Winning Non-Tourney Best Ball

I said at the end of our conversation with best ball that I would respond to a question about how to win your local league or a regular 12-team league, which you can find on most sites, even ones that don’t offer large tournaments (like FanDuel and Yahoo). These types of contests still have the best ball feel but are a lot more akin to your usual 12-team redraft leagues and DFS Double-Ups, where you don’t have to “aim as high” for the money.

Of course, you still want to finish first, but you’re ultimately playing against only 12 people, not thousands. So you don’t need as much to go right for you to bring home the win.

What Format Is Your League?

Just like any league, knowing the format is huge. PPR or Half? TE Premium? Superflex? 1QB? These are things you’ll need to know heading into your draft.

🗒️ But not only that, what is the league-wide schedule like? I’ve played on some platforms where it’s best ball, but you’re matched up against an opponent each week, including the playoffs. To be fair, this was a dynasty best ball league where we were allowed to make waiver pickups, and I’m going to be in a similar league this year as well. If I have access to waivers, I might not draft as aggressively, because I can potentially improve my roster during the season.

Or, are you just trying to get the highest score by the end of the season, without any weekly matchups? If I face weekly opponents, I may want a decent floor I can count on. If I’m just shooting for the highest score period, then I want to shoot for ceiling.

How Do You Draft?

In these types of leagues, I draft much like I would a normal redraft league. I’m not really looking at week 17 matchups or game stacking as much, because it doesn’t matter as much (Week 17 might not matter at all depending on the format).

However, grabbing stacks within division is fine because you get those game stacks and, by extension, you’re hoping that those games go off and give you a lot of points. I still like to stack my quarterback in this scenario, because if I believe in the offense, why wouldn’t I grab some pieces? 🧩 

Usually, I let the draft come to me to determine how I draft, rather than a preconceived strategy of “Zero RB no matter what” or “Heavy RB at all costs”. If the value is there, I’ll take it, within reason. If CJ Stroud falls past ADP and I already have Jalen Hurts, I will probably not draft Stroud.

So drafting in a 12-man league has its own approach. But it’s not one that is as intimidating as the large field tournaments. And that’s ok. Playing in a small field with friends, family, or coworkers is still a great way to get into best ball, especially without the stress of roster construction and the high-stakes. 💰️ 

One Final Note

Before I end this newsletter, I wanted to bring up one thing. One of the most highly anticipated events each year in the fantasy community is the Scott Fish Bowl. You can sign up for the event here. I must warn you, a lot of people sign up, and not everyone gets in. I was fortunate enough to be invited this year to what will be my third Scott Fish Bowl. I’ll be live drafting with a group of guys at one of the many live events being held around the country!

However, you can earn your way in while also donating to a charity Fantasy Cares (which buys presents for children at Christmastime and donates to hurricane relief, food banks, and many other causes). How?

Thank Underdog! 🐶 

It’s a great contest, gives you a best ball rush, donates to a great organization, and gives you the shot to participate in next year’s Scott Fish Bowl!

That’s all for now, look forward to seeing you all again next week! We’re going to switch our attention to redraft formats and get you prepped to dominate your fantasy leagues!