Best Ball Fantasy Draft Review: Christian McCaffrey First, Alvin Kamara Value, Big No On Isiah Pacheco

Highlights and lowlights from a recent SI staff best ball league draft.

Matt De Lima | Aug 31, 2022

There are a few strategy ripples that flow out from best ball leagues. You're not necessarily throwing out the redraft playbook; however, I believe there are a few differences worth pointing out—just one man's opinion.

First, I'm negating all injury risk. Just look at my 1.01 pick of Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey. He's been as dominant as they come and while I fully appreciate Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, in a pure fantasy foot race, I give the edge to RUN CMC, as the only real concern with him is his ability to stay healthy. However, I do believe you should only carry one RB handcuff in best ball leagues. You're better off in the long run casting a wide net.

Next, stacking is all the rage, but I don't love it. I've ranted—it's a thing I do—about how you don't actually know how the season will play out. It's all a hunch and half of them, at least, are wrong. So stacking, in theory, if Matthew Stafford has a great game, Cooper Kupp will, too. If Russell Wilson has a great game, Courtland Sutton likely did as well. So stacking is when you pair a QB to his WR or TE. In best ball leagues where cash is on the line, there's typically only one prize and that goes to first place. If you really nail your stack, you'll be tough to beat. I believe only certain teams have viable stacking opportunities. For example, I wouldn't stack Mike Evans or Chris Godwin to Tom Brady, because he spreads the ball around. I would consider stacking Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce this year, since he's light years ahead of their No. 1 WR. But if your stack doesn't hit, you're toast, so stack at your own risk.

Last, roster construction is the secret sauce. I'll let the math nerds calculate this on my behalf but I want only one backup at QB, TE, K and DST. That leaves the rest of my roster to be all RBs and WRs. If you draft Deshaun Watson, you probably would need three QBs (as I do, since I drafted him here).

With all that strategy talk out of the way, let's get to this SI staff best ball league -- and congrats to future me for destroying these fools with my impeccable picks. Shoutout to the folks over BestBall10s and SHGN for hosting this league.

Best Steals

RB Alvin Kamara, NO (2.08)
Despite surviving a suspension that never came, Kamara's ADP has not yet rebounded enough. Yes, 2021 was not a good look. He was banged up more than usual, not healthy, Jameis Winston didn't target him enough, and the goal-line work wasn't there. The correction came but I think we're still a few picks away from where Kamara needs to be. With all these perceived negatives, Kamara finished as the RB10 and on a points per game average, he was the RB8. Yet on draft day, he's consistently going after Saquon Barkley in best ball. Kamara should be closer to Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon. I would feel more comfortable about this if the Saints had a more reliable pure running back. Mark Ingram was bad four years ago—kudos on his longevity—but I do also have some worries Kamara will be tasked with more carries again instead of stockpiling receptions as he did in years past. I'm just hoping Winston and this offense find a happy medium closer to pre-2021 Kamara.

RB David Montgomery, CHI (5.02)
Although I don't love Montgomery as a player, there's been no denying his volume of opportunity. In 13 games a year ago, he had 225 carries for 849 yards and seven touchdowns, plus 42 receptions for 301 yards. He finished as the RB19 (remember, just 13 games) and was eighth in RB touches per game (19.1). I think sometimes, fantasy managers, we want to will a player we believe not be good enough into a lesser role. Use the fantasy force to mind-meld with a head coach to make him give more chances to a player we believe to be more deserving. Perhaps backup RB Khalil Herbert will get that opportunity this year. That said, Montgomery has thrived in fantasy (RB4 in 2020). So if given a full slate of 17 games, the former Iowa State back can easily outpace where he was selected in this draft. And please, don't tell SI's Doug Vazquez that I complimented his pick.

TEs Gerald Everett, LAC (17.01) and Austin Hooper, TEN (18.12)
I went against my best ball rules and selected two backup tight ends, three total. Normally I would've selected Everett in the 17th and left it alone, but Hooper was another great value to close out Round 18. I believe Everett could get some real attention in the red zone and Hooper is sort of a counter-pick against Treylon Burks should the rookie receiver not take off this year (Ryan Tannehill has leaned on his tight ends over the years). My starting tight end is Hunter Henry and I believe he's a bit undervalued given that the Patriots have a subpar group of receivers. He's still a low-end TE1 and because the position beyond the first couple tiers is basically a value crapshoot, I was willing to roll the dice with Everett and Hooper. Either tight end this late as a backup is fine by me. I am happy to feast in the middle rounds on a TE1 like Henry, Pat Freiermuth, Cole Kmet, etc., then wait until close to the final rounds on either of these options. They aren't that much worse off than the top TE2s -- Irv Smith Jr. and Mike Gesicki -- on a points scored per game average.

Worst Reaches

RB Isiah Pacheco, KC (12.10)
Our betting savant Frank Taddeo will frequently punt the running back position. After starting the draft with four straight receivers, he has to play catch-up at running back and this is the result. Every team except his had at least one running back after the second round. Twenty-three backs were off the board by the time he picked his first (Commanders RB Antonio Gibson). While I do really like his RB2, Texans rookie Dameon Pierce, you put yourself in a very vulnerable position in best ball when you put all your eggs in one basket. Without a doubt, Frank will have dominating receiver scores every week with Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, Mike Williams and Gabriel Davis in tow as his first four picks. But why double down with four more receivers (Adam Thielen, Julio Jones, Isaiah McKenzie and Nico Collins) in the remaining rounds? It's overkill. Another big risk was waiting until Round 16 to draft a TE (Cincinnati's Hayden Hurst) and the final round for a TE2, who's a rookie (Baltimore's Isaiah Likely). All this said, Pacheco is the RB3 on paper and the Chiefs opted to keep Ronald Jones on the roster. There's too much risk—upside, sure, but too much risk for my tastes.

QB Jared Goff, DET (15.03)
I don't mind Goff as a backup, but SI Fantasy's high-stakes guru Shawn Childs also paired him with Kirk Cousins (9.03) and Carson Wentz (19.03). I don't believe there is enough gained in having a third quarterback. I suppose if your best QB is more of a low QB1 or high QB2, it stands to reason a backup has a much better chance of scoring more points. But I put such a premium on stocking up at RB and WR that a third QB not named Watson is a bit of a wasted pick. I love Wentz at that draft position as a backup, but Goff spoils that.

We're going with a speed round to highlight more bad picks. Let's give the people what they want.

• Marlon Mack, even before he was released after we did this draft, was a nothing-burger pick. He wasn't good when he was the clear starter in his career and hey, they cut him for a reason, right? I enjoy using hindsight to make my analysis. Please tell Doug I criticized this pick.

• I'm pretty sure the ever-graceful Jen Piacenti auto-picked Jared Cook (15.09), who has been without a team for months. Not sure why it would auto-pick a guy who isn't even rostered anywhere, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Use your queue, Jen! (Note: I almost auto-picked twice because I wasn't paying attention during our last draft. I'm being a tongue-in-cheek hypocrite right now.)

• Speaking of hindsight analysis, the sigma grinder on staff, Kyle Wood selected Sony Michel. Another example of a running back who was never that great in his prime and was in a reserve role in Miami until he was released after our draft. I do believe he will sign somewhere as a backup so even though it was the 18.02 pick, I still don't like it. Kyle also didn't draft a backup team defense. I don't like it, don't like it one bit.

• SI's executive director of social Kevin Driscoll drafted Russell Gage at 8.03. A month ago, I would have loved this pick. Now, not so much since Chris Godwin looks ready for Week 1 at not quite 100% and Tampa Bay brought in Julio Jones. Just a bit early for my tastes, sorry Kevin.

• Gino Zarrelli, a social media producer at SI, was the first to snag a team defense, the Buffalo Bills at 14.01. The next defense wasn't picked until 16.10. I love the Bills defense but just way too early for me. Give it another couple rounds next time, Gino.

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Published Aug 31, 2022

MATT DE LIMA