Fantasy Football Best Ball Rankings 2024

The summer is here, which means it is time to hop on those best ball sites and start drafting for cash.

This is a comprehensive list of my top 250 overall best ball rankings for the 2023 NFL season. There are nine tier groups to help you decide when to target a specific group of players.

Best ball is a format where you do not have to set a lineup weekly. Instead, your lineup will automatically be populated with the highest-scoring players that you have drafted on your team.

The catch, however, is that there is no waiver wire or trading.

With that said, let’s dive right into my rankings.

Fantasy Football Best Ball Rankings 2023

My best ball rankings are current as of Monday, July 10.

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Now, onto the preseason best ball rankings for 2023:

Best Ball Rankings Key

• Rk: Rank
• Pos: Position
• Tm: Team
• Pos Rk: Positional Rank

Best Ball Rankings Default League Settings

• Lineup: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE)
• Standard 0.5 PPR Scoring:
  • 1 point per 10 Rushing/Receiving Yards
  • 4 points per passing TD
  • -1 point per Interception
  • 6 points per Rushing/Receiving TD

Fantasy Football Best Ball Rankings Explained

Quarterbacks

In best ball fantasy football rankings, we’re looking for ceiling, and that obviously will pop up as a recurring theme throughout these rankings.

Jalen Hurts finished as the top QB in PPG (points per game) scoring last season, so he takes the top spot in our rankings. There is definitely a Big 3, though, for this position, so Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes quickly follow.

New OC Todd Monken may be a godsend for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ passing offense, so he gets the call next as QB4. Between him and Justin Fields, there is a good chance you have a QB with at least 850 rushing yards.

Anthony Richardson and Jared Goff may be my favorite sleeper candidates in this group. Both could helm explosive offenses with lots of stacking potential.

Running Backs

Two running backs stand out above all the others: Christian McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson. Both should be locked into exceptional workloads on the ground and in the passing game.

After them, the next handful of backs could be a crapshoot. Players like Austin Ekeler, Jonathan Taylor, and Saquon Barkley are all safer but don’t carry the massive spike potential that Robinson and McCaffrey have.

Regarding sleepers, players like James Conner or Antonio Gibson are players further down the board that could help.

Running back is a position that sometimes gets overlooked in best ball, specifically the non-elite players, since some don’t have as big a spike week potential as the other positions. Make no mistake, though - there are upside plays sprinkled in among the position, particularly in the pass-catching backs.

Wide Receivers

At the top of the list, two names are miles ahead of the next group: Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. Both of them are the primary candidates to end up as the top two skill position scorers this season and will be the first names off the board in your best ball drafts in most cases.

When looking for wide receivers to draft, look for receivers that you can pair with their quarterbacks. For example, a quarter-wide receiver “stack" that I am enjoying so far this season has been A.J. Brown paired with Jalen Hurts, and if I can add DeVonta Smith in the third round to that group, I’m over the moon.

Keep an eye out for names further down the board, too. Players like Nico Collins, Skyy Moore, and Van Jefferson are all lower-cost options that can provide the spike week potential we look for on a weekly basis.

A good sweet spot I look for in my drafts is having at least five wide receivers picked after 10 rounds. It’s a position that’s become sharper and sharper when viewed by drafters over the past few years, so the talent pool dries up quickly.

Don’t miss out here, because it can crush your draft.

Tight Ends

Tight ends can be a wild card in best ball leagues especially. Given that there are only a select few that are consistent on a week-to-week basis, you may need to draft two or even three solid tight ends in a draft to have a good shot.

Some sleeper options that you can pair with a Travis Kelce or Kyle Pitts include David Njoku, Dalton Kincaid, and Gerald Everett. You want to look for tight ends who can feature as strong options in the red zone, since a tight end scoring eight or more touchdowns should almost assuredly land in the top eight for the season.

Tight end is not a deep pool as mentioned above, so keep in mind that you can target the position later in your draft with a few high-upside potential players. Don’t force a pick here if it doesn’t feel right just for the sake of getting one early.

Best Ball Advice & Tips

What is a best ball fantasy football league?

A best ball league is a league where you do not have to set a fantasy football lineup on a weekly basis. The system will automatically count the lineup that scored the most points for you in that week, but you don’t have advantages like a waiver wire or trading.

Which scoring system to use in best ball leagues?

You can use multiple scoring systems in best ball leagues, but the most common one is half-PPR.

How do I construct my roster when drafting in best ball leagues?

There are quite a few notable tactics to use when constructing a best ball roster. Some of the most popular strategies are Zero RB (not drafting a running back until Round 7 or later), Hero RB (drafting one running back early and then filling up later in the draft), and Robust RB (where you draft three or four running backs in the first 4-5 rounds).