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NFL Best Ball Strategy for Season Long Fantasy Football Drafts | Win More Money

NFL Best Ball is the ideal way for a serious DFS player to complement their week-to-week action. There are no start/sit decisions, no hours wasted scouring various waiver wires. You can spend 40 minutes drafting a team in May and your work is done. It’s a great way to profit off your macro/season-long leans, without taking away from your weekly preparation time once the games are being played.

In my opinion, Underdog Fantasy provides the top best ball product on the market, and it’s not really close. On some of the larger operators/fantasy sites, best ball is an afterthought. The smaller sites don’t have enough active players. The drafts can take days to fill, and as a result, they can’t offer large enough contests/prize pools to make it worth your time.

Why Underdog Fantasy?

Underdog is the new product from the creators of the popular Draft app, which ultimately became a casualty of a merger involving FanDuel and Paddy Power. In Underdog’s first year of operation, I’ve probably done close to 100 drafts of either NFL or NBA best ball teams. Their app is clean, lacking clutter, and easy to use. Their customer service (shouts to @TheNickRudman) is always on point. Most importantly the best ball drafts fill quickly and they offer the type large field GPP style tournaments with exciting payouts.

Underdog Fantasy Best Ball

Underdog has just launched their NFL Best Ball Mania II contest, which has a one million and one dollar first prize. I thought I’d use my first column here to discuss a few basic strategies that will increase your odds to take home that big check.

How to Win at NFL Best Ball

To advance during the playoffs weeks (15-17) of this contest you are going to need to have some stacks go off in a big way. You need to bake as much correlation as possible into your rosters creating multiple chances to find that winging stack. It’s not always the obvious ones that get the job done. If Mahomes and Kelce are the nuts in week 15, plenty of people are going to have that. There is an edge in having the stack that is not so high owned. Two years ago a Fitzpatrick/DeVante Parker team took down the Draft Best Ball Championship.

I like to draft the first 3/4 rounds strictly off my rankings, getting the best players possible. I then become relentless about correlating my roster. If took AJ Brown the 2nd, I’m going to make sure I get Tannehill. In the 9th or 10th round, where he tends to go it’s not hard to do. Once I have Tannehill, I’m probably going to take it a step further and grab Firsker as a second or third TE in one of the last rounds to build a less popular “stack.”

My second strategic point relates directly to my first. Be very cognizant of, but not a slave to ADP. No matter much you may love him, don’t take Trevor Lawrence in 2nd round, 100 spots above his ADP. Don’t laugh, a guy did this in a draft with me today. The same dude also drafted four Tight Ends.  Best Ball is new to a lot of players. There is still an edge in these contests. That said don’t be afraid to reach a few spots to make sure you get your guy, especially if it helps correlate your roster. If you already have Tee Higgins, I have no problem with you drafting Joe Burrow 10 spots above his ADP. Completing that stack is way more important than trying to squeeze out a little extra perceived value.

Editor’s Note – For any format of fantasy football, our community at DFS Army has you covered.  From statistical research stations to optimized lineup builders, from time-saving cheatsheets to actual coaches lingering around to answer your questions, we have helped thousands of DFS and best ball players learn concepts and strategies that build stronger, more competitive lineups.  We have the tools, and we have the track record that can change your life!

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Finally, don’t waste roster spots. On Underdog you only get 18 of them and they are precious. If you take Kelce 6th overall, do not take a third a TE. If you draft Kelce that high and he’s not your optimal TE most, if not, every non-bye-week, your team is likely sunk anyway. Drafting Mo Allie-Cox in the 18th round will not save you and is a waste of a roster spot. This logic should also be applied to the quarterback. If I draft any of the top 6 or 7 QBs off the board, I’ll only roster two. If I wait on the position I’ll usually take 3.

People often don’t consider the draft capital they’ve already spent when constructing their rosters. If you started your draft with Derek Henry, Antonio Gibson, and Miles Sanders you don’t need to draft six running backs. If you draft players that high, you expect them to be in your lineup most weeks. Your two RB and one Flex spot are essentially spoken for. Allocate an extra roster spot to WR, a position you are going to be weak at relative to other teams who addressed it earlier.

Maybe you are a Best Ball junkie, or looking to test the water for the first time with Underdog. Either way, I believe we can draft teams that give us a chance to take home some serious cash. Join me here next week, where I’ll identify some specific spots where the rankings in our DFS Army 2021 Draft Kit differ from Underdog’s early ADP.  We are to help our subscribers craft rosters that are live to take down that cool million bucks.

If you are new to Best Ball on Underdog, you can sign up today with our deposit code “DFSARMY” and receive a $100 money-back satisfaction guarantee. (This article was written by DFS Army contributor, Chris Felicetta.)  And, you can also join DFS Army free for 30 days as part of our free trials HERE.

Featured image credit:

Jan 1, 2021; New Orleans, LA, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) attempts a pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports