For those unfamiliar with best ball, it's fantasy football without waivers, trades or start/sit decisions. Don't worry about setting lineups — simply draft and forget because that is your finalized roster for the entire season.
However, best ball is still a weekly game, and the statistics for the highest-scoring players automatically accumulate points as designated starters, while the lowest-scoring players are automatically stored on the bench.
Below, you’ll find links to all of PFF's Best Ball content, from tiered rankings to projections to targetable stacks to favorable matchups, making this the only resource you'd ever need to wreak havoc across best ball formats all summer long.
Best Ball 101
A beginner's guide on optimal roster construction
Roster construction is the most important strategy to building a winning best ball team. There is an enormous edge in maximizing the strengths and weaknesses of each position group on your roster. Read more…
Optimal Stacking Strategy
Upside is the name of the game in best ball, and stacking offenses is the premier way to capture ceiling in fantasy football. Here are 10 optimal stacking strategies to know. Read more…
BEST BALL TIERED RANKINGS
Hartitz: 2021 Best Ball Tiered Rankings
I present to you my 2021 fantasy football tiers for best ball. The general scoring I had in mind was half-point PPR in typical one-QB, non-TE premium formats. Players in the tiers are listed in order of who I would prefer first; just realize their standing in the same group reflects the reality that I’m not overly confident in picking one over the other. Read more…
Erickson: 2021 Best Ball Tiered Rankings
Here, you’ll find my tiered rankings for QB, RB, WR and TE, with some insight on select tiers. Pair these tiered rankings with my best-ball rankings and wreak havoc across best-ball formats all summer long. Read more…
Jahnke: 2021 Best Ball Tiered Rankings
In preparation for the 2021 fantasy football season, here are my top 250 players for best ball. The players are broken into tiers so that it’s easy to see how many similar players at the same position can be found within the same tier; that way you can draft a player knowing which positions you should be able to get at a value in the upcoming rounds. The rankings are based on a 12-team league. Read more…
Evans: 2021 Best Ball Tiered Rankings
Below are my rankings tiers for QB, RB, WR and TE for the 2021 football season. Use these tiers to consistently draft the best player available and build a powerhouse championship roster. Read more…
Brown: 2021 Best Ball Tiered Rankings
Instead of ranking and sorting players for 2021 best ball leagues based on median projections, we should be seeking the right mixture of players throughout our roster — those that offer either the capability to explode on any given week or provide consistent lineup-filling performances. Read more…
Cole: 2021 Best Ball Tiered Rankings
Only a few players occupy the truly elite tiers heading into 2021 best ball drafts, but there is value to be had outside the game's top options. Read more…
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Team Best Ball Stacks
Best Ball Team Stacks to Target
The high-flying Baltimore Ravens offense has plenty of new receiving weapons for quarterback Lamar Jackson, making them one of the better best ball stacks ahead of the 2021 NFL season. Read more…
Overvalued best ball team stacks for the 2021 fantasy football season
Average draft position suggests the 49ers' expected run-heavy offense is being valued above a similar Baltimore Ravens unit, making San Francisco one overvalued team stack for the 2021 best ball season. Read more…
Grading all 32 Teams By Best Ball ADP
Best ball is all about team building and roster construction. Focusing your strategy on targeting players on specific NFL teams can be just as important, if not more important, than homing in on standalone players. That’s where optimal best ball stacking comes into play, and emphasizing the best NFL offenses on your roster is the ticket to winning a big best ball tournament. Read more…
Jahnke: Early look at 2021 fantasy football playoff matchups to target
The following players are lined up with excellent matchups once the 2021 fantasy playoffs hit. These were found using PFF's Strength of Schedule tool, which is already live for the 2021 season. Read more…
Playoff Matchups to Fade
Coming soon…
PLAYERS IN BEST BALL
Top fantasy football values in Best Ball rankings vs. ADP
Leveraging my tiered best ball rankings is a great way to start identifying value candidates, but I’ve taken it a step further by pinpointing a select few players who are screaming “buys” at their current price tags. Read more…
Top fantasy football fades in Best Ball rankings vs. ADP
PFF pinpoints a select few players who are screaming “fade” at their current price tags in best ball drafts, starting with Baltimore Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins and Philadelphia Eagles RB Miles Sanders. Read more…
Misvalued quarterbacks in best ball drafts according to PFF's fantasy football projections
The PFF projections agree with Underdog ADP at the top of quarterback rankings, slotting Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen at the top two spots. Our projections are lower on Kyler Murray, projecting him at QB7 versus an ADP of QB3. The divergence on Murray is likely due to a lower assumption for rushing share and lower efficiency passing the ball. Our projections assume that Murray’s team rushing share of around 20% last season is unsustainably high, and he hasn’t stepped forward as much as a passer as some assume. Read more…
Misvalued wide receivers in best ball drafts according to PFF's fantasy football projections
Our projections see Michael Thomas, Keenan Allen and Allen Robinson II closer to WR20 than their current top-10 ADPs. Thomas is facing uncertainty at quarterback, optimism on Allen is tied heavily to rosy assumptions for Justin Herbert and Robinson will likely play a significant portion of his season with rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Read more…
Misvalued running backs in best ball drafts according to PFF's fantasy football projections
Aaron Jones looks undervalued in best ball drafts compared to our projections. We see Jones handling around 65% of running back carries and a healthy 12.5% of total targets. That receiving boost moves Jones up in our rankings, and we see his touchdown upside continuing in one of the NFL’s best offenses. Read more…
Misvalued tight ends in best ball drafts according to PFF's fantasy football projections
Darren Waller beats out George Kittle for the TE2 spot in our projections, with the latter losing volume and efficiency because we expect that he'll be playing with a rookie quarterback for the majority of the season. T.J. Hockenson flips with Kyle Pitts in the rankings, but Pitts would receive a material bump in his projection if the Atlanta Falcons trade Julio Jones this offseason. Read more…
Breaking down players who are better in best ball
Examining boom-or-bust players who have the highest upper ranges of outcomes for 2021 fantasy football best ball leagues. Read more…
Jahnke: Favorite Late-Round Dart Throws
Best ball leagues can be won in the final few rounds of drafts. Here are the best late-round dart-throws for 2021 fantasy football best ball leagues at every skill position. Read more…
Erickson: Favorite Late-Round Dart Throws
Examining players with ADPs outside the top 200 who could put 2021 best ball rosters over the top if things fall their way. Read more…
Running backs and wide receivers to buy and sell in best ball leagues
Highlighting buy and sell candidates based on players who didn’t perform so well in the best ball scoring system last season. Read more…
BEST BALL FLOW CHART
The Guide to Selecting 1.01 in 2021 Best Ball Drafts
Congratulations, you’ve got the No. 1 overall pick in your upcoming 2021 best ball draft. Now it's time to dominate and take home the ‘ship. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.02
Just missed out on the No. 1 overall pick in an upcoming best ball draft? No worries. Drafting at the 1.02 creates an easy path to stack the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.03
The No. 3 pick in 2021 best ball drafts is the perfect spot to secure one of the top three workhorse running backs. It also offers a number of different directions with the second-round pick. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.04
The 1.04 might not be one of the coveted top-three selections, but the draft slot is still an excellent place to begin building a dynamic best ball roster. Drafting at the 1.04 creates an easy path to stack the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.05
Top-end fantasy football options abound in the middle of the first round, offering any number of paths to a 2021 best ball title. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.06
Alvin Kamara isn't quite worthy of a top-five selection in 2021 best ball drafts, but he's an exceedingly safe choice at 1.06 for builds that will include stacks of the New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Football Team. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.07
The run on running backs continues at 1.07 with the selection of second-year back Jonathan Taylor, who has all the tools and talent to be fantasy’s next superstar running back. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.08
Let's dive into the routes available from the 1.08 draft slot and discover the possibilities of building a superior best ball team to those drafting with a selection inside the top seven. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.09
Workhorse running backs are locked into the top half of the first round of 2021 fantasy football drafts, with things going a number of ways after the first five selections. The back-end of the first round offers the opportunity to select value that has dropped from their expected ADP. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.10
The end of the first round offers options to take drafts in any number of preferred directions. It can be highlighted by back-to-back running backs at the top of the draft or by going heavy on pass-catchers. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.11
The beauty of the 1.11 draft slot is the additional control in player selection with near back-to-back picks in every round. Read more…
The Guide to selecting at the 1.12
The end of the first round is a fantastic spot in fantasy football drafts, offering a variety of paths to a 2021 best ball title. The beauty of the 1.12 draft slot is the additional control in player selection with back-to-back picks in every round. Read more…
INJURY INDEX
Projecting injury risk and games missed for the top players in best ball
PFF looks at several factors to assess injury risk and project the number of games missed for the top players in best ball drafts while also providing a range of outcomes for each player. Read more…
Backup RBs to target based on injury data
Coming soon…
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