Hello, my name is Kai, and I’m a best ball addict. Maybe not an addict, but I do really love best ball during the summer. The best way to be in tip-top draft shape come September is to enter some best ball drafts. I’ve already invested a decent amount of money into best ball this summer. Ideally, I’d like to see a nice return on my investments. One of those said investments was Underdog’s The Pomeranian best ball draft. This tournament only cost $3 per entry and the winner receives $5,000. So naturally, it filled up in less than a day. Fortunately for all of you reading this, I was not left at the alter for this tournament. This means I’m going to break down a team that I drafted pick by pick and go over why I made the decisions I made during each round.
For Underdog’s best ball tournaments they are 12-team half-PPR drafts. The scoring system for Underdog is half-PPR. Also, the roster breakdown is as follows, one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, and one flex, 11 bench. This means this will be an 18-round draft. Going into this draft I like probably everyone else was hoping to get a top four draft pick, with pick four actually being my desired pick. The main reason for this because, I knew I wasn’t going to have a lot of time to get a lot of entries in this tournament, so I was hoping to build my team around my number one wide receiver for fantasy this year in Justin Jefferson. However, where I draft isn’t up to me but it’s up to the almighty algorithm.
Going Zero-RB in a Best Ball Draft
Round One
Pick 3, WR, Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings, ADP 3.7
I look at my phone and see that I have pick number three. To me this was perfect as this most likely meant that I would be able to draft Justin Jefferson. However, even if he was drafted before my pick it would’ve meant that either Jonathan Tylor or Christian McCaffery fell to me. This was a win-win situation. The first two picks go as expected with Jonathan Taylor going first and Christian McCaffrey going right after. Drafting Cooper Kupp was tempting, but to me, Justin Jefferson will be able to finish as the number one wide receiver with Kevin O’Connell now coaching him. The Vikings will be throwing the ball more this season and Justin Jefferson was already productive as is. This season, the sky’s the limit for Justin Jefferson, I fully expect him to finish as the wide receiver one this year.
Round Two
Pick 22, TE, Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens, ADP 20.5
Before I get into my Mark Andrews best ball draft pick I have to let you guys know that Travis Kelce almost fell to me at pick 22. Travis Kelce normally goes in the late first to early second round of drafts, so I was ecstatic at the thought of having both Justin Jefferson and Travis Kelce on my team. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be as he went at pick 20. The manager who picked up Travis Kelce also picked up Cooper Kupp at pick five. So, safe to say team five was getting great value with his first couple of picks.
Now on to Mark Andrews. To me, this was between Mark Andrews and Leonard Fournette, however as you can see I chose Mark Andrews. The main reason for this was because I feel this year is one of the best times to go zero-RB. The reason for this is because there are a lot of really solid running backs going late in the draft this year, that I am more than comfortable using as my starters on a week-to-week basis. With that in mind, taking an elite tight end like Mark Andrews now means I really should only need to draft one more later in the draft.
Round Three
Pick 27, WR, Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers, ADP 28.7
At this point in the draft, Michael Pitman just went a pick before me so this was between Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. I knew I wanted one of the Chargers receivers as I view them as having one of the most high-powered offenses, so it just came down to which one. Maybe if this weren’t a best ball draft I’d take Keenan Allen over Mike Williams, due to the safer floor. However, I believe Mike Williams is the better best ball draft pick. This is due to where they’re at in this stage of their careers, Mike Williams is the big play guy. Which I believe is part of the reason they gave him that contract extension. To me, I want those boom or bust guys on my team in best ball, so Mike Williams is now on the roster.
Round Four
Pick 46, QB, Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, ADP 51
I had yet another hard decision to make here. The three options I was pondering were Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, and Allen Robinson. All three of these guys would’ve made perfect sense for this team. I can stack Mike Williams with Justin Herbert. Another option was to go for the Week 17 correlation and draft Allen Robinson as the Chargers and Rams play each other during the fantasy football championship round. However, the one I decided to go with was to stack Mark Andrews with Lamar Jackson. My thought process here was that I can easily draft a Ram later in the draft to correlate with Mike Williams. Also there were two specific reasons other than Mark Andrews as to why I drafted Lamar Jackson over Justin Herbert. The first being Lamar Jackson’s rushing ability, and the second reason will be explained with my next pick.
Round Five
Pick 51, WR, Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens, ADP 54.4
This guy right here is the second reason I decided to draft Lamar Jackson over Justin Herbert last round. Rashod Bateman is going into this season as the top wide receiver after Marquise Brown was traded to the Cardinals. Even while Marquise Brown was on the team, when Lamar Jackson and Rashod Bateman were playing together last year, both were performing very well. While in regular redraft you probably wouldn’t want to spend a lot of early draft picks on pass catchers from the same team, best ball is a little different. With me double stacking the Ravens with the two best pass catchers on the team, this now maximizes the value that I will be able to get from Lamar Jackson throughout the season.
Round 6
Pick 70, WR, Elijah Moore, New York Jets, ADP 69.3
At this point in the draft, I was the only one who had yet to draft a running back. However, that’s alright as right now I’m really focusing on making sure I have enough quality wide receivers to make up for the lack of consistent running back production early on. Also, Elijah Moore thrived on the Jets last season, and I fully expect him to do the same this year. The Jets will definitely be playing from behind a lot this season, which means there are plenty of passes coming Elijah Moore’s way. Garret Wilson joining the Jets could be trouble for Elijah Moore’s production, but Elijah Moore led the team in receiving yards last season. That fact alone should alleviate some worry about a potential decreased workload for Elijah Moore.
Round 7
Pick 75, RB, Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders ADP 71.5
No that’s not a typo, I did indeed draft my first running back. In hindsight, I wish I had drafted Rashaad Penny instead of Antonio Gibson here. One reason for that is because the Jets and Seahawks play each other during Week 17 which would’ve correlated with my Elijah Moore pick. Also, Rashaad Penny has a more firm grasp on the starting role on a run-heavy team. Antonio Gibson on the other hand is in a murky situation right now. He had a strong finish to the season, but I don’t see the Commanders using him so heavily as they did during that fantasy playoff stretch. This is the one pick so far that I really do feel like I screwed up, but can’t change that now.
Round 8
Pick 94, WR, Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans, ADP 96.3
You guys didn’t think I’d stop taking wide receivers right? If it weren’t for all of those reports about asthma and him being “out of shape”, Treylon Burks would not be going this late in drafts. I fully expect his ADP to shoot back up once we get more training camp reports. In the meantime, while everyone else waits and passes him up, I’ll gladly be taking Treylon Burks at his pre-training camp discount. As a matter of fact, it’s already been reported that he had a strong first training camp. Out of all the guys I’ve taken so far I believe Treylonm Burks has the best chance to outperform his ADP. Don’t be surprised to see him go in the fourth round or earlier in best ball drafts next fantasy season.
Round 9
Pick 99, RB, Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills, ADP 98.1
Halfway done, and I just drafted my second running back. If the way last season ended is any indication, then Devin Singletary has a firm grasp on the starting running back role. Zack Moss seems to be a complete nonfactor now, and I believe James Cook was drafted specifically to be a passing down back. This could very well be the season that Devin Singletary rushes for 1,000 yards. The things going against him is he’s on the pass-happy Bills, and Josh Allen might snipe him on some easy rushing touchdowns. However, the Bills are arguably the most complete team in the NFL. There will be plenty of opportunities for Devin Singletary to produce now that he’s shown what he can do when given the chance. I’m very happy having Devin Singletary as my second running back.
Round 10
Pick 118, RB, Ronald Jones, Kansas City Chiefs, ADP 121.4
No, you’re not seeing things, I did indeed draft back-to-back running backs. This pick came down to Ronald Jones and Chase Claypool. I really wanted Chase Claypool for that Week 17 correlation, but I wanted another running back here. Also, I knew there was still a good chance I could get George Pickens layer in the draft. Thus, I decided to draft Ronald Jones. Ronald Jones has a great opportunity here. He almost rushed for 1,000 yards back in 2020. Granted he would go on to lose his job to Leonard Fournette, but I believe Ronald Jones can still be that running back he was in 2020. Not only that, Clyde Edwards-Helaire has never shown he’s that guy. I’m anticipating a Ronald Jones resurgence this season.
Round 11
Pick 123, WR, Kenny Golladay, New York Giants, ADP 122.5
The running back detour is over, it’s time for another wide receiver. Drafting Kenny Golladay here was a no brainer. Either he or Kadarius Toney will end up leading this team in receiving yards. The fact that I can get a team’s top wide receiver this late in the draft is something that I can’t pass up on. We’ve all seen just what he’s capable of when healthy and last season, he always seemed to have some reported injury. Based on his talent alone I’m willing to give him a mulligan for last season and show everyone why the Giants paid him so handsomely last year. I expect him to crack my lineup a decent amount of times this season.
Round 12
Pick 142, RB Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons, ADP 149.9
Tyler Allgeier is another rookie whose ADP is way too low for best ball drafts. Allgeier will most likely finish the year as the Falcons’ leading rusher. Not only that, I expect him to be fantasy relevant in all formats during the first month of the season. If the fact that he might find himself in a committee worries you, I’m here to tell you it really shouldn’t. Cordarrelle Patterson is not that guy and neither is Damien Williams. The fact that his top competitors for carries are both over 30 also instills confidence in me. Keep an eye out for training camp reports throughout the summer and watch his ADP skyrocket.
Round 13
Pick 147, WR Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams, ADP 147.7
I was conflicted with this pick. On one hand, I wanted to grab a Rams player to get some Week 17 correlation, but I also wanted to grab a second viable tight end. In the end, I went with the wide receiver knowing that he probably wouldn’t make it back to me, whereas there were plenty of solid tight ends that should hopefully be available with my next pick. Last season Van Jefferson didn’t really impress too much, but I’m optimistic that he can step up and have some solid spike weeks to crack my roster. Also with me passing up on Cooper Kupp earlier on, this is sort of me doubling down on that bet by taking one of his teammates much later on. By no means am I saying Van Jefferson will have a better season than Cooper Kupp, but this is more so hedging my bet.
Round 14
Pick 166, TE, Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks, ADP 166.1
I was hoping to get either Noah Fant or Tyler Higbee as my second tight end with Noah Fant as my preferred option. Fortunately, Fant was sitting there waiting for me. Pete Carroll has done nothing but gush about Noah Fant since he’s gotten there via a trade with the Broncos. This leads me to believe that Noah Fant will be involved in whatever limited passing attack this team will have. Also with the Seahawks and Jets playing in Week 17, this is a correlation play with Elijah Moore. More importantly, Noah Fant is good enough for me to feel confident not drafting another tight end for this best ball draft.
Round 15
Pick 171, WR, George Pickens, Pittsburg Steelers, ADP 175.2
I took George Pickens here as another guy that can easily outperform his current ADP. Also, The Steelers and Ravens play Week 17, so there’s more correlation there. This pick was already in the making for me since I passed on Chase Claypool earlier in the draft, knowing I could easily get Pickens. Who knows which of these Steelers receivers will lead the team in receptions. However in best ball, it’s always worth it to take a chance on rookies late in the draft. With George Pickens now on the team, I feel confident in my receiving core and can proceed to finish up my draft by taking a second quarterback two more running backs.
Round 16
Pick 190, QB, Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans, ADP 168.4
It took a while but Ryan Tannehill is my second quarterback on the team. This pick was between Ryan Tannehill or Jared Goff. Seeing as how I already had Treylon Burks on the team this was a no-brainer to stack them up. I don’t expect Ryan Tannehill to crack my roster over Lamar Jackson very often. Only during the Raven’s bye week and maybe if Lamar Jackson has an off game or two. Other than that he’s really only on the team to make sure I don’t take a zero at the quarterback position for a week.
Round 17
Pick 195, RB, Sony Michel, Miami Dolphins, ADP 208.6
At this stage of the draft ADP means nothing, just take who you want when you want them. For me I needed a running back that has serious potential to end the season as his team’s leading rusher. Sony Michel had a quietly productive season with the Rams last year. He had 845 rushing yards which is more than both Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert have ever had. If the Dolphins try and use a running back committee that’s fine, as even at a 17th-round price point any usable weeks out of Sony Michel is a win.
Round 18
Pick 214, RB, Hasaan Haskins, Tennessee Titans
Hasaan Haskins was chosen strictly due to us sharing a last name… Ok not really, but at this point, the running back well had run pretty dry. It was between Hasaan Haskins and Kenyan Drake. Kenyan Drake will definitely see the field more and would hopefully get used more than he was last season. However, on the chance that Derrick Henry gets injured again, then Hasaasn Haskins has the opportunity to completely outperform his ADP. When drafting best ball players in the final rounds you should aim for ceiling, not floor, since the floor is pretty much non-existent. Hasaan Haskins could very well be a league winner if there were another Derrick Henry injury.
Lineup
QB- Lamar Jackson, Ryan Tannehill
RB- Antonio Gibson, Devin Singletary, Ronald Jones, Tyler Allgeier, Sony Michel, Hasaan Haskins
WR- Justin Jefferson, Mike Williams, Rashod Bateman, Elijah Moore, Treylon Burks, Kenny Golladay, Van Jefferson, George Pickens
TE- Mark Andrews, Noah Fant
Final Thoughts
All in all, I really like this team and it has some potential to go far. Zero RB is definitely not for the faint of heart, but I’m comfortable letting the regular season madness play its course. As I said before, the one pick I wish I could do over would be to draft Rashaad Penny instead of Antonio Gibson. Other than that I’m thrilled about this team and I fully expect to collect my winning prize money this winter. Either that or kick myself for losing by 2 points to a guy that has Rashaad Penny.
Are you down with Zero-RB? Let us know in the comments below and then head on over and check out our 2022 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!