Something that is often discussed in weekly DFS theory and strategy is the “story” your lineup tells. Basically the idea is to think about what the recap of the day would have to be for each particular lineup to have been the “right” combination of players that gets you to a first-place finish on that slate. I like to do something similar when drafting Best Ball rosters, thinking about the “story” that the roster is telling about how the NFL season will play out with each pick that is made.
At every selection in a draft, there are a variety of reasonable options available and whatever choice you make also implies some things about the other players you passed on. Similar to price point or positional pivots on a regular DFS slate, we want to be aware of the scenario where your picks are “right.” While everyone understands team stacks and most of the industry is focusing on late-season correlations and balancing exposures, very few are actively trying to leverage the decisions made for a particular roster with their later-round picks by using these indirect correlations. Below is a summary of a draft I did on Wednesday May 14th in the $2 Drafters Mini NFL Best Ball Championship, with $100,000 prize pool, $10,000 to first place, and 56,256 total entries::
Picking from 1st slot
Picks 1.01 — Ja’Marr Chase, WR, CIN — As you all know (or will soon understand), I have an affinity for first-round wide receivers in Drafters’ cumulative scoring format. If you want exposure to Chase you are going to have to get almost all of it from the times you get the first overall pick. Maybe later in the process I will approach it differently, but for now this is an easy click.
Picks 2.12 and 3.01 — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, SEA and Davante Adams, WR, LAR — At this turn, I passed on a couple of strong options at running back and decided to “double tap” at wide receiver. The key thing about these picks is not just the positions or structure I have taken so far, but the characteristics and playing styles of the players that I have. Obviously on this roster I am telling the “story” of Ja’Marr Chase repeating his massive season. Now I have added two more wide receivers and both of them are players I expect to be target hogs and relatively stable options all season. Understanding the archetypes of players and how they fit together on a roster in this format is critical. JSN could be one of the league’s leaders in targets this season with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett out of town. Adams joins a Rams team that has historically been extremely concentrated among their RB and top two WRs. Adams is talented and has a QB (Matthew Stafford) who has made stars out of every talented receiver he’s played with. Both of these players should be stable contributors over the course of the season and provide season-long upside as well. Having three stable and lower-variance type WRs on the roster already, I will look to pepper the rest of my WR room with some younger, high-upside players and won’t force the position as much in the next couple of turns. Usually on Drafters, I like having four WRs through five rounds if possible and/or five through seven rounds. On this roster I may push the envelope a bit more than usual.
Picks 4.12 and 5.01 — Joe Mixon, RB, HOU and Joe Burrow, QB, CIN — Mixon is my 40th-ranked player on Drafters, currently, and I got him here at 48th overall as my RB1. Mixon was the RB6 in PPR points per game last year and had 17+ fantasy points in eight of his first nine games. I don’t always force stacks, especially early, and will get into the “why” for that in our training sessions. However, Burrow makes a lot of sense here to pair with Chase, especially given the state of my roster and WR room. The next WRs on the board are definitely “better” options than the WRs who will be available the next time I pick, but given the stability I have on the roster already, it makes sense to pay up for Burrow here.
