Best-Ball Leagues Offer a Unique Blend for Fantasy Football

With NFL training camps starting and the first full week of the preseason starting this Thursday, many fantasy leagues are having their annual drafts for the 2023 season. Lately, a newer fantasy league has garnered the interest of fantasy and DFS managers.
Best Ball is different from most leagues where trades and waiver wires are the norm. Best-ball managers draft teams for the entire season without any waivers, trades, or starting lineups. The highest-scoring players from an individual week will count for your team’s score.

For the top best-ball players, there are life-changing prizes to win. Underdog’s Best Ball Mania 4’s jackpot is $15 million with a $3 million top prize. DraftKings’ big best-ball tournament is $10 million with $1 million to first place.

Best-ball drafts usually consist of 12 teams with varying amounts of rounds. DK’s drafts are 20 rounds while Underdog’s drafts are 18 rounds. The first round lasts from Week 1-14, where the top two teams advance to Week 15. For Weeks 15 and 16, the top-scoring team out of each group will have a chance at the big money in Week 17.

Why are best-ball drafts so much fun? Drafting is the only thing a manager needs. There are no waiver moves or trades to acquire players during the NFL season. The roster is your team in that league for the whole season.

Stacking is a common occurrence in best ball, but stacking is not needed for fantasy football. This year, there are several exciting Week 17 games that will attract all best-ball drafters.

An AFC showdown between Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals and Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs will be a popular stack. The Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens can replicate last year’s 42-38 shootout. An AFC West clash between Justin Herbert’s Los Angeles Chargers and Russell Wilson’s Denver Broncos can rock up fantasy scores.

Dome games are often a favorite target for teams with no weather effects in December and January. A critical NFC North showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings offers Justin Jefferson a chance to ring in the year inside Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium. A Saturday Detroit Lions-Dallas Cowboys meeting should light up Arlington, Texas with plenty of fantasy points.

Time is a major consideration in how fast to make picks. Many fantasy websites offer fast or slow drafts. A fast draft gives 30 seconds per pick, which increases the action. A slow draft can have up to eight hours between picks.

While drafting best-ball teams offers an unknown excitement over which stack to take, each draft offers a chance to learn. Whether right or wrong, every best-ball draft offers a blend of everything managers have learned about drafting.

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