With the popularity of best ball tournaments on Underdog Best Ball Mania, DraftKings Millionaire and Play Action, FFPC Best Ball Tournament, and Drafters Best Ball Championship, game theory has overtaken the best ball world. Best Ball drafters are preoccupied with their favorite team stacks, game stacking opposing offenses in the fantasy playoffs, and taking on hyper- versus anti- fragile roster constructions. It’s important to consider every edge we can maximize to draft the 99.99th percentile roster to take home the grand prize. But before all of that can happen, drafters seem to be overlooking the first decision that affects their team’s outlook: When should you draft your best ball tournament teams?
Why Draft Month Matters: Unlike in traditional best ball leagues where you are only competing against the 11 opponents in your draft, in best ball tournaments we are facing the thousands of other entries that draft at various points throughout the offseason. Thus draft month becomes a factor in best ball tournaments, unlike in traditional best ball leagues.
Pros for Early-Offseason Drafters: There are greater inefficiencies in ADP earlier in the offseason. If we are staying on top of the news and creating projections faster than our opponents, there is a clear ADP edge. How can August teams generate top percentile outcomes when May drafters can gain five-plus rounds of ADP value?
Pros for Late-Offseason Drafters: There is a greater information advantage the closer we draft to Week 1, allowing drafters to avoid preseason injury landmines and have the most accurate depth charts. Additionally, our opponents are much more likely to be casual drafters come August, softening the competition in our leagues.
