As we await NFL teams reporting to training camp, the 2023 NFL season is officially on the horizon. We still have a few months to go, but it isn’t too early to start thinking about getting back into the fantasy football mindset. While there are a number of formats you can choose, one that is skyrocketing in popularity is Best Ball. This is a type of fantasy football league that you can play at DraftKings, and this article will cover the ins and outs of the growing format.
What is Best Ball?
Have you ever agonized over a lineup decision that didn’t pan out and wished you could go back in time to make the other choice? Best Ball may be for you.
This fantasy football format is all about the draft. It is typically longer than your standard drafts as you select players for deeper benches. This is because once you draft your team, you can’t make any changes for the rest of the season. No waiver adds, no trades and no lineup setting.
The way Best Ball works is that each week, you will automatically be given an optimized score. There will be a set lineup with a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, a tight end and a flex spot (can be either a RB/WR/TE). Once all games are finished for the week, your highest-scoring players will be assembled to give you the best lineup possible. This is then compared to your leaguemates’ optimized lineups, with wins, losses or points then determined. After your draft, you could go the entire season, never checking your league, and then once the season ends, return to see if you won a championship.
Is there a big time commitment?
The draft takes a little time but is also the only time commitment. Once the draft is done, you can check back in for your team.
How do drafts work?
Let’s say you take a look at the DraftKings website and want to join a league. Whether you join a league of 12 people or 100k, your draft will not start until the league is full. This means there is a good chance that you will have to wait to draft. Once your chosen league fills, there will be a one-minute countdown from when it fills to when the draft begins. An email notification will go out, so make sure you have access to the email you sign up with.
What types of drafts are there?
Along with deciding how big of a league you’d like to play in, you need to pay attention to the type of draft. A fast draft means that each person will only have 30 seconds to make their respective picks once they are on the clock. A slow draft has an eight-hour time limit. This may seem excessive, but it helps prevent auto-drafting if you have your notifications turned on.
How many players do I draft?
The draft will be in a snake format. This means that if you have 12 teams in your league, it will go 1-12 in the first round and then the inverse 12-1 in the second round, repeating throughout. You will draft a total of 20 players. Depending on your league, you may have positional limits, but at the very least, you need to draft one QB, two RBs, three WRs and one TE. After that, feel free to pursue any strategy you desire as you fill out the remaining 13 roster spots.
Popular Draft Strategies
Zero-RB
This strategy involves you addressing QB, WR and TE before you think about taking any running backs. The RB position is perceived as deeper in fantasy football, especially Best Ball. You may draft a WR, QB, WR and TE with your first four picks before you even consider taking a running back. With how many players you will end up drafting, you could go this route and still have plenty of time for running back depth later.
This strategy can also be pivoted to a Zero-WR strategy where you focus on running backs, quarterback and tight end before looking at wide receivers in the middle rounds.
Two-Quarterbacks
A big question when it comes to Best Ball draft is wondering how many players from each position you should draft. I am a big proponent of depth since you have no control over adding, dropping or trading players in the future. Several Best Ball analysts will recommend that you only draft two quarterbacks. Only one quarterback will be entered into your lineup, so it may make sense to you to only roster the minimum required. With injuries a possibility and bye weeks, however, you want to at least roster two QBs. Personally, I usually draft three for extra insurance, but you may want to free that extra spot up to add another RB, WR, or TE who is more likely to appear in your lineup more consistently.
Punt on Tight End
Okay, the pun was too good to pass up, but tight end is one of the trickier positions to handle in Best Ball. If you have a late pick in the first round, you could eye Travis Kelce depending on how the board falls and who is available. After Kelce, though, the position only declines and is a consistent risk assessment based on how the board goes. You are likely going to draft three tight ends. If you miss out on Kelce early, you should draft a QB, two RBs and two WRs before you look to address tight end. You don’t want to pass up on better value somewhere else to take a tight end. Try and go for players that are good pass-catchers or that have had recent success in the redzone as they could be an outlet for their quarterback and be a difference maker in certain weeks.
Can I auto-draft?
Speaking of auto-drafting, you can certainly go in that direction with Best Ball. If you want to enter contests and let Jesus take the wheel, as Carrie Underwood would say, you can do so. Auto-drafting means that players will be automatically drafted to your team. The draft client will select whoever is in your queue or who is ranked highest when you are on the clock.
You can either go through and rank players yourself or, if you don’t want to go that far, can select auto-draft for the pre-determined rankings given by DraftKings.
How do I find a league?
There are plenty of contests available for you at DraftKings. More contests are likely to be added, but you can always check to see what leagues are open, how many players are needed and how much it costs to enter the contest.
How do you set a lineup in Best Ball?
You don’t! The system automatically does this for you once the week wraps up. It provides you with the best possible lineup combination from the 20 players on your roster.
How do you make trades in Best Ball?
You don’t! Once you have your roster of 20 drafted, you are confined to that group of players.
How do you add/drop players in Best Ball?
You don’t! Gone is the stress of hoping you put in the highest bid or sit atop the waiver order hoping to get that desired player. You do not need to worry about adding or dropping players as you are set with your 20-player roster.
What happens if a player gets hurt?
Hopefully, the player isn’t hurt long-term, and you will have other players at the position able to be automatically placed in your weekly lineup. This is why we recommend drafting at least three backups for each position. If it is a long-term injury, unfortunately, that player is glued to your roster, and you are unable to replace them. Again, depth can be a league-winning strategy.
How does scoring work?*
Passing
Passing TD: +4 points
25 passing yards: +1 Pt (+0.04 Pts/ Yards)
300+ Yard Passing Game: +3 Pts
Interception: -1 Pt
Rushing
Rushing TD: +6 Pts
10 Rushing Yards: +1 Pt (+0.1 Pts/Yard)
100+ Yard Rushing Game: +3 Pts
Receiving
Receiving TD: +6 Pts
10 Receiving Yards: +1 Pt (+0.1 Pts/Yard)
100+ Receiving Yard Game: +3 Pts
Reception: +1 Pt
Miscellaneous
Punt/Kickoff/FG Return for TD: +6 Pts
Fumble Lost: -1 Pt
2 Pt Conversion (Pass, Run, or Catch): +2 Pts
Offensive Fumble Recovery TD: +6 Pts
*This scoring format is specifically for DraftKings. Rules and conditions for Best Ball leagues at DraftKings can be found here.
