Josh Shepardson | Sat, Apr 20th 2024, 6:39am EDT

Fantasy Football Best Ball Draft Advice: Targets & Most Rostered Players (2024)

I’ve been grinding in the Underdog best ball streets since February. As a result, I have 53 best ball drafts under my belt. I’ve selected 20 teams in Underdog’s $10 buy-in “The Big Board,” 20 in their $3 buy-in “The Little Board” and 13 in the $3 “The Little Board 2.”

Since the stakes for those contests are small, I was willing to select some players at irresponsible rates. For instance, some of my highest-exposure players are on over 30% of my rosters. I wouldn’t draft players at those rates in higher-stakes contests. Instead, I’d cap my exposure in the 20-25% range for my most frequently picked players.

Still, the following tables feature my most-rostered players at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end. Unsurprisingly, I’ve written about many of those players throughout the offseason, and I’m putting my money where my mouth is.

This piece will showcase the players I’m most interested in rostering and demonstrate my emphasis on stacking. Yet, arguably, the most important nugget from the following analysis is the importance of selecting rookie running backs and wide receivers early to soak up value before their average draft position (ADP) skyrockets.

Most-Rostered Best Ball Players (April 2024)

Quarterbacks

Kyler Murray, Josh Allen and Anthony Richardson are dual-threat quarterbacks with massive weekly ceilings because of their legs and arms. I analyzed Murray as a QB2 with top-five quarterback potential in early February, and his ADP has climbed from 92.0 (QB13) to 86.2 (QB10).

I also gushed about Richardson and fellow most-rostered quarterback Jordan Love in early March, declaring them must-have quarterbacks. Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy are attached to high-end pass-catching weapons, and they make sense to pick for gamers who've already picked one or more of their stud teammates.

Running Backs

I analyzed James Cook, Chase Brown and Aaron Jones as must-have running backs in early February. I'm still enamored with Cook and Brown, and the former's roster percentage was also inflated by Allen's high roster percentage. The Bengals have since traded Joe Mixon and replaced him with Zack Moss. There's wiggle room for Brown to carve out a substantial role in Cincinnati's backfield and possibly claim the lead-back role by the end of the season. Unfortunately, the Packers released Jones after they made a splashy signing of Josh Jacobs, and Jones is no longer as appealing in Minnesota.

I discussed James Conner and Ty Chandler as RB3s with RB1 potential in mid-February. Conner is still an exciting choice, and his ADP has risen from 84.2 to 76.6. Sadly, Chandler isn't as intriguing since Jones is atop the Vikings' depth chart.

Jaylen Wright and MarShawn Lloyd are noteworthy players on the table because they're rookie running backs. As the following table featuring all the rookie running backs I've selected more than once will illustrate, savvy gamers can soak up massive closing-line value (the difference between your ADP and the final ADP when that contest closes). My ADP data was captured using FantasyLife's best ball tool, but the current ADP they're providing is wonky and appears to be from last year's best ball contests. Nevertheless, the April 19 ADP was pulled from Underdog.

Only three of the nine rookie running backs I've drafted more than once were picked later than my ADP. Conversely, my ADP for Jonathon Brooks and Wright are screaming values compared to their current ADP. Digging into NFL Draft coverage and getting ahead of a prospect like Wright's elite NFL Draft Combine testing is a significant edge in pre-NFL Draft best ball.

Wide Receivers

Khalil Shakir, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks are attached to two of my most-rostered quarterbacks, making them appealing stacking picks. However, they all have standalone value. In early March, I discussed Shakir, Jayden Reed and Charlie Jones -- another wideout on the most-rostered table -- as must-have wideouts.

I highlighted Wicks and Nico Collins as undervalued wide receivers in late February. Collins will now face competition for targets from Stefon Diggs, but the veteran wideout struggled for the Bills down the stretch. Collins is still my favorite wideout in Houston's talented wide receiver room. I also made the case for Watson as a WR3 with WR1 potential.

The rookies are the headliners on the most-rostered wide receivers table. The biggest closing-line value edge in pre-NFL Draft best ball drafts is picking rookie wideouts with the potential to be picked in the top 100 of the NFL Draft early in the best ball cycle. They will be chosen earlier as best ball drafts gain steam closer to the NFL Draft. I've witnessed the same thing occur in previous seasons. So, the rookie wide receiver fever isn't anecdotal. Still, the following table is the best illustration of the phenomenon. The rookie wide receivers had to be on over 10% of my rosters to qualify for the table.

Unfortunately, FantasyLife's best ball tool didn't include Marvin Harrison or Brian Thomas in my results. I haven't picked Harrison on more than 10% of my rosters, but Thomas would have qualified for the table. His current ADP is 66.8, but I snagged my first piece of him in "The Big Board" at 77 and in "The Little Board" at 81. Thus, Thomas would have been another example of a rookie wide receiver with an earlier ADP at the beginning of the best ball season. The ADP gap for the others on the table speaks for itself.

Tight Ends

Trey McBride, Dalton Kincaid, Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft are teammates of three quarterbacks on the most-rostered quarterbacks table. Additionally, they're young, potentially ascending talents at tight end. McBride was a monster last year, prompting me to call him a must-have tight end.

Musgrave had an encouraging rookie season and is a top-shelf athlete, making him a sleeper to finish as a top-five fantasy tight end this season. Kincaid is a candidate, if not the favorite, to lead the Bills in targets this year after they traded Diggs to the Texans.

Best Ball Draft Strategy

Best Ball Draft Picks to Target

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.

NFL

MLB

NBA

NHL