Best ball is unique in that the NFL offseason is prime best ball season, as operations slow down while the NFL is in season. This is obviously due to the nature of best ball, where teams are drafted but not managed during the season. In other words, after your team is drafted you become completely hands-off. There are no waivers, trades, or setting lineups. All you can do is hope for the best.
With no roster management, the draft is everything, making the draft preparation critical. You cannot simply hop into a draft and expect to win a major tournament over others who are factoring in many different data points and strategies that go into best ball. I will highlight a few of them as I go through this mock draft, but one strategy that’s clear through my selections is stacking players from the same team. Ideally, you can stack players against one another in Week 17, but we don’t have the schedule yet. Since we are drafting early, I recommend focusing on players who have a strong chance to increase in value down the line, with little risk to decrease in value.
We don’t yet know what Underdog’s Best Ball Mania will look like this year, but in the past, we have seen 18 roster spots with the following lineups: QB/RB/RB/WR/WR/WR/TE/FLEX (RB/WR/TE) + 10 bench spots. Underdog uses a half PPR scoring system, so I drafted with that format in mind. Let’s get to the picks.
- Introduction to Best Ball Leagues
- Erickson’s Best Ball Positional Primers
- Best Ball Roster Construction Strategy
Round 1, Pick 6 – Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
The first five picks consisted of Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Cooper Kupp, and Jonathan Taylor. As such, I was considering Ja’Marr Chase, Austin Ekeler, and Travis Kelce with this pick. I strongly believe that grabbing a stud running back in the first couple rounds is a necessity, but they certainly carry more risk than wide receivers. Ekeler’s value is as high as ever, but I see a scenario where his value falls, either from the NFL draft or via trade. I love grabbing an elite tight end, but Kelce is aging, and I like many of the mid-tier tight ends this season, especially in best ball where you can grab a few and get the spiked weeks. Lastly, our lineups consist of three wide receivers along with a flex, so I felt that Chase was the best choice here.
Round 2, Pick 18 – Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)
I mentioned the necessity of getting a stud running back and although Breece Hall carries some risk as he returns from a torn ACL, getting his as the 12th running back off the board feels like a steal. If not for the injury, I anticipate Hall would be going as a mid to late first round pick. Of course, the risk must be considered, but by all accounts, Hall looks great and is on track for Week 1. I also mentioned focusing on players whose value could increase further in the offseason, and that’s what I see with Hall as he proves he’s healthy and the offense evolves around Aaron Rodgers. He has a good chance to exceed his value here, and I was hoping he would make it to this spot when I took Chase in the first round.
Round 3, Pick 30 – Tee Higgins (WR – CIN)
Without the knowledge of the schedule and knowing the Week 17 matchups, it makes stacking within a team that much more important. If the Bengals blow up in Week 17 – or other weeks – I already roster Chase so I’d like to grab other pieces of the offense. Not only that, but Chase and Tee Higgins are one of the few duos who have the chance to each finish as WR1s and I wanted to continue building out my wide receiver corps.
Round 4, Pick 42 – Amari Cooper (WR – CLE)
Amari Cooper’s value has declined since CeeDee Lamb was drafted in 2020, but whether in Oakland, Dallas, or Cleveland, his production has remained steady. He’s topped 200 PPR fantasy points in every season outside of 2017 and finished as WR10 last year in Cleveland, the second-best finish of his career. I was able to grab Cooper as the WR19, despite the fact that he now gets Deshaun Watson for a full season. The Browns added Elijah Moore, but with rumors of the team’s intentions to become more pass-heavy, there should be plenty to go around. Cooper’s value hasn’t caught up with his production over the past few seasons and he presents a high ceiling in this offense if everything clicks.
Round 5, Pick 54 – Joe Burrow (QB – CIN)
The tough part of drafting two wide receivers from the same team early on is that it boxes you into taking the quarterback. Even so, I was happy to grab Joe Burrow here.
Round 6, Pick 66 – Calvin Ridley (WR – JAX)
You can’t have too many receivers in this format, and I anticipate Calvin Ridley’s value will rise as the season draws near and we see him on the field with Trevor Lawrence. You couldn’t ask for a much better situation for him to return to.
Round 7, Pick 78 – Rashaad Penny (RB – PHI)
Going with an anchor running back approach, I was able to grab my RB1 and then hammer wide receiver and get a quarterback along the way. Now I’m looking to add running backs that have the potential to far exceed their ADP. Rashaad Penny qualifies, as we know the talent is there and the production follows when he’s on the field. He will now be running behind the best offensive line in football.
Round 8, Pick 90 – Jamaal Williams (RB – NO)
Another running back who has plenty of upside in his new home, Jamaal Williams, likely won’t rush for 17 touchdowns again but that doesn’t mean he can’t be of value. He will play a big role next to Alvin Kamara, and possibly in place of Kamara who may be facing a suspension.
Round 9, Pick 102 – Nico Collins (WR – HOU)
Nico Collins has yet to surpass 500 yards in either of his first two seasons, but he’s shown flashes of big potential. The Texans swapped out Brandin Cooks for Robert Woods, and although they will likely be adding a pass catcher in the draft, Collins will play a big role regardless.
Round 10, Pick 114 – Alexander Mattison (RB – MIN)
Alexander Mattison perfectly represents the running backs I like to add at this stage of the draft after deploying the anchor running back approach. Mattison is an ideal back to roster in best ball because he’s an elite handcuff who will certainly provide a few weeks of high-end production. There remains a decent chance that Dalvin Cook is traded or released; in which case this pick would pay off massively. He presents loads of upside, with a floor of some spiked weeks.
Round 11, Pick 126 – Evan Engram (TE – JAX)
After passing on the top-tier tight ends, I decided to wait it out. I chose the right time to snag one as four tight ends were selected in Round 12 after just one was drafted in Rounds 8-10. I was torn between Evan Engram and David Njoku, but I liked the idea of pairing Engram with Calvin Ridley. The main knock against Engram is his injury history, but he played in every game last season and posted a career-high 766 yards. There are a handful of other tight ends I like in the back end TE1 to TE2 range, so even if Engram misses some time, I’m confident that I can put a group together that will sustain success throughout the season.
Round 12, Pick 138 – Leonard Fournette (RB – FA)
I have four running backs on my roster that I like, but that’s not enough, especially with the risk surrounding that group. Leonard Fournette isn’t the safest option considering he’s currently without a team, but his upside is infinitely higher than the other running backs in this range. He will likely sign with an NFL team following the draft and could certainly be a big part of a timeshare.
Round 13, Pick 150 – Greg Dulcich (TE – DEN)
As I waited on tight end throughout the draft, I had my eye on Greg Dulcich. I feel good about grabbing him as my second tight end, as I believe he is being undervalued. If you’re unable to draft an elite tight end, it’s best to wait it out and stack a few late that can piece together big production. Dulcich finished last season third among tight ends in average depth of target with 10.6 and third in deep targets with 12. That’s a very positive sign for a rookie that he’s utilized downfield. Of course, he now gets a new coaching staff, but Sean Payton has a strong history of successful tight end usage.
Round 14, Pick 162 – Aaron Rodgers (QB – NYJ)
Mapping out the rest of my draft, I knew I wanted to take a third tight end and was debating if I could go with two quarterbacks or if I needed three. I decided to take Aaron Rodgers knowing that he’s likely to play a full slate of games, now that his arrival in New York is official. He doesn’t miss many games and I would expect the same in what could be his final season. We know what his upside is if things click, but I was really looking for a safe option behind Burrow so I could roll with two quarterbacks and use my remaining picks elsewhere.
Round 15, Pick 174 – Mecole Hardman Jr. (WR – NYJ)
Not only was Mecole Hardman the highest-ranked receiver on the board here, but since I just grabbed Rodgers, he makes a lot of sense for me. Hardman can provide spiked weeks and now will get an opportunity to be a part of a new system for a team that identified him as a target in free agency.
Round 16, Pick 186 – Tim Patrick (WR – DEN)
It looks like Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy will remain with the Broncos – for now. There’s a chance one or both of those two are moved during or after the NFL Draft, which would be a boon to Tim Patrick’s stock. Regardless, it’s clear that Sean Payton believes in the underrated Patrick and it gives me another mini wide receiver/tight end stack.
Round 17, Pick 198 – Khalil Shakir (WR – BUF)
The Bills let Jamison Crowder walk, and while Cole Beasley is still with the team, I believe the hope is that Khalil Shakir takes over the starting slot role for this team. In the two games that Shakir saw five targets, including the playoffs, he posted 75 yards and a score in one and 51 yards in the other. On top of that, the Bills don’t seem thrilled with the inconsistencies that Gabe Davis brings and Shakir can play the Z role. There’s a chance Shakir stays on the field in two wide receiver sets and slides into the slot in three wide receiver sets.
Round 18, Pick 210 – Trey McBride (TE – ARI)
I needed to take one more tight end here, and McBride provides as much upside as any TE2. Zach Ertz is still in the fold, but McBride came on strong late in the season while Ertz was on the mend. McBride was the TE11 in half PPR for the last five weeks of the season.
Roster:
QB Joe Burrow
RB Breece Hall
RB Rashaad Penny
WR Ja’Marr Chase
WR Tee Higgins
WR Amari Cooper
TE Evan Engram
FLEX Calvin Ridley
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RB Jamaal Williams
WR Nico Collins
RB Alexander Mattison
RB Leonard Fournette
TE Greg Dulcich
QB Aaron Rodgers
WR Mecole Hardman Jr
WR Tim Patrick
WR Khalil Shakir
TE Trey McBride
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