18-20 (Dulcich, Helm, etc). But I’m not afraid to take one of the elite ones and then only take 2 either.
