For the general public, a standard fantasy football league suffices. If you’re reading this article, you may have grown weary of normal leagues and would like to try something new. Crash Course, a Fantasy Football Universe series, delves into unique formats. So, let’s start with Ballistic Best: Unleashing Fantasy Fireworks in Ultimate Best Ball.
How Does it Work?
Best Ball is the fantasy football for lazy people and mass drafters. I’m sure there are home leagues out there that are the best ball format, but the vast majority are hardcore fantasy football players doing mass tournaments with multiple entries.
It’s essentially the same thing as a redraft league. A normal draft with normal rosters and scoring set to your league’s preference, the only difference is that once you are done with your draft you never have to set a lineup again.
A best-ball league sets your optimal lineup at the end of the week based on the results of that week. This means you will never have to agonize over those tough sit or start decisions again.
How is it different?
As I stated above, the only difference is the lineup setting. Instead of setting a lineup every week, the site automatically sets your optimal lineup leaving it as the best vs the best in each head-to-head matchup.
How does the Draft work?
The draft is no different from any standard redraft league. The teams, rosters, and scoring are subject to personal preference and are open to anything your league desires.
Best-ball drafts tend to have a few extra rounds as the name of the game is depth. The more players you have at each position, the better chance you have of getting a boom week at the position.
A look at the Rosters
Rosters are open to league preference, but a typical roster is between 18-20 players and usually features 10 starters with 8-10 bench spots. Again, the name of the game here is having enough depth to always give you a shot to go nuclear.
There are no taxi squads or anything fancy like that. Just a standard redraft roster with some extra shots at upside players.
How does the Waiver Wire work?
As always, the waiver wire settings are a matter of personal preference and vary depending on the league. It’s a redraft league, so typically there are plenty of options available on the waiver wire, but in this format, the benches are slightly larger, so the waiver wire is slightly leaner.
Some different versions of best-ball do not allow for waiver wire adds. It is important to review your settings in these leagues as your draft is even more critical.
How the scoring works
Again, scoring is not impacted by the league and can be done in any manner of your choosing. There is no wrong or right answer here, it’s all up to you and your league mates.
The Consensus Strategy
- Prioritize High Upside Players: This is an easy one to figure out. High-ceiling players matter far more than high-floor players. I don’t want the player who will consistently put up 10 points but offers a little more, I want the player who will bust from time to time but offers 25 25-point upside.
- Draft Youth over Age: This piggybacks on the previous strategy in some cases. We know exactly what to expect out of the older players, so in many cases, managers choose to draft the younger players in hopes of striking gold instead of a boring veteran.
My Strategy
- Prioritize Depth at Each Position: It’s best ball, so the more players you have at each position, the more chances you have of a great result. There are times when you will have a stud quarterback and won’t need much of a backup plan, but at receiver especially, a myriad of options can be beneficial.
- Watch Bye Weeks: This almost goes without saying, but you need a backup at every position to prevent a 0 at a position on bye weeks. This unfortunately means you are going to have backups at positions you wouldn’t normally have them at.
In Closing
This format is tailor-made for mass drafters and managers who are sick of the stress of weekly lineup decisions. You essentially draft the squad and forget about it.
This format may be appealing to many, but it’s not for everyone. I tend to forget about my best ball teams as the lack of action and excitement leads me to check out and go AFK.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Crash Course Series. Have a look at the 2024 Fantasy Football Universe Auction League draft stream or take a look at the draft board on Sleeper.
