Primetime for fantasy football drafts won’t hit for a few weeks, but many players have been drafting—and drafting a lot—over the past several weeks and months. Best ball fantasy football has gained in popularity over the past few years. If you’ve heard people talking about having “shares” of players this season, chances are they play best ball.

 

What is best ball?

Best ball is pretty simple. You just draft your team, and the lineup is determined automatically (taking the highest scorers from your team each week). There are no in-season decisions.

 

So you don’t set lineups?

No. The best scorers from your team each week are the players that you will get points from for your lineup.

 

How do drafts work?

It depends on where you play and what the league settings are, but there are typically either slow drafts or fast drafts. Slow drafts mean you can go days between picks as you wait for others to make selections. Fast drafts work more like the standard fantasy drafts millions know and love.

 

What about strategy?

The strategy ends after the draft. All you do is draft your team and then let the season ride out. That said, the strategy comes in during the drafts, as you’ll ideally target some high-upside guys; going after boom/bust players is a common strategy in best ball. Also, you might want to target rookies or young players you feel will have their roles increase as a season progresses (like a Trey Lance this season, for example).

 

Can you pick up players during the season?

No. All you do is draft your team. This is why it’s not a bad idea to draft some players you believe might emerge during a season even if they don’t have a big role heading into September.

 

Is this fun?

Personally, I can’t say that it’s as fun as playing in a traditional league with your friends or colleagues, but people play it. Many are in it for the tournaments and prizes, assuming you are not playing in a free best ball league with friends.