DFS Army’s Bobbywow takes a look at 10 tips to crush your NFL playoff fantasy football best ball tournaments.
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10 Tips to Crush Your NFL Playoff Fantasy Football Best Ball Tournament
- Print playoff brackets and run through different scenarios.
- This might sound bizarre but hang with me. How can you effectively build lineups if you aren’t sure about what scenarios/matchups will shake out? This will help immensely as you piece together your lineups. More on that below. HERE is where I found a printable bracket.
- Understand the contest rules.
- For the purposes of this article, my focus is on the contests at Underdog Fantasy. The rules are simple… you get 10 draft picks to build a team that will count the scores of 5 players each week (1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR/TE, 1 FLEX (RB/WR/TE). The top 5 scores each week at those positions are what will count toward your final score. Teams will be grouped together and the top teams from those groupings will advance to the next round (4 total potential rounds) where scores will be reset but your team will remain the same. This is NOT a Superflex contest so only 1 QB score will count toward your overall score each week.
- Know your goal.
- Most people are playing these Best Ball tournaments to try and take down 1st In that case, building/stacking strategically is key to giving you a shot at winning. If your goal is to simply try to win round 1 and cash, take a more balanced and spread-out approach by focusing on the best ADP available.
- Stack appropriately.
- Advancing each round is obviously important but that could all be for naught if you don’t stack properly. Think about it… We need to roster 5 total positions to accrue points at each position. If your team advances to the final round but only has 2-3 eligible players at the position, you aren’t going to score well with those zeroes. You must build to try and have 2-4 player stacks from both teams you hope will match up in the Super Bowl. Yes, that means making sure you have stacks of both AFC and NFC teams.
- One of my favorite approaches is to make two 3-man stacks and two 2-man stacks. Each would include an AFC and NFC team. This gives you the most balanced chance of having a full potential roster for the final Super Bowl matchup.
- Avoid opposing players in first-round matchups.
- This isn’t always possible but it’s something you will want to avoid when you can. By rostering players from the same first-round matchup you are guaranteeing at least one zero every round moving forward. If you feel like you need to include players from the same first-round matchup, limit it as much as you possibly can.
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- Don’t fall too deeply in love with the Titans and Packers.
- Although both teams are in play, it will be difficult to stack either team and advance past the first round because both teams have a first-round bye. Each player you draft from those two teams will automatically take a zero in your first-round matchups. Proceed with caution there.
- Don’t be afraid of the “all or nothing” approach.
- If you truly want to try and take down a tournament, don’t be afraid to build lineups catered to a very specific outcome. For example, because you only need to fill 1 QB position and 1 RB position, I don’t mind only drafting one of each (or sticking with only two RBs). If one of my main stacks – a team I think will advance to the Super Bowl – includes the QB and RB (Kyler Murray and Chase Edmonds for instance), you don’t necessarily have to waste draft picks on other QBs and RBs. If they fail, I am likely going to lose anyway. If they succeed, I was able to bank up more WR/TE picks and have an advantage.
- Let the draft come to you.
- This might be the most important tip I can give. In a perfect world, it would be awesome to make as many Mahomes/Tyreek or Brady/Gronk stacks as possible. Unfortunately, that is not realistic. These drafts are dynamic and different each time you jump into one. Don’t try to force something that isn’t there. It will open up better stack pieces in your builds and also give you some variety so you don’t have to tilt when the Cowboys lose in the first round.
- Don’t live and die by ADP.
- if you want to try and take down the Best Ball tournament, stacking/correlation is far more important in your builds. Don’t blindly take Cooper Kupp with the first pick if you don’t like Ram’s stacks or don’t think they advance very far. ADP is a temptress and not a rule to be controlled by.
- Take some risks.
- This is even more important as you get into the later rounds. Looking for a last stack piece for the Cardinals? Snag DeAndre Hopkins in the 10th Desperate for a running back to fill out one of your big stacks? Draft a handcuff. Getting creative is a lot of fun but also crucial if you want to compete for a takedown.
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Feature Image

Jan 2, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) scrambles in the pocket in the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports