Welcome to our latest fantasy football strategy article, Best Ball Fantasy Football 101. We spend months preparing: analyzing, discussing, and ranking our favorite players for the upcoming season. Arguing about who is over-hyped, under-valued, old, going to break out, going to bust… and of course: who will be the league winner? The payoff for all this hard “work?”
Draft Day.
It’s the moment when our takes are put to the test. The satisfaction of snagging our favorite player. The thrill of getting a steal past ADP. The endorphin rush of reviewing a freshly built roster. Draft day is our reward for months of following analysts, grinding training camp reports, and compulsively checking our phones for morsels of inside information.
But, “with drafting comes great responsibility” (Ben Parker, probably). Drafting a team in a league of extraordinary fantasy football aficionados implies a commitment to managing it for the length of the season. We can’t just draft teams and disappear. As stewards of this hobby, we owe it to our league-mates to stay competitive: set weekly lineups, make trades, and talk smack. Even if we have drafted an abomination of a team, we cannot shirk our responsibility to provide an enjoyable experience for the other members of our league.
Enter Best Ball.
Best Ball is a fantasy football format that lets you draft without the usual commitment. It’s like drafting with a condom: all the pleasure, none of the accountability.
The concept is simple: you draft your team before the season starts, and each week your platform automatically sets your optimal lineup. If your best players outscore your opponent’s, you win. No waivers, no trades, no start/sit decisions.
Okay, it’s slightly more nuanced, but it is that simple. The roster setup for Best Ball teams is usually the same as season-long:
- Quarterback
- Two Running Back
- Two-three Wide Receivers
- One Tight End
- One Flex
- (you can add kickers and D/STs too if you really want to)
But formats are flexible. If you enjoy super-flex, tight-end premium, or extra flex position rosters, they are doable in Best Ball! Depth at positions becomes a little more critical due to injury and bye weeks, so creating leagues may require more bench spots than you’re used to.
There are a few ways to enjoy Best Ball. You can create your own leagues with head-to-head scoring and playoffs, or opt for a “total points” league, where the highest cumulative score over 17 weeks wins. (And no, Best Ball still doesn’t imply you should be playing Week 18. Stop that.)
Websites and apps like FastDraft and Underdog have created contests dedicated to Best Ball tournaments with large cash prizes. Strategies vary by platform and contest size, especially in large-entry formats where uniqueness matters. To get an edge, savvy players use techniques like stacking, correlation, and positional strategy.
- Stacking is a strategy that involves drafting multiple players from the same team. The goal is to double up on points when those players connect on scoring plays—most commonly, a quarterback and a wide receiver. It also works with pass-catching running backs or tight ends. Stacking lets you capitalize on the upside of high-powered offenses.
- Correlation is similar but involves players from opposing teams. The idea is to target matchups projected to be shootouts—especially in key tournament weeks (like Week 17). Correlating players can also help secure playoff entries or maximize points in divisional matchups.
- Examples of positional strategies are hero-RB (drafting one solid RB early and waiting late in the draft to take more), late-round QB (prioritize other positions first), and bully TE (taking all the good ones early). The most common positional strategy is the renowned zero-RB strategy. I won’t rehash it here, but you should check it out. Each of these strategies is designed to strengthen specific positions on your roster while simultaneously weakening the same positions in your opponent’s roster.
Finally, always pay attention to platform differences. FastDraft’s settings are nothing like FFPC’s, and even within Underdog, each contest may have its own twists. Don’t assume anything; read the rules.
If you love drafting but don’t have the time, or frankly, the desire, to micromanage a roster for four months, Best Ball is here for you. It gives you all the excitement of draft day as often as you want it without the weekly grind of lineup decisions, trade negotiations, or waiver wire BS. Time is a precious resource, and fantasy football is supposed to be fun; Best Ball prioritizes your time while still allowing you to enjoy the game. Draft smart, sit back, and watch your roster do the work.
