Best ball leagues have gained steam in the fantasy football landscape over recent years, and its popularity has only increased heading into 2022. Since best ball is a somewhat new, trendy format, there are still many novices just figuring out how to play and formulate a draft strategy to target sleepers and build a winning roster.
Best ball leagues are unique in that owners cannot make roster moves after the draft is complete. Essentially, they are drafting a full team — starters, backups and potential waiver wire wild cards — that will fill out their roster for the entire 17-week fantasy season.
There’s no need to agonize over start-or-sit decisions every week either. The highest scoring player at each lineup position will be automatically be put into your weekly lineup. Rosters usually consist of at least 20 players, so you should (hopefully) always have a live body to slot in each position, but sometimes injuries and bye weeks can pile up and conspire against you.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet
Naturally, this format elevates the draft to the utmost importance. It’s absolutely critical to nail almost every pick and create a strong roster that can put up consistently solid points every week while also having a sky-high ceiling.
How can you do that? Here are some of Sporting News Fantasy’s best strategy tips for best ball drafts, from the basics to the position-by-position specifics.
2022 FANTASY DRAFT STRATEGY:
Snake drafts | Auctions | Dynasty | IDP
Fantasy Best Ball Draft Strategy Tips, How to Play
Here are a couple of key best ball tips that beginners should know before drafting:
Keep an eye on bye weeks
This may seem self-explanatory, but it is even more important to pay attention to bye weeks in best ball than in season-long leagues. You can’t make any changes to your roster once you complete your draft, so if you have multiple players at one position with the same bye week, there isn’t much you can do to help your team score during that week.
This isn’t like normal fantasy where stacking bye weeks can be a viable strategy. You need top-tier scorers each week or you won’t find success. Make sure you stagger effectively to avoid one empty week being your downfall.
2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs
Make sure you land viable backups
It’s en vogue to wait on quarterbacks and tight ends in season-long fantasy leagues, but that strategy won’t work in best ball. You need to make sure you have at least a good starter and a good backup (preferably two) at every position to avoid getting quickly decimated by injuries.
You will draft plenty of RBs and WRs in best ball, as many do in standard leagues, but you want at least two good QBs and TEs, too, and most opt for three at each position unless they have one of the very best. You can get by with two then, but you’re still at the mercy of the injury gods.
2022 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
Fantasy Best Ball Draft Strategy: Quarterback
Scrambling quarterbacks are valuable in best ball
Finding a quarterback in best ball is all about the floor vs. ceiling debate. You want a player who is going to be safe enough to trust on a weekly basis, but QBs that can run the ball have very high ceilings given the difference in value between passing yards/TDs and rushing yards/TDs.
For example, Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray will be popular because each is a dynamic runner and a solid passer. That will allow them to have a safe passing floor and high ceiling because they have the ability to be 100-yard rushers any given week.
Jackson, Murray and No. 1 quarterback Josh Allen all get stock-ups because of their scrambling ability. So do Jalen Hurts and Trey Lance. These guys might be slightly riskier from an injury standpoint, but all could be top-five quarterbacks this year. They should have higher floors and ceilings most weeks than traditional pocket passers, but a good way to hedge your bets is to get at least one mobile QB and one traditional QB.
2022 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
Don’t wait too long to get a quarterback
Look, you don’t need an elite quarterback to win fantasy best ball leagues. Quarterback is one of the deeper positions in fantasy, and you can typically find a solid starter in the middle of the draft. Getting a high-end QB2 like Derek Carr or Kirk Cousins certainly won’t keep you from fighting for a title in best ball leagues.
However, it’s important to make sure that even if you wait, you are still positioned to land a solid backup quarterback. Viable backup QB2s can dry up quickly in best ball, and since handcuffing quarterbacks isn’t a recommended option (unless it’s a Kenny Pickett/Mitchell Trubisky situation where neither is entrenched as the starter), you need to make sure you don’t miss out on the decent backups.
How can you do this? Well, just keep an eye on the position throughout the draft. If you get into a situation where you only like a couple of quarterbacks left on the board, take one. After all, quarterbacks are the most consistent point producers in fantasy, so skimping at that position can have disastrous consequences.
2022 FANTASY SLEEPERS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | One from each team
If you draft Deshaun Watson, take three quarterbacks
This pretty much goes without saying, as Watson is almost certainly going to be suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. It may last just six games or it could last up to the full season. Right now, nobody knows.
There is a risk/reward element in selecting Watson, but you have to take some risks to win in best ball. You can take him as a backup in the hopes that he is able to play and becomes a high-end fantasy quarterback again. But if you do, you must take a third QB in case he is suspended for the entire season or runs into more off-the-field trouble.
In best ball leagues with 20-plus roster spots, taking a third quarterback isn’t a bad strategy anyway. It never hurts to have extra insurance at the position just in case one of your top two options gets injured. Jared Goff could be a nice, safe option that you can get late, as he is the 28th QB coming off the board right now according to FantasyPros’ ADP.
2022 AUCTION VALUES (Standard & PPR):
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Overall
Fantasy Best Ball Draft Tips: Running back
Don’t be afraid to take a risk with your RB2
Running back is often the thinnest position in fantasy football, so some owners will look to load up at the position early and often. That said, you don’t necessarily have to do that.
Best ball teams tend to start two RBs, three wide receivers, and a flex. As such, receivers are a bit more important to have, so it’s important to get a lot of high-end producers at that position. Waiting on running back can be risky, but there are plenty of 1B options at the position this year who can be solid mid-round additions.
Tony Pollard, AJ Dillon, and Rhamondre Stevenson all have the potential to emerge as lead backs in 2022 even if injuries don’t limit the starters ahead of them. They are being drafted earlier than most handcuffs but much later than other potential RB2s. Grabbing one of them in Rounds 5-7 while focusing on mostly on receivers in the first few rounds will give rosters more upside, which is key in best ball leagues.
Besides, RBs are arguably the most oft-injured position in fantasy. So, loading up on top-tier handcuffs, backups, and those in position battles could pay off in spades if just a few guys go down with injuries.
Handcuff your RBs if they have a clear backup
Speaking of handcuffs, you need to draft one if you get a high-end back. In fact, overdraft them. Just make sure you have them in case your top guy goes down with an injury.
Last year, Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey were among the first backs off the board in fantasy. Both were hurt and missed at least half of the season. Best ball owners who handcuffed them were better positioned to survive without them. Those who didn’t? Good luck replacing your first-round pick.
Granted, some RBs don’t have clear handcuffs, but many do. So, if you’re drafting Henry, make sure you take Hassan Haskins in the latter half of drafts to ensure you have a starter in case Henry’s foot acts up again. Those with McCaffrey should consider targeting D’Onta Foreman and/or Chuba Hubbard late in drafts.
2022 CONSISTENCY RATINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Need an RB late? Trust touchdown vultures (and 49ers)
If you get to the late stages of your best ball draft and still need some depth at running back, finding upside candidates can get tricky. There are, however, two ways to find players that could crack best ball lineups for at least a few weeks if things break well for them.
Touchdown vultures are extremely frustrating for fantasy owners in season-long leagues. However, if you land the right one in best ball, they can be an asset. Running backs who score often crack best ball lineups, so if you can find a low-end back on a team that rotates goal-line carries, he can be a weapon.
For example, the Eagles largely employed Miles Sanders as their top back in 2021, but he had zero touchdowns. Comparatively, Kenneth Gainwell had five and Boston Scott had seven. Neither Scott nor Gainwell had much yardage, but those TDs made them nice, late-round pickups who had some RB2 weeks for best ball owners.
The other strategy late is to take whichever 49ers running back is still on the board. Kyle Shanahan is known for mixing up his RBs consistently, so while Elijah Mitchell and Tyrion Davis-Price might have the most upside, Jeff Wilson Jr. (FantasyPros ADP of 269) could emerge as a backfield leader for a couple of weeks. Getting him in the final few rounds of drafts could end up paying massive dividends. Who knows — maybe Trey Sermon actually does something this year, too.
Fantasy Best Ball Draft Advice: Wide receiver
Take WRs early and often
This was mentioned in the running backs section, but receivers are the most important position in most best ball leagues. Why? Because in any given week, your lineup can start four receivers. That’s more than any other position.
As such, you should plan to take receivers early and often. You always want some of the stud producers who will have big games seemingly every week, like Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel and Ja’Marr Chase, but don’t confuse top-end talent for “depth.”
It’s worth noting that all of those players will likely be top-20 selections in 2022, but they were mostly early-to-mid-round picks last season. High-end receivers can be found outside of the first few rounds, so the more you take, the better your chances are of landing a top-tier talent at a bargain price.
Target deep threats at the end of best ball drafts
If you’re stuck on who to draft at the end of best ball drafts, just go with a deep-threat receiver. Those explosive, boom-or-bust receivers might not crack lineups most weeks, but they are always a threat to haul in long touchdown receptions and bail you out when you need a flex. Considering that a 60-yard TD catch is worth 13 points in PPR best ball leagues, getting a player capable of doing that late in the draft is a worthwhile investment.
Some players who fit this mold include New Orleans’ Marquez Callaway, Minnesota’s K.J. Osborn, and Philadelphia’s Quez Watkins, among others.
Stack WRs with QBs
Stacking can work very well in best ball formats, and it tends to be easy to do. It creates a great opportunity to get double points for your lineup, and if you land playmakers in an elite, undervalued offense — like the Bengals last year — it can spark a championship run.
You don’t just have to stack a quarterback with his top weapon. Sure, getting Tom Brady and Mike Evans might be nice, but if you can’t get Evans, grabbing multiple, lower-end weapons like Julio Jones and Russell Gage could also work. This will give your lineup more upside and synergy as you look to compete for a fantasy championship.
Fantasy Football Best Ball Draft Strategy: Tight end
Don’t wait too long on a tight end
The strategy at tight end is a lot similar to that of quarterback. You can wait on the position, but you just can’t wait too long to take your first.
Tight ends don’t score as much as quarterbacks, but there are fewer high-quality options at the position than any other. That’s why guys like Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, George Kittle, Darren Waller, and Kyle Pitts get pushed up draft boards.
You don’t need one of those top-five guys to succeed at tight end, but if you miss out on the next tier of TEs…good luck. Make sure you start thinking about landing one by the seventh or eighth round if you don’t get one of the top options.
Red-zone threats are viable wild cards at the position
If you do find yourself thin at tight end, you can add some later-round options to bolster the position. Look for guys who get a lot of red-zone targets, as they will have the best chance at cracking your lineup with a touchdown.
Austin Hooper is a good example of a late-round tight end with red-zone skills. He is a well-built (6-4) and saw 11 red-zone targets in Cleveland last season. David Njoku and Harrison Bryant also fit the bill, and you could even try a potential breakout pick like Brevin Jordan.
Draft Rob Gronkowski as a third tight end if possible
Why not? Gronk might be retired now, but he could elect to come back during the season if Tom Brady needs help with his supporting cast. While Gronk isn’t the elite tight end he once was, he can still be a worthwhile red-zone threat (four red-zone TDs last season) and is a favorite of Brady’s.
You could do a lot worse with one of your final picks than a Gronkowski wild card. Make him one of your risk/reward selections and see if it pays off.
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