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Underdog Fantasy Best Ball Targets I Keep Drafting
I stumbled upon Underdog Best Ball drafts last summer and instantly was hooked. Best Ball leagues are a blast because they eliminate one of the hardest parts of fantasy, setting a lineup. Additionally, it maximizes my favorite part of fantasy… drafting! (cue the fireworks and marching band)
Since the Super Bowl ended I have been participating in Underdog Best Ball slow drafts, multiple hours to make your pick, and have completed several. If you’re unfamiliar (try it!), the leagues are .5 ppr and lineups are: 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, and 1Flex. With these drafts under my belt, I have some takes about guys I continually end up drafting (12 person leagues). These players fall into a couple categories: guys I’m planting my flag on, dudes who are falling way too far, or players I think have a bounceback or breakout season upcoming. That’s enough of a preamble, let’s get to the fun part!
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Rounds 1-3
In these rounds I’m looking “not to lose the league” to steal a term from the Talented Mr. Roto. I want premier options for their teams who are low-risk players. I’d prefer to have 2 RBs and 1WR (started one with Jonathon Taylor, Saquon Barkley, and Nuk Hopkins), but I believe a key principle of Best Ball is letting the draft fall to you. I have begun a draft starting with 3 straight RBs (Austin Ekeler, Nick Chubb, and Antonio Gibson), and another with 4 WRs in my first 5 picks (Justin Jefferson, AJ Brown, Nuk Hopkins, David Montgomery, and Michael Thomas). All of that is to say, it’s great to have a plan but be adaptable. These are the guys in the top 36 picks I keep selecting.
Austin Ekeler RB, LAC. My average selection: pick 5, 1st round, 3 shares
- I really like Ekeler, took him in most my drafts last year. Dude catches passes as well as any RB, 70+ catches and 8 receiving TDs 2 of last 3 years. He’s the clear workhorse back in a high powered offense (thank you Based Herbert) averaging 17 touches/game last year. Oh, and he scored a couple TDs last year… 18!! Haters will tell you that will regress, and maybe it will. But if you’ve seen Ekeler’s IG, I wouldn’t bet on him getting complacent.
Justin Jefferson WR, MIN. My average selection: pick 8, 1st round, 3 shares
- He’s WR1 folks, just accept it. I’ve seen Kupp and Chase go ahead of him in many drafts. Have at it, I’ll ride or die with JJ. There’s a new OC, Thielen is aging, and JJ is surging. This year could easily be his best year and that’s really saying something. He increased his catches by 20 (108), yards by 216 (1616), and TDs by 3 (10), off what is arguably the best rookie WR season and should’ve been Rookie of the Year. Don’t overthink it early, he’s #good
Alvin Kamara RB, NO. My average selection: pick 17, 2nd round, 3 shares
- Kamara has been in the pros for 5 years. His worst .5ppr finish? RB9. I’m getting him at 2.05? Sign me up. Like Ekeler, he’s an absolute weapon in the passing game. Last year was the only season he didn’t catch 80+ passes, but NOLA’s offense was dumpster fire for stretches in 2021. The legal charges pending in Vegas and uncertainty at QB are definitely causing the dip and unfortunately have merit. That said, I’m buying the dip with AK because he’s been arguably the safest bet in fantasy the last 5 years. He’s my favorite RB to pair with a first round WR.
DeAndre “Nuk” Hopkins WR, ARI. My average selection: 28, 3rd round, 2 shares
- Nuk has been a fantasy favorite of mine for forever. He might have been the poster child for “QB-proof” before he got to play with Watson and Kyler. Nuk has been a top 4 WR in 4 of the last 6 years. The years he didn’t? Brock Osweiler and Tom Savage combined for 3418 yds and 15 TDs. The other time Nuk missed most of 8 games, and was banged up all season, playing 90+% of snaps 4 times. He played 90+% of the snaps 13 times in 2020. 14 times in 2019. Simply I’m grabbing the discount on a guy that if he finished WR1, you’d nod and say that makes sense.
Antonio Gibson RB, WAS. My average selection: 30, 3rd round. 2 shares
- Gibby has finished as RB13 and RB12 in his first 2 years. The RB depth takes a tailspin after him for rounds 5+. He is a great value in round 3, especially when you consider how the opportunity diminishes with RBs taken after him. He has scored #DoubleDigiesTDs both years, increased his rush yards by 242 (1037), catches by 6 (42), and fantasy points by 24 (208). Say what you will about Wentz (dude sprained BOTH ankles somehow), but he’s probably the best QB Gibby has played with. This offense should be more efficient in 2022, and that helps Gibby.
Rounds 4-9
In these rounds I’m looking to add the best player available, regardless of position. Now I start to consider QB and TE, and my only *slight* lean is toward RB early, with rounds 4 or 5. In my opinion, WRs and your QB wins Best Ball. Starting 3 WRs makes depth so important, and you really want to build it in these rounds. Then, only starting 1 QB makes having a “difference maker” at the position huge. Everyone will have a decent option at QB, but if you’re getting 25 points at QB per week, you’ll gain such advantage for the full season. Onto the players I keep drafting during picks 37-108.
Travis Etienne RB, JAX. My average selection: 42, 4th round. 4 shares
- Etienne is a guy I’ve believed in for years, and I hate he had a preseason injury (Lisfranc injury in mid-August). Although, as he said, “If there was any year to miss, I missed a great one”. This isn’t the coaching staff that selected him in the 1st round of the 2021 draft, but the GM is still there. Regardless, he’s the most prolific RB in ACC history, has plus speed, and has incredible contact balance. Etienne had 1736, 2046, and 1502 scrimmage yards his last 3 years, while catching 37 and 48 passes his last 2 years. By the way, his college QB happens to be his NFL QB too. James Robinson tore his achilles on Dec. 26, so his return to action in 2022 is murky at best. Etienne has legit top 12 RB upside, and getting him this late is a steal.
Amon-Ra (Sun God) St. Brown WR, DET. My average selection 51, 5th round. 4 shares
- If you rostered the Sun God last year down the stretch, I’m guessing you’re right behind me on this call. What he did the last 6 games was historic for a rookie WR. He averaged per game: 11.2 targets, 8.5 catches, 93.3 yds, and 1 TD. Additionally, he was over 60 yards 3 times before that. I think the fantasy community is massively underrating what he accomplished last year. He’s the volume king in that offense.
Kyler Murray QB, ARI. My average selection 56, 5th round. 2 shares
- In Kyler’s 3 seasons, his worst finish is QB10. However, if you rostered him the last 2 years you know injuries have slowed him down the last 2 second halves of the season. When healthy, he’s arguably QB1 and a week-winner with his rushing upside. Last year Nuk was hurt and he missed a couple games, and he still finished QB10. He’s the last of the top tier QBs I want and you can draft him at a discount.
Darnell Mooney WR, CHI. My average selection 67, 6th round. 4 shares
- Mooney had 80 catches and over 1k yards last year in a very dysfunctional offense. Now he has a new coaching staff, year 2 of Fields, Allen Robinson is gone, and no pass catchers the Bears have added should threaten Mooney. Nabbing a WR who can finish top 25 in the 6th is a steal. Especially one who’s the clear 1 and has a blossoming QB (more on that later).
Dallas Goedert TE, PHI. My average selection 73, 7th round. 4 shares
- Goedert finally broke out with over 800 yards in 2021. Now that Zach Ertz is gone, Goedert has no one to worry about taking his snaps. I’m far from a believer in Jalen Hurts, but I think even he can’t miss a 6’5” freak storming over the middle. In my opinion he is the most talented pass catcher in Philly, and that’s exactly the type of player I’m looking to add.
Justin Fields QB, CHI. My average selection 100, 9th round. 4 shares
- I should probably reveal my bias because he is my favorite player in the NFL. Watch his tape at OSU and you’ll notice how much he improved as he got experience. I anticipate the same growth at the pro level. He has a new coaching staff this year and what should be an improved offensive line. Waiting on QB in 1QB leagues usually ends up paying off, and I think he’s a great bet. He has legit rushing upside and showed he can produce fantasy points. He scored 17+ in his last 4 starts he finished.
Rounds 10+
In these final rounds I’m looking to take big swings. This is where I’ll draft rookies, players coming back from injuries, breakout candidates… you get the idea. Swinging and missing this late in the draft won’t kill you at all, so why not go big? Additionally, this is where I fix my QB or TE depth depending how early I took one. If I was able to grab Josh Allen or Kyler Murray, I typically only draft one more QB late. However, if I took Fields as my first QB, I’m looking to draft 3-4 QBs. It’s all about how the draft falls to you.
Kenny Golladay WR, NYG. My average selection 116, 10th round. 5 shares
- Kenny G is great best ball player because you don’t have to sweat his boom/bust nature. I’m far from a fan of Danny Dimes, but I do like Brian Daboll as head coach. This is a lottery ticket type of choice because year 1 with the New York Football Giants was ass. I’m banking on the upside, and at this cost? I think I’ll end up celebrating his good weeks and shrugging off his bad weeks. He’s a great add later in best ball drafts to bolster WR depth.
Khalil Herbert RB, CHI. My average selection 143, 12th round. 4 shares
- Khalil Herbert is a great low-risk add at RB. If David Montgomery misses time, like he did in 2021, Herbert showed he can produce given the opportunity (70+ yards 4 times). The opportunity is exactly why I’m interested. The new offensive coordinator comes from a RB by committee approach, and I anticipate more usage for Herbert. More than that baseline increase in usage, David Montgomery is entering the final year of his contract. A new coaching staff could be looking for a replacement and Herbert showed last year he can ball.
Allen Lazard WR, GB. My average selection 170, 15th round. 3 shares
- The Lizard King really showed out down the stretch in 2021, scoring 17.9, 12.8, 16.2, and 22 in 4 of his last 5 games. Now that Davante Adams is gone, the alpha role in GB is up for grabs. Based off A-Aron’s previous nature, it takes a minute for a WR to earn his trust. So the WR GB takes early in the upcoming 2022 Draft, in theory shouldn’t be a major threat to Lazard. And even if he is, in the 15th round? Why not take that risk. I’d wager on Rodgers producing despite Adams leaving for his college BFF.
Jerome Ford RB, N/A. My average selection 227, 19th round. 4 shares
- Jerome Ford is a RB I love drafting because he can be a 3-down RB. He was arguably Cincy’s best option in 2021 and that was a loaded offense. I anticipate him going day 3 in the NFL draft, but that’s not a death sentence for RBs. Grabbing backup RBs is smart in the later rounds because RB tends to be the most injury-riddled position. You have to grab a bunch of them to keep getting points from the RB slots you have to roster late in the season.
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