Shawn Siegele uses the Best Ball Win Rate Explorer to break down the all-important middle rounds of the 2022 MFL10 of Death.
It’s been a blast to draft against the top minds in fantasy, and I want to thank Pat Thorman for creating and continuing this charity event. As Michael Dubner explained in his epic look at best ball strategy, most of what we want to do in this format extends to other leagues and tournaments, like those we participate in with Underdog and the FFPC. Comparing and contrasting these formats also helps us think through the logic of the tactics we’re deploying and makes us more intentional about exploiting the differences.
I covered the first five rounds in Part 1, leaving the draft in this position.
It’s been interesting to watch the transition to a more WR-heavy approach even as top RBs continue to play a big role in events. In 2018, almost half of the league began with a build that included three RBs in the first five rounds. This year only one team did. We also see the collapse of Dead Zone RBs selections.
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-RB Starts | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Total RBs Selected Through 2 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 |
| Total RBs Selected Through 5 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
When moves like this occur, it creates potential opportunity. In Part 1, I discussed my interest in targeting the quartet of backs at the 4/5 turn, and a hyperfragile approach becomes more compelling from the 1.01 or 1.02 after starting with one of the uber-backs. JJ was the only drafter to select three RBs in the first five rounds this year, but he got serious bargains and hasn’t drafted another back through 15 rounds.
Part 2 will be a little different in structure. On Wednesday, I looked at 15 of the most compelling players from the early rounds. Today, we shift to structure and a look at how to execute four key objectives in the first 10 rounds. If you’re interested in learning how to execute a dominant structural draft in Underdog with each of the three viable best ball strategies, make sure to check out Conor O’Driscoll’s entries in the Best Ball Workshop.
Don’t Overthink Uniqueness in a Zero RB Build
An Unusual Anchor RB Approach With Even More Upside
Fixing Hyperfragile: Dominating with a Contrarian Approach
