Most fantasy football managers across the country are gearing up to redraft a brand-new team this season. But, how about entering a tournament with hundreds of thousands of people with the chance to win up to $3 million? If you like the thought of that, best ball fantasy football is the best option for you.
Let’s dive into the intricacies of best ball, the various strategies, and how to play Underdog Fantasy Best Ball.
WHAT IS BEST BALL?
In a best ball league, managers join a three to 12-man draft room to draft a team. Drafts run from the start of the offseason until the season kicks off. Unlike traditional leagues, there are no weekly lineup decisions or trades to be made during the season.
In best ball, your team’s optimal lineup is automatically selected for you each week based on the highest-scoring players at each position from your roster. For example, if you have three quarterbacks on your roster and one of them scores the most points in a given week, that quarterback’s score will automatically count for your team. The same principle applies to all other positions.
Best ball leagues are enjoyable for those who prefer a more hands-off approach to fantasy football and want to avoid the time-consuming aspects of making lineup decisions and managing a roster throughout the season. It allows fantasy managers to focus solely on the draft and player selection process and to build exposure to different roster constructions and exposures.
WHERE CAN YOU PLAY BEST BALL?
UNDERDOG FANTASY
Underdog Fantasy is the number one place to go for best ball tournaments and leagues. It offers best ball tournaments priced from $3 to $1000 with entries ranging from three to hundreds of thousands of people. Right now, they have a few featured tournaments, led by Weekly Winners ($15 entry with weekly prizes totaling $3.5M), Best Ball Mania IV ($25 entry with $3M going to first place and $15M in total prizes), The Pit Bull ($75 entry with $120K to first place), and The Mastiff ($1,000 entry with $20K going to first place and $220K of total prize money).
The app also offers daily fantasy options and over/under pick’em for seasonal or weekly player props that we feature here on a weekly basis.
New users: Click the yellow banner below or use promo code RSJ after downloading the Underdog Fantasy app to get a 100% first deposit bonus of up to $100. Who doesn’t love free money?
BEST BALL SETTINGS
If you want to tailor your team a certain way, these are the scoring and roster settings for Underdog’s most popular Best Ball contests:
- half-PPR scoring (0.5 per reception)
- 4.0 points per passing TD
- 6.0 points per rushing/receiving TD
- 0.1 point per rushing/receiving yard
- 2.0 points for a two-point conversion
- -2.0 points for fumble lost
- -1.0 point for interception
- 18-man rosters with an eight-man starting weekly roster: QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, Flex (RB/WR/TE)
BEST BALL STRATEGY & ROSTER CONSTRUCTION
- Draft multiple teams (expose yourself to multiple roster builds)
- Emphasize high-upside players in the later rounds
- Utilize The Wolf’s Underdog Fantasy Best Ball Rankings
- Create a mix of high-volume, high-volatility players
- Stack players in high-scoring offenses
- Understand bye-week and end-of-season scenarios
Ready to play Underdog Fantasy Best Ball? Download the app and use promo code RSJ to get a deposit match up to $100.
