Hey everyone! Ken Sonnenberg (@FantasyFBKen1 on Twitter) here with you today in this new 4-EYED DRAFT STRATEGY posting to discuss with you what Best Ball fantasy leagues are all about, why you should play them, & and how. So sit back, relax, and let me guide you through everything.
It is Week 14 of the NFL season and you are in the first round of your fantasy playoffs, you are starting your two top running backs and your plan is to ride these two guys out for two more weeks right through the championship. You are in a normal fantasy league and you have already decided that you are going to choose a third wide receiver for your flex position because you are also in a PPR league and this receiver will give you the best chance at getting the most points possible to hopefully get you over the top. Your choice is made, you are ready to go, and you sit down and watch the Thursday night game where Jacksonville goes into Tennessee to play the Titans. You had picked up Tennessee running back Derrick Henry a couple of weeks ago to add some depth to your bench, but up until this point he has only rushed for 471 yards and 5 touchdowns through the 11 games, so he hasn’t made much of a dent. You then sit there and watch in horror as the guy that you have parked on your bench racks up a career-high 238 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns.
There is no way that you are not completely distraught by this because, let’s say by some fluke you managed to have Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliot on your team (if you do you might have to get into another league because that should never happen) and they are your starters that week, even they would combine for just 45 more yards rushing and 3 fewer touchdowns. Whether you win or lose that week in your playoff game, the sight of all those points sitting on your bench makes you cringe.
It is at that moment that you decide that maybe for next season, you will join a Best Ball league. The first question that you then ask yourself is what is a Best Ball League and how will that make you feel better going forward when someone like a Derrick Henry comes along in the future? Simply put, a Best Ball league is a league where the idea of starting lineups and bench spots are a thing of the past. The basic rules are that at the beginning of the season you draft 18 players, the standard amount. Like a regular fantasy league setup, each week you will have slots assigned for 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE and 1 Flex spot (RB, WR, or TE). However, there is no slot for kicker (which will make many people happy), defense/special teams or an IDP. Best Ball only deals with the skill position players and much like regular leagues, it follows the same scoring structures; more than likely utilizing the ½ or full PPR setup, but once the scoring system is set up, now you get to the point where the Best Ball format completely differs from the regular fantasy league.
As I said before, Derrick Henry sitting on your bench while rushing for over 200 yards and 4 touchdowns will not churn your stomach in a Best Ball league since his stats will now count towards your weeks total point output. That is because as I mentioned, there is no starters or bench players, everyone is in play and the top scorers at each position based on your position limits are counted. This form of league takes all the guesswork out of wondering who you should start and who you should bench, you don’t have to worry about scouring the injury reports to make sure you don’t put in a guy that either is a last-minute scratch or gets hurt in the first quarter. Strategically, now it falls on you to be able to fill your roster with guys who are truly all strong scoring options. It puts a vastly different type of emphasis on your draft strategies and your waiver wire pick-ups.
As you go into your Fantasy Draft, there are a number of questions you must ask yourself, the first of which is how much value do you put on a particular position? Do you draft a QB earlier than you would in a normal league and do you forgo the idea of taking an extra WR or RB in order to have a second QB on your roster in hopes that you catch one of those weeks where a later round, mediocre scoring QB has one of those killer games where everything he throws lands in his receiver’s hands? Do you employ an even more aggressive strategy when it comes to picking a tight end since this might actually be the most difficult position to choose since the urgency to pick one up early is greater as the depth at there is really thin? The running back position is interesting also, because, of course, you can pick your superstars, but strategically as you get later in the draft, do you look at taking perhaps the handcuffs to your superstar player, thereby cornering the market on that one particular team’s rushing yards or do you take a touchdown vulture late in the draft so that once in a while a guy like LeGarrette Blount will win you a week by rushing for 32 yards but has 3 touchdowns? And as for the Wide Receiver, this is the position where you are probably going to have the most depth, with a ½ or full PPR setup loading up on the WR might be the best play.
