We are in Year 3 of the Super League Best Ball charity tournament, where all entry fees and donations go to Extra Life to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Many notable fantasy football content creators and analysts are taking part this year, and winning the entire tournament could give anyone, even you, bragging rights over plenty of popular names.
Best Ball is a fantasy format that focuses almost exclusively on the initial draft, as the draft site’s (Sleeper) computer will automatically start the best scoring players every week, meaning no lineups need to be set. There will also be no trading in Super League, though there are waivers. That means the most active and savvy participants are still set up for the most success throughout the season, even without trades or the strategy of having to set lineups every week.
Now that we know what best ball is, let me take you through a recent mock draft some of our staff took part in to break down the picks and ADPs of players that I think can help you win this entire tournament this year.
https://sleeper.com/draft/nfl/1245596086748327936
Round 1
I just can’t help it this year, I am so in on Brock Bowers. He’s an absolute beast, and he’s getting a major upgrade at QB and on the offense in general. With so many points per reception premiums available in Super League, receptions are truly king when it comes to separating from the pack on a total points and points-per-game basis.
To me, Brock Bowers offers upside at a position that you simply cannot find for any other player at any other position. Bowers broke the rookie reception record for any position, not just tight end. And that was with Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell, and Desmond Ridder as his quarterbacks, and the absolutely putrid play calling acumen of Luke Getsy.
Now, the Raiders have Ashton Jeanty and Geno Smith to help make the offense hum, and a high pace of play offensive coordinator in Chip Kelly. While it’s not the most likely outcome, there is a legitimate opportunity for Brock Bowers to get close to 150 receptions if things break right. His only competition is Jakobi Meyers, Jeanty as a running back, and a couple unproven rookie receivers. Best ball, more than any other fantasy format, is about swinging for upside. To me, Bowers has the highest upside of any player in the NFL. Not tight end. Player.
Round 2
In this mock, CeeDee Lamb fell to the 2.07 somehow. I would smash the button so hard in that situation. Ja’Marr Chase had the better season last year, without question. But from a talent perspective, is there really that strong of a case to make to definitively say that Chase or Jefferson are demonstrably better than Lamb is? I don’t personally think so. I think all 3 are the clear top 3 receivers in football, and who has a better season year over year will depend almost entirely on team circumstance and touchdown luck.
Lamb has the second best QB of the group, and now has a legitimate number 2 weapon next to him in George Pickens to help alleviate some of the constant double coverage that Lamb has otherwise been subjected too for most of his prime in Dallas. The Cowboys also seem pretty likely to be a pass-heavy offense, considering their running back room consists of 2 washed veterans and a couple of rookies that are closer to being UFL stars than NFL ones. In the 2nd round, I will happily accept the discount on Lamb if given to me.
Round 3
Third round reversal is in play here, with the team that drafted the 1.12 and 2.01 also receiving the 3.01 to offset the fact they don’t have access to the best players earlier in the 1st. I noticed another intriguing wide receiver faller in this mock, and I would again be foaming at the mouth to take him at any point in this round.
I have plenty of offensive environment concerns about Nico Collins for 2025. That offensive line projects to be atrocious on paper, and the team is betting a lot on a couple highly drafted rookie receivers next to Nico and 2 old farts at RB in Joe Mixon and the ghost of Nick Chubb. CJ Stroud legitimately regressed last year in his 2nd season, and when it was bad, it was very bad.
But with all that being said, the only thing that derailed Nico Collins last year was a hamstring injury suffered on a bomb 80 yard touchdown catch. He was on pace to finish as a top 5 WR in total points and points-per-game, even when it was just him in the room and no other receiver of consequence after season ending injuries to Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. The Texans are also now free of the Bobby Slowik experience, which will hopefully result in a more creative, more explosive offensive approach.
All that aside, Nico is just #GoodAtFootball. He’s an athletic freak, he wins on all levels of the field, and most importantly, he is a big play guy, which is rewarded very handsomely in the Super League scoring system. Collins should be a 2nd round pick, and any time he falls past that is an automatic steal for the manager blessed with him in their proverbial laps.
Round 4
I’m going to cheat a little and list 2 players in this round, because they went back to back and offer similar upside and floors that I think are under-priced. Chase Brown absolutely smashed in fantasy last year once Zack Moss went down with his neck injury. The Bengals basically just gave him all the backfield touches. And the only competition they added to the RB room in the off-season was a 6th round pick in Tahj Brooks, and JAG ™ Samaje Perine.
To me, it’s obvious the Bengals didn’t see a reason to add anything more than depth behind Brown, but they didn’t add any real competition for touches. Perine might get some pass blocking work and siphon a few receptions from Brown, but I don’t really project an offensive game plan where the goal is to get the ball in someone else’s hands from that RB room.
Going right behind Chase Brown is Breece Hall for the Jets. And to be honest, I’m thrilled that the coaching staff is dishing out platitudes on “how they want a 3 man backfield rotation.” I’d be the first in line to say that I think Braelon Allen has a lot of potential in the NFL, and I have copious shares of him on my dynasty teams. But he was pretty terrible as a rookie from most advanced metrics, and Isaiah Davis wasn’t much better.
I chalk last season up to the Aaron Rodgers Experience for Breece Hall, and I will happily take the discount on his talent and situation, even though the situation that negatively affected his fantasy output is no longer in the building. There’s no injury to recover from, and like I said, neither rookie last year behind him did anything meaningful to beat out Hall as a player. Research very clearly shows that rushing QBs are good for their primary backfield mates, and Justin Fields could unlock a ceiling for Hall that has not yet been realized so far in his career.
Round 5
For the 2nd time in a row, I’m going to cheat a little and pick 2 players. One is a great click if you punted early QB, the other is if you went QB early and need to try and catch up at receiver a little.
Drake Maye simply has a higher ceiling than any other QBs going around him in this range, plain and simple. He was among league leaders in scramble rate last season as a rookie, and while that may pull back a little, he also at least has an NFL caliber wide receiver or two in the mix now with Stefon Diggs and (hopefully) Kyle Williams. Maye is the cheapest Konami Code QB available (who’s guaranteed to start every game if healthy anyways), and there is a few legitimate upside pieces in his weapon arsenal that could give his passing numbers the push he needs to be a top 5-8 QB this year.
If you don’t need a QB at this spot, I am pretty much the biggest proponent of Travis Hunter you’ll find on staff, and probably within the fantasy football community at large. To me, it doesn’t matter if he’s going to play some defense too. The Jaguars did not give up a rookie QB sized haul to move up and draft a primary CB, period. He will be a primary receiver for them, and I still am of the opinion that he has legitimate upside to be the #1 for the team by season’s end.
I love BTJ, but Hunter just moves and plays different compared to everyone around him. Time will tell if that translates for fantasy, but he very much looks like Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson look when they run routes. I don’t know if he will be able to produce like they can, but I also know that I never, ever want to be on the side that fades a once in a lifetime athlete. And make no mistake, Travis Hunter is a once in a generation athlete in the NFL.
People are weary of the Shohei Ohtani comparisons, but to me they fit so well. No one believed Ohtani would do what he has done in the MLB, until he did it basically from day one. I am of the opinion that Hunter will do the same as a rookie in the NFL, and I draft him under that assumption. If it doesn’t hit, I’m fine with that. But being on the side that fades him if he does hit will feel far, far worse, I can promise you that.
Round 6
I have no idea how Rashee Rice fell to the 6th round, but that is the best pick of the draft so far to me. For context, on Underdog with 1/2 PPR 1 QB best ball drafts, Rice goes at the 2/3 turn. Even accounting for 12-15 QBs worth going ahead of him, a full PPR league is the best case scenario for Rice’s fantasy value, and the fact he’s going cheaper here than on Underdog is definitely something to exploit if your league isn’t paying close attention.
I don’t know if Rice will fall to the 6th in the actual drafts, but as early as Round 3 to 4 he’s a fantastic pick. He has looked full healthy already so far in mini-camp and OTAs, meaning he will most likely retake his position as Patrick Mahomes’ primary receiver. Whether the offense is great or still boring doesn’t really matter. Rice’s targets are the type of targets that are guaranteed regardless of how the offense is constructed. If he’s fully healthy, he should be a top 24 WR selection pretty easily. And if he’s this cheap in your draft, you should be smashing that draft button for sure.
Round 7
Trevor Lawrence at the 7.01 marks the end of a tier for me at QB, and leads to a pretty deep drop into the realm of much bigger question marks at the position. I believe in Lawrence’s talent still, and I believe that Liam Coen’s offense will inject much needed life and confidence into TLaw as an NFL QB. Will he replicate Baker’s season last year, probably not. He could definitely get close though.
If you can draft a QB that gives you 3,600 and 25 in the 7th round as your QB2-3, that’s a big win for the value of your team, especially in best ball. Lawrence certainly isn’t a lock for that, but he’s the last QB available that I’d say has a half decent chance of eclipsing those stat lines if he has a good season.
The running back room is a bit of a question mark, which could lead to more pass attempts than we’d project, and in that scenario, we have 2 premium weapons and several solid ancillary pieces for TLaw to throw to every snap. If Lawrence is still around when you get to this point, I think he’s the perfect upside dart as your 2nd or 3rd QB in Super League.
Round 8
I’m a huge proponent of 3 “boring” veteran receivers in this round. I think all 3 of them could hit your Flex spot on a pretty consistent basis, and to find that value this late is something that could be a key to winning Super League.
Your safest bet of the 3 is Calvin Ridley. He’s not a star, but he is good at football, and is the clear #1 target for the 1st overall pick in the NFL Draft. Even if Cam Ward isn’t good at the start, no one else on the team will demand more than a 10-15% target share. Ridley is going to get the ball often this year, and if he breaks a few big plays, you’ve got yourself a consistent WR2 every week.
He wasn’t on this list as I initially wrote this piece, but with the trade of Jonnu Smith, I am once again asking you to go back to the Jaylen Waddle well, especially this late. The Dolphins offense now looks to be condensed in the way that they were when they nuked the league’s defenses in 2023. Tyreek is still the alpha (until he isn’t), Waddle is a fantastic number 2, and De’Von Achane is a premier pass-catcher out of the backfield.
I know that betting on the Dolphins again is scary, and there’s certainly downside to it. But that downside is fully baked in with Waddle at these prices, and it doesn’t really account for any of his upside. There’s a world where Waddle is the number 1 target on a good offense, if Hill declines but Tua plays well.
Finally, Chris Godwin is another smash pick here to me. He was the #1 overall fantasy WR until he got hurt last season. And while bone breaks in the lower body area are scary, they are less scary and less devastating that torn knees or leg muscles. Godwin should be a full go by season start, and he is still the 1B option for Tampa Bay until proven otherwise.
Maybe the offense regresses without Liam Coen, but there’s also the chance it doesn’t regress at all in any meaningful way. If that is the case, there is nothing keeping Baker from targeting the crap out of Godwin once more. The downside exists for sure, but it’s already baked into the price, with not much of the upside considered as part of the price.
Round 9
With my Rashee Rice mention in Round 6, and with Xavier Worthy being my Round 9 nomination, you’d assume I’m very in on the Chiefs’ offense. You’d be wrong on that, so let me explain. I think that 1, maybe 2 Chiefs will smash for fantasy. I don’t think you should giga-stack them up in best ball or redraft. But I’m a firm believer that one of the pass catchers, whichever one gets the former Travis Kelce role and share of the targets, will be the player that smashes their ADP. I just don’t know which player it is, so I think it’s worth taking a shot on one Chief per draft in case you can capture that player’s upside.
Because of this, I think Xavier Worthy is a great pick in the 9th. He had a slow start as a rookie, but he really picked up steam to finish the year, culminating in his somewhat inflated, but still impressive, showing in an otherwise putrid Super Bowl performance by the Chiefs. I also am starting to believe more and more that Worthy might just be a better player than Rashee Rice, especially if there’s any limitations or mental hurdles after the injury for Rice. Worthy has better draft capital, a better prospect profile, and is more athletic.
Even if Worthy doesn’t become the primary target earner, he’s worth the click because of his speed. Yes, Mahomes is most likely going to be boring and underwhelming for fantasy again this year. But he’s still Patricking freaking Mahomes. He can still go off for 400 and 4 any given week if he truly wants to or needs to. And Worthy’s skill set perfectly fits best ball. He has fantastic spike week upside, and can still provide you with points even if he doesn’t become the number 1 target for Mahomes.
Round 10
If you read my Best Ball Mania ADP article, you’ll know who my pick is here. David Njoku is a top 5-6 TE in the league as far as pure talent is concerned. He can do it all, and hasn’t slowed a step whatsoever as he enters his 30’s. The only reason (and it’s a very good reason) he is this cheap is because of the Browns’ QB situation. There are 4 terrifying QB options fighting for the starting role, with a confusing mix of “win” now players and 2 rookies with upside.
In 1.5 Tight End Premium scoring though, Njoku is an absolute steal in the double digit rounds. There’s a pretty real path to Njoku leading the team in receptions, even after Jerry Jeudy’s break out last year after we had started to give up on him after his Broncos days. But Njoku is the perfect safety valve for uncertain and immobile QBs, of which the Browns have 4 with no clear choices as to who should start.
It wouldn’t shock me at all if Njoku finishes the season with 100 receptions if he stays healthy. The yards and TD’s probably won’t be anything to write home about, with the receptions alone will propel Njoku to a strong fantasy finish if this scenario comes to pass. And again, the downside is already baked into his price, being the 12th TE off the board in this Super League mock draft.
Round 11
People seem to forget how good at football Brandon Ayiuk is. And I get it. Last year was horrifically bad, even before the catastrophic knee injury. For the entire 49ers team honestly, last season was the year from hell top to bottom. Before that though… Ayiuk was the team’s best receiver, and it wasn’t really close. He didn’t get the raw target number to truly explode in fantasy (being on a team with 3 other All Pro receiving weapons will do that), but his efficiency in how he scored fantasy points was off the charts.
He may start on the PUP this year, and the discount because of that makes perfect sense. However, he also has the type of upside to be a top 12-24 WR in PPG once he’s back on the field, and I will gladly draft that upside with a pick that is relatively likely to be cut by the end of year anyways, depending on the player you draft.
But Ayiuk gives you access to a ceiling outcome that would require him to be drafted in the first 4-5 rounds if he were fully healthy. I want access to that outcome, and I understand that he won’t fit every team that is built in Super League. If you draft back to front like the great Shawn Siegele preaches, you can plan your roster construction around major upside swings late like Ayiuk (or even Travis Hunter earlier).
Round 12
You’ll notice that my article has largely ignored the RB position, and I promise that that is not an accident. Plenty of early RBs are also good picks to be sure, but in best ball, especially Super League where waivers are still available, I prefer to embrace volatility and chaos at the RB position. Last season was an anomaly in how few backs got injured, compounded with how many receivers got injured. To expect that to repeat or even get close is not great process, and I prefer to draft teams that lean into the volatility of the RB position and how often injuries happen in most normal seasons.
I like all 4 of the backs taken in this round in the Super League mock, but my favorite bet is J.K. Dobbins, the newest Denver Bronco. I still hold the opinion that R.J. Harvey will be the main RB, but I also know that Sean Payton loves to use multiple backs quite heavily. Dobbins will get plenty of work as long as he is healthy, and he has nothing to fear from what was a putrid RB room last year that didn’t add anyone else besides Harvey and Dobbins. Plus, if Harvey happens to get injured as well, the ceiling for Dobbins is incredibly high.
People don’t fully realize how much work Javonte Williams was given last year in Denver. All they do realize is how bad he was for fantasy (and real life). Imagine a healthy Dobbins being given that workload in a handful of games if Harvey turns an ankle, or is not as good as the Broncos thought. In the 12th round, to get a player with that much contingent upside, on a good projected offense, and a non-zero percent chance to outright win the job, is the type of player I want to draft every single time for my bench.
Round 13
Listen, I get it. Michael Pittman Jr. is boring as a fantasy football player. He doesn’t break big plays, he doesn’t score a lot of TD’s, and he is basically a glorified tight end in how the Colts use him at times. But he is also incredibly productive from a raw stats perspective when healthy, and he should be fully recovered from what was essentially a broken back last year.
Pittman won’t get you the big play bonuses, and he won’t explode for a 40 point game here or there. But he will give you a safe, usable floor basically every week. Something that many best ball players fall trap to, myself included, is always shooting for upside. While upside does win tournaments and contests, you can’t win on purely upside bets.
You need to have a layer of built-in, reliable fantasy points every week that you can count on to hit your lineup whenever you need it to. MPJ is that type of player, and for him to be basically free at the end of the draft is a huge benefit to have, especially if you targeted more upside earlier in the draft with a few rookies or players coming off injury.
Round 14
There aren’t a lot of players to choose from, because a lot of people drafted a kicker, which is already a mistake. Pick up your kicker on waivers later, don’t lock yourself into a box with having to roster a kicker before training camp even starts.
I love the 2 selections of Russell Wilson and Daniel Jones though. In a super flex league, you always want to have access to good QB scoring as much as you can. I don’t personally think Wilson or Jones will be top scorers at the position, and probably won’t even be the starters all year. But they give you early season production (assuming both are starters the way they are projected to be as of now in early July), and they are easy to drop for big pickups if you get a Puka or Kyren situation in Week 1 like we did a few years ago.
Most Round 12-14 players will end up being dropped in-season unless you hit those picks out of the park, so using them on players that are part of ambiguous situations or high variability offenses is never a bad idea. If you’re right, you get a free contributor to your team. And if you’re wrong, you can cut them immediately after Week 1 plays out if you need to.
Those are some of my favorite picks in Super League. Let me know what your favorite ADP is from the Mock Draft, and if you are interested in signing up, there’s still time to donate and get your name on the list! A new league will open up for every 12 people who sign up.
