Entering 2019, there are now more sites than ever that are offering bestball leagues to join. Between league size, payout structure, roster construction, etc. there’s a bestball league to fit almost any user’s need and style of play.
In this article, we’ll go over the more popular sites identifying key elements that differentiate them as well as the strategy that goes behind winning them.
For those that aren’t familiar with the bestball setup, check out our introduction on the topic.
Bestball10/MFL10
Key Elements:
- 20 rounds
- 60-second fast drafts, 2-hour slow drafts, 4-hour slow drafts, and 8-hour slow drafts are available
- League sizes are available in 12-person leagues
- Includes DST, No Kickers
- Full PPR
- Starting Roster: |1 QB|2 RB|3 WR|1 TE|1 FLEX|1 DST|
- Rake: 12.5%
Strategy: The former “MFL10’s” have now been rebranded by Fanball as “Bestball10’s”. For those that have been playing in bestball leagues for some time now, this is likely where you got your start. This 20-round setup has two formats that are in play. Users can opt to compete in a 2x competition where half the field wins twice their entry fee, a top-3 with tiered payouts for the top-three placing teams, or they can compete for traditional winner-takes-all setup where the winner gets 10x their entry fee.
To take down the classic 10x competitions, drafters should adhere to strict roster construction guidelines in order to best maximize your chances of winning. Running back and wide receivers should take up the majority of the first half of your drafts. That being said, addressing the tight end position early has proven to be a winning strategy, but don’t reach far beyond ADP and leave value on the board. With scoring optimization taking place, we don’t necessarily need the top-shelf quarterbacks to win these leagues. We can prioritize the RB/WR position that we know are in line for volume and address the quarterback position with the Late Round Quarterback method in mind. Piecing together two or three late quarterbacks (depending on how early you start taking the position) can get us by with baseline production. I prefer to select two mid-range quarterbacks, leaving me with three tight ends and three DST units. The 2 QB, 5 RB, 7 WR, 3 TE, 3 DST grouping has a historic win rate of 9.6% (well above the baseline of 8.3%). Stacking can also be an effective tool, providing your team nearly twice the points when a quarterback and receiver reach the end zone.
FFPC
Key Elements:
- 28 rounds
- 90-second fast drafts and 8-hour slow drafts are available
- League sizes are available in 12-person leagues
- Includes DST and Kickers
- Full PPR
- TE Premium scoring (1.5 PPR)
- Starting Roster: |1 QB|2 RB|2 WR|1 TE|2 FLEX|1 K|1 DST|
- Rake: Varies
Strategy: I’m an aggressive drafter when it comes to the TE Premium scoring allowed in FFPC leagues. I want to grab two of the top-10 tight ends in the league. Not only does it potentially fit a TE as one of my flex plays, but it also takes another top TE out of the player pool for my opponents to select.
I also want to leave my drafts with at least three kickers and three DST units. The volatile nature of DST scoring (as previously discussed) makes me want as many dart throws at random defensive touchdowns as possible. The Kicker position is one that’s a bit easier for us to project on a week-to-week basis than over the course of the full season. Three of them helps balance this issue with the intent at least one kicker finds themselves in a high-scoring affair each week.
The deep benches in the FFPC format makes them a more entertaining challenge, testing your depth chart knowledge. There’s a lot that can happen over the course of 28 rounds to throw you off your game, but keeping to a regimented roster construction can help keep you on the straight and narrow. In this league ideally we’re looking for 3 QB, 7-9 RB, 7-9 WR, 3-4 TE, 3 K, and 3 DST. Like the Bestball10 format, we want to aggressively target known commodities with volume. A few rookie dart throws are okay, but don’t overload your team with inexperienced youth.
DRAFT
Key Elements:
- 18 rounds
- 30-second fast drafts and 8-hour slow drafts are available
- League sizes vary from 3-person, 4-person, 6-person, 10-person, and 12-person leagues
- No DST or Kickers
- 1/2 PPR
- Starting Roster: |1 QB|2 RB|3 WR|1 TE|1 FLEX|
- Rake: 10% for all contests
Strategy: DRAFT’s mobile app has made it one of the biggest rising stars in the bestball community. Helping it’s cause even further is the low rake (10%) combined with the payouts going to the top-four finishers. DRAFT also removes the DST and Kicker positions, letting us focus solely on the offensive positions.
Roster construction in this format varies depending on early player selection, but if you find yourself with two capable tight ends in the early rounds, a 2 QB, 6 RB, 8 WR, 2 TE structure can exceed a 9.0% win rate. By selecting two quarterbacks and two tight ends, you can load up on multiple dart throws at the wide receiver position, specifically those of the boom/bust nature.
*Bonus*: DRAFT is also sponsoring a $3.5M Best Ball Championship where the overall winner takes down a cool $1,000,000 top prize. This is a 12-team, 30-second fast draft with a $25 entry fee (150-max entries). The league is set up for the first 11 weeks of the season for you to defeat your league before advancing to a shrinking series of playoff rounds. Advance through each round up to Week 16, where the final 27 teams duke it out for the rights to take home the top prize.
This is a challenging tournament where you not only need to win your league, but you also need to run hot during the “fantasy playoffs” with a squad consistently able to advance to the next round. Stacking high-scoring offenses has been my primary objective so far in these drafts. Another contrarian move that could be a high-risk/high-reward play is to hammer home the tight end position early taking two of the top-three tight ends. With how much of a gap there was in fantasy scoring last year between the Tier 1 of tight ends and everyone else, this could turn into a massive advantage.
