I draft a few best ball teams early in the off-season to get a feel for trends in ADP, and they are a fun, no-maintenance variation on more traditional leagues. If you haven’t looked into this type of league before, it could not be simpler – draft your team and get on with your day, as the site will automatically use your best possible score each week. The key here is to choose as many explosive players as possible, guys that can post 20+ point games rather than a steady 10-12 points each week.

You do need some consistency from your roster of course, but you can go hard or go home since you don’t have to decide on who should start. It’s not that uncommon to have your highest scoring player on your bench more than once in a season in traditional leagues, so best ball eliminates that stress from your life. Everybody wants a deal of course, so let’s look at some potential undervalued players for this format.

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Quarterback

Daniel Jones (NYG): ECR QB18
Jones had really striking best ball stats last year: seven games under 20 fantasy points and four games over 36 (two over 41). Those four games might all have been enough for top score in your league, and he might not be drafted in the top-12 quarterbacks next year. He has a stud running back to keep defenses honest and some pretty solid weapons around him now. If you can snag him as your second QB, feel free to nod shrewdly.

Running Back

David Montgomery (CHI): ECR RB25
Montgomery was a pretty big bust last year, but he did post three games of more than 20 points. There is almost nowhere to go but up for the Bears offense, and I can still see Montgomery becoming a solid number-two running back in most formats. Other than Allen Robinson, the Bears may be a hot-and-cold team this year, but that could drive Montgomery’s ADP pretty low.

Kareem Hunt (CLE): ECR RB26
Hunt is a real roll of the dice at this point. With another brush with the law in the off-season, it remains to be seen if he’ll face any more discipline from the league. It is also not a given that he remains in Cleveland, and that is what I’m counting on with this recommendation. If he can keep his head on straight and land a starting gig somewhere, he is a supremely talented running back and can put up monster numbers any given week.

Wide Receiver

John Ross (CIN): ECR WR55
Ross exploded early last season with 56 points in his first two weeks. Injuries have derailed his career to date, but if he can somehow stay on the field, he may have Joe Burrow throwing him open next season. He returned for the final four weeks of the season, and while he didn’t produce much offense, it was good to see him knock the rust off and hopefully take some momentum into next year. Another factor is whether A.J. Green is drawing coverage on the other side of the field, but Ross has world-class speed, and that is one of the top traits I look for in best ball.

Mecole Hardman (KC): ECR WR56
Hardman is similar player to Ross in speed and stature. While he had eight games with less than four points, Hardman did post 12 or more points in four contests. I look for him to make a big leap in 2020, and I think the Chiefs would be foolish to not feature him going forward. Sammy Watkins muttered the “R” word, and Tyreek Hill is an off-field concern, so Hardman could be an integral part of this amazing Chiefs offense sooner than most are expecting.

Jalen Hurd (SF): ECR WR90
Another roll of the dice here with a guy Kyle Shanahan described as a weapon. With Dante Pettis scratched for the Super Bowl and Emmanuel Sanders a free agent, Hurd has an amazing opportunity to nail down a starting spot opposite the impressive Deebo Samuel. There was talk of having Hurd also line up at tight end and running back, so he could be a breakout candidate next year. With Shanahan and his diverse game plans, Hurd could be featured any given week making him an excellent best ball prospect.

Tight End

Gerald Everett (LAR): ECR TE28
Tyler Higbee was one of the hottest tight ends towards the end of last season, averaging almost 20 points per game in the last five weeks. While many will focus on that stat, keep in mind that before he was injured, Everett was becoming the go-to tight end on the Rams. He had outscored Higbee by a comfortable margin after five weeks but dropped off a cliff with a late-season injury and only a handful of snaps when he returned. Sean McVay may be able to utilize both of his weapons going forward, and picking up Everett as your second or third tight end late in your draft could be of great value.

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Sheldon Curtis is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sheldon, check out his archive and follow him @sheldon_curtis.