It’s never too early in the fantasy football season to start drafting best ball teams. No, really, you can start as early as February for the following season. It’s one of the best ways to prepare for your upcoming fantasy football leagues.
With real money on the line, best ball contests often bring sharper competition than a standard fantasy football mock draft. Best-ball formats can serve as an early blueprint for average draft position (ADP) movement and player values ahead of redraft season.
Let’s take a look at a Best Ball Mania VII draft I completed on Underdog and break down the best values in each round based on ADP.
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Fantasy Football Best Ball Draft Values & Picks to Target
1.10: Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND) | ADP: 6.8
It’s hard not to view Jonathan Taylor as the biggest value in round one. In two seasons under Shane Steichen, Taylor has averaged 313 carries. In both of those seasons, he has ranked in the top five in half-PPR fantasy points per game.
That kind of workload makes Taylor an ideal anchor running back at the back end of the first round.
2.08: Derrick Henry (RB – BAL) | ADP: 17.4
I gave up years ago on predicting the age cliff on Derrick Henry. He continues to produce as an RB1 at age 32, even after handling over 300 carries.
The offense should continue to run through Henry, after he averaged 5.2 yards per carry and ranked second in rushing yards per game (93.8). He’s a safe-floor pick that brings stability to your roster early in the draft.
3.11: Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – NO) | ADP: 31.2
There’s some risk here with Travis Etienne now in New Orleans and Alvin Kamara still lingering around on the depth chart. That said, Etienne is the 16th running back to come off the board, and the Saints paid him $28 million in guarantees.
Etienne has proven he can carry a full workload, running for just over 1,100 yards last season and scoring five times in the red zone.
For comparison, Saints running backs combined for only two rushing touchdowns from inside the 20-yard line, per the Fantasy Points data suite.
4.02: Tee Higgins (WR – CIN)| ADP: 35.6
I absolutely love getting Tee Higgins in a best-ball tournament because of his volatility. Any given week, he can erupt for 20+ fantasy points.
These are the types of high-ceiling players you want in this format for the spike weeks. Zay Flowers, who went four picks earlier, offers similar weekly upside.
I would rather be attached to Joe Burrow and Cincinnati’s pass-heavy offense than Lamar Jackson and Baltimore’s run-heavy scheme.
5.05: Mike Evans (WR – SF) | ADP: 45.3
Age and a new offense may be concerns, but the only thing slowing Mike Evans down is injury. No one should be surprised if he pushes for another 1,000-yard season with double-digit touchdowns in 2026.
Evans fell about eight spots from his ADP, making him worth the pick here, even entering his age-33 season. He remains a target monster near the goal line, ranking in the top five in end-zone targets in both 2023 and 2024.
With George Kittle recovering from an Achilles tear and Jauan Jennings now in Minnesota after leading the 49ers in end-zone targets last season, Evans could immediately become a weapon near the goal line.
6.03: Quinshon Judkins (RB – CLE) | ADP: 56
It’s hard to argue taking a running back like Quinshon Judkins here, who handled an insane 66.1% of the team’s rushing attempts. He averaged just over 16 carries per game last season.
On those attempts, Judkins was nearly impossible to take down, averaging 3.20 yards after contact per attempt, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He’s the type of running back Zero RB drafters should target when he falls into the sixth round.
7.03: Joe Burrow (QB – CIN) | ADP: 63.5
This drafter secured a whole round of value and was able to pair Joe Burrow with Ja’Marr Chase. Although he missed time last season with turf toe, Burrow is an elite quarterback capable of massive spike weeks.
After returning in Week 13, Burrow scored over 20 fantasy points four times and scored the third-most fantasy points per game among quarterbacks from Weeks 13-18.
Getting a player with top-five weekly upside at the position in the seventh round is theft.
8.10: Chris Godwin (WR – TB) | ADP: 88.7
Chris Godwin is already a value, and he slipped even further at 94th overall. With Mike Evans‘ departure to San Francisco, there’s even more room for volume. Godwin should be the frontrunner to lead this team in receptions out of the slot.
When he returned from injury in Week 12, with Emeka Egbuka also on the field for those final seven games, Godwin caught nine more passes and averaged 44 yards per game compared to Egbuka’s 31.6.
9.09: Josh Downs (WR – IND) | ADP: 99.3
I get that Alec Pierce got the big contract and Michael Pittman Jr. was shipped off to Pittsburgh, but does that automatically mean Pierce is the alpha in the offense?
I don’t see Tyler Warren taking a backseat after earning 106 targets last season. Josh Downs had the same number of targets as Pierce (84) and had more catches as well, 58 to 47.
Pierce was more efficient, but that doesn’t warrant his value being two rounds earlier. I like the discount here.
10.03: Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL) | ADP: 103.4
I know Kyle Pitts has had an up-and-down career, but he did finish as the TE2 in fantasy points last season. He now plays for Kevin Stefanski, who utilizes the tight end in his offense.
In 2024, David Njoku finished fifth in half-PPR fantasy points per game, and Harold Fannin Jr. was eighth this past season. Even with Drake London being a focal point of the offense, Pitts can still return value in the 10th round.
11.03: Kenneth Gainwell (RB – TB) | ADP: 117.6
According to the Fantasy Points data suite, Baker Mayfield ranked in the top five in pass attempts behind the line of scrimmage in each of the last two seasons. This sets up another useful receiving role for Kenneth Gainwell, who caught 73 passes for the Steelers last season.
If the Buccaneers want to preserve Bucky Irving, who missed seven games due to shoulder and foot injuries, Gainwell could offer sneaky rushing appeal.
Granted, it came in a small sample of just over 100 rushing attempts, but Gainwell averaged 4.7 yards per carry and posted 3.18 yards after contact per attempt, according to PFF.
That makes Gainwell an intriguing pick at this stage of the draft.
12.05: Jake Ferguson (TE – DAL) | ADP: 124.3
With CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, Jake Ferguson likely won’t command a massive target share. However, he can still get it done, especially near the red zone.
From Week 7 on, when Lamb returned from a high-ankle sprain, Ferguson was the TE3 in targets from inside the 20-yard line, per the Fantasy Points data suite.
The attention Lamb and Pickens demand on the outside should continue to create scoring opportunities near the goal line. At just over a full round past his ADP, Ferguson makes sense as a late-round tight end tied to a high-scoring offense.
13.05: Jauan Jennings (WR – MIN) | ADP: 146.9
This was a tough round, with little value to go around. Jauan Jennings at 149 overall could still outperform his ADP after signing a one-year “prove it” deal with Minnesota.
With defenses locked in on Justin Jefferson, Jennings has a path to carve out a role in 3-WR sets. He’s an inexpensive bet on an offense that should improve from last year under J.J. McCarthy.
14.01: De’Zhaun Stribling (WR – SF) | ADP: 164.1
I had to get a little creative in this round, as many players were selected ahead of their ADP. Even though De’Zhaun Stribling went seven spots ahead of consensus, the upside is worth chasing here.
Stribling is a boom-or-bust dart throw, but with Jauan Jennings out of the picture and Ricky Pearsall struggling to stay healthy, Stribling could step in as a field-stretcher in this offense.
The rookie’s 4.36 speed gives San Francisco another deep threat option to create explosive plays after the catch.
15.08: Calvin Ridley (WR – TEN) | ADP: 175.7
We’re only one year removed from Calvin Ridley’s 1,000-yard campaign. He dealt with a hamstring injury early before suffering a season-ending broken fibula in Week 11.
The Titans added Wan’Dale Robinson in free agency and drafted Carnell Tate in the first round, but Ridley remains the more proven wide receiver. This makes him a reasonable late-round bet as a discounted bounce-back candidate.
16.02: Kaytron Allen (RB – WSH) | ADP: 189.7
With seven rookies going in this round, I decided the best value was the one with the best opportunity for volume. Kaytron Allen still has to compete with Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White and the rest of Washington’s backfield.
Allen gives the Commanders something different as a downhill runner who topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his final two seasons at Penn State. This type of profile gives him a real chance at early-down work and immediate goal-line touches.
17.05: Gunnar Helm (TE – TEN) | ADP: 181.2
Even though the Titans signed Daniel Bellinger in free agency, Gunnar Helm is expected to get first crack as the starter. He showed some potential late in the year with Chig Okonkwo involved.
From Weeks 12-17, among tight ends with 75 routes, per the Fantasy Points data suite, Helm ranked fourth in targets per route run, 19th in targets and 18th in receptions. He’s worth the roll of the dice at pick 197 with Brian Daboll calling plays.
18.04: Malachi Fields (WR – NYG) | ADP: 210
Even at cost, Malachi Fields makes sense at 208 overall if Malik Nabers opens the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Fields has the profile to be a possession receiver. With only Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney competing for targets, Fields could get off to a fast start if the Giants are shorthanded at receiver.
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