At the end of Underdog best ball drafts, and fantasy football drafts in general, the last rounds are met with little strategy and low expectations. These picks are typically thought of as a handcuff running back or a wide receiver that could give you some minimal production. However, that is not the case, and you can ask regular season champion of Underdog’s Best Ball Mania, Nohalfsteppin.
The user ended his draft with Kyren Williams in round 18. That user also ended his draft with the five picks of Brock Purdy, Tank Dell, Gus Edwards, Zack Moss, and the aforementioned Williams in that order.
Your Best Ball Mania IV Regular Season Champion 🏆
NOHALFSTEPPIN takes home the $500,000 prize 💰 pic.twitter.com/RUO5FYbYB1
— Underdog Fantasy (@UnderdogFantasy) December 12, 2023
Those picks helped Nohalfsteppen earn a cool $500,000 in prize money. In short, the end of drafts matters. Drafts on Underdog last 216 picks, and for this best ball strategy we will not use use any players with an ADP higher than 190 for this purpose.
Quarterback: Bo Nix (ADP: QB28, 195.0)
Bo Nix had a promising NFL debut in his first preseason snaps. Nix led four scoring drives for the Denver Broncos against the Indianapolis Colts. Nix then followed it up with another masterful performance in the second week of preseason. Yet what stood out the most was Sean Payton calling a designed quarterback run for Nix against the Colts.
The rushing upside isn’t something out of the blue either; he displayed adequate rushing skills at Oregon, scoring 20 times. Nix’s ADP is low for his upside, especially after being named the official starter.
The highest ADP for Denver is Courtland Sutton at 95.8 (end of the eighth round). So, stacking the Broncos is relatively easy compared to most teams. Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, and Greg Dulcich are all draft-able options that start coming off the board in round 15.
Nix checks all the boxes for what you want in an end-of-the-draft quarterback in this best ball strategy. He will score fantasy points with his legs, you can easily stack him with his top weapons, and he has an easy strength of schedule for the playoff weeks.
Nix won’t have to be relied upon for most of the season, but he will be in a sweet spot for the final three weeks. Nix will face the Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, and Cincinnati Bengals during that stretch. Those three defenses aren’t overly impressive.
Cincinnati and Los Angeles finished in the top five for passing yards allowed, with the Colts in the middle of the pack. None of the three made significant additions to their secondaries, except Geno Stone going to the Bengals this offseason.
Nix is the perfect QB3 on late quarterback teams and an adequate QB2 when you draft an elite option early. In that scenario, most managers would want someone safer than Nix in the early to mid-QB2 ADP range. However, Nix has the upside of finishing in that range. That is, if head coach Sean Payton returns to his New Orleans days. Broncos fans would love to hear that after the last couple of years.
Running Back: Tank Bigsby (ADP: RB61, 200.4)
Drafting a running back in the 18th round is often a game of taking your favorite handcuff left. And at this point in the draft, little is left.
Some options include Evan Hull if you believe that Trey Sermon’s injury is serious. Sermon had a low ADP; he was my choice before his hamstring injury, and is still worth drafting. Dylan Laube and Will Shipley round out that group.
It won’t be sugarcoated: Bigsby struggled in his rookie season, and that kind of performance will remove him from fantasy radars. However, coaches have raved about his improvement this offseason. He showed it in the first week of the preseason with 28 yards on three carries and a significant kick return. He also had 10 carries in the second game. There were already reports of Travis Etienne’s workload being cut back. Bigsby is the second running back on the depth chart and may have some stand-alone value.
Tank Bigsby looks good. Even caught a screen, a pass from the slot, and a pass from out wide. Then two nice pass block reps against much bigger dudes.
Quality Round 17-18 pick. He's the Jags RB2 imo. pic.twitter.com/Kv8YkS5Q30
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) August 18, 2024
This situation with Bigsby feels like a perfect storm for a manager this late in drafts. The Jaguars were in the middle of the pack regarding rushing attempts, finishing 17th in the NFL. That number may increase with the departure of Calvin Ridley, who finished with 136 targets, 17th most in the league.
The path to potential work is there, and the coaches have been speaking highly of Bisby. That is more than we can ask for someone whose ADP is in the 200s. Look for the 2023 third-round pick to make some noise in his second season in the league.
Wide Receiver: Jalin Hyatt (ADP: WR91, 210.8)
The only receiver I want to end any of my drafts with is Jalin Hyatt. This decision almost comes by default, as Javon Baker has been disappointing in camp. Johnny Wilson was also an interesting prospect, but is currently missing valuable training camp reps in concussion protocol (and the team just acquired Jahan Dotson via trade). However, Hyatt can provide some value to your best ball teams.
With little time left to get those drafts in, we must take some upside shots. And after all, Hyatt does have the potential to start, something only a few players in that range can say. Hyatt can beat out Darius Slayton and get playing time in a weak offense.
Unfortunately, that is the best you can hope for. The good news is that Hyatt has had a promising off-season in his second season. The best-case scenario is for him to contribute to your lineups when Daniel Jones finds him on a deep ball. Another scenario is to stack Hyatt with Malik Nabers and Jones.
Last year, the regular season champion finished their draft without a receiver in the last three rounds, and it’s a strategy to strongly consider in best ball leagues this year.
Tight End: Colby Parkinson (ADP: TE26, 203.6)
Opportunity is king, and Parkinson is in line to see a big one quickly out of the gate now that he’s with the Los Angeles Rams. Tight end Tyler Higbee will miss the start of the season as he recovers from an injury. Parkinson is second on the depth chart after signing a two-year deal worth $22.5 million.
Puka Nacua should be ready to go for Week 1. However, the Rams need someone to step up in the passing game. Demarcus Robinson did that last year and could repeat it in this high-powered offense. Even if that happens, Parkinson should have plenty of opportunity.
Higbee had 70 targets this season despite Stafford targeting his tight ends at a 15 percent clip, the fifth lowest in the league. Parkinson has shown flashes in the past but didn’t quite put it together in Seattle in the receiving game. He did show, though, that he was a prolific blocker. He was seventh in run blocking with a PFF grade of 64.1.
The Rams will be a potent offense that must put up plenty of points to keep up with the San Francisco 49ers and others after losing Aaron Donald to retirement. This offense will have to take a step forward as the defense will take one back without their perennial All-Pro and future Hall of Famer.
Parkinson is an option to get a piece of that offense at a low ADP in best ball drafts. Specifically, drafters at the 1-2 turn if your picks include Nacua and Marvin Harrison Jr. for a Week 18 game stack. Parkinson won’t be a league winner or likely even a fringe TE1. However, he will put together some strong point totals as your TE2 or TE3, especially if he can find the endzone a few times. He’s a solid but not spectacular pick to close your drafts given this best ball strategy.
