It’s never too early for best ball.
Underdog Fantasy is offering $10 and $3 tournaments – The Big and Little Board – that will close on April 27th, right before the NFL Draft.
In addition to this frequently updated article, our staff will also be constantly updating the individual and consensus Best Ball rankings.
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These are my top-240 best ball rankings:
Round 1-2 Best Ball Rankings
1. WR1 Justin Jefferson
2. WR2 Ja’Marr Chase
3. RB1 Christian McCaffrey
4. TE1 Travis Kelce
5. WR3 Tyreek Hill
6. WR4 Cooper Kupp
7. WR5 Stefon Diggs
8. RB2 Saquon Barkley
9. RB3 Jonathan Taylor
10. WR6 Davante Adams
11. RB4 Austin Ekeler
12. WR7 CeeDee Lamb
13. WR8 A.J. Brown
14. RB5 Bijan Robinson
15. RB6 Ken Walker
16. WR9 Amon-Ra St. Brown
17. WR10 Jaylen Waddle
18. QB1 Josh Allen
19. WR11 DeVonta Smith
20. WR12 Garrett Wilson
21. RB7 Nick Chubb
22. RB8 Josh Jacobs
23. QB2 Jalen Hurts
24. QB3 Patrick Mahomes
Projection Points
With very few bell-cow running backs left, wide receivers and all of the top fantasy quarterbacks are being pushed up the board in early drafts. The QBs are pricey, but it’s hard to argue against the safety/edge that having one of Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, or Patrick Mahomes provides.
There are a ton of RBs with interesting profiles in the late-rounds – further lowering early-round RB demand and making these QBs a bit easier to swallow.
With that said, Kenneth Walker III stands out as one of the few RBs that doesn’t have any competition for touches and is on a good offense. Walker was the RB9 in fantasy points per game (14.9) as the Seahawks' starter, and that was with a limited receiving role. It’s not hard to project Walker getting even better in his sophomore season.
Nick Chubb just finished as the RB5 in fantasy points per game (15.8) – tied with Saquon Barkley. Yet, he’s going after Breece Hall in early drafts? Make it make sense. Chubb was fantastic yet again last year, finishing second in yards after contact per carry (3.35) and tied for first in missed tackles forced per carry (0.31). Chubb’s spiked games are just like prime Derrick Henry.
Round 3-4 Best Ball Rankings
25. RB8 Derrick Henry
26. RB10 Travis Etienne
27. RB11 Tony Pollard
28. WR13 Tee Higgins
29. RB12 Rhamondre Stevenson
30. WR14 DK Metcalf
31. TE2 Mark Andrews
32. WR15 Chris Olave
33. RB11 Najee Harris
34. QB4 Joe Burrow
35. WR16 Deebo Samuel
36. QB5 Justin Fields
37. TE3 TJ Hockenson
38. RB14 David Montgomery
39. WR17 Amari Cooper
40. RB15 Breece Hall
41. WR18 DeAndre Hopkins
42. QB6 Lamar Jackson
43. WR19 Chris Godwin
44. WR20 Michael Pittman
45. WR21 Mike Williams
46. WR22 Christian Kirk
47. RB16 Aaron Jones
48. RB17 Miles Sanders
Projection Points
Joe Burrow has accounted for 76 total TDs in his last 32 regular season games, which is only eight fewer than Mahomes and Allen. Oh, and Burrow has played two fewer games than Mahomes. Is that good? Again, we’re seeing quarterbacks rightfully pushed up the board because of their high projectable floor and ceiling. Burrow gets a little extra boost in my rankings because stacks with Ja’Marr Chase and/or Tee Higgins should be a priority.
It’s hard not to be excited about Justin Fields. D.J. Moore is the exact receiver this offense needs and the draft capital they received in return for the #1 overall pick should give their front office the assets necessary to help rebuild their offensive line.
Fields flashed league-winning upside last season as yet another example of an incredible scrambler being a cheat code in fantasy football, making his ceiling the QB1 right up there with Allen, Hurts, and Mahomes.
The Lions told us exactly how they feel about D’Andre Swift by signing David Montgomery to a similar deal (in average yearly salary) to Miles Sanders’ new contract with the Panthers. Montgomery is an upgrade over Jamaal Williams and has more receiving upside than meets the eye if the team continues to move away from Swift. I wrote about Montgomery’s fantasy football projection with the Lions in more detail here.
Breece Hall is a tricky projection. He was incredible in his rookie season and looked like he was on the precipice of a massive breakout with 609 scrimmage yards in his first six games. I’m a big believer in his talent, but spending a third-round pick on a running back coming off a knee injury on a team without a QB is a big swing for the fence early. Per our Edwin Porras’ research, the average return time for a running back coming off an ACL tear is 10.7 months. Hall will be 10 months clear from surgery in September.
The Panthers are about to take their QB of the future – C.J. Stroud? – and shored up their backfield with Miles Sanders. He’s clearly a free agent winner and a strong fit in HC Frank Reich’s outside-zone scheme. I wrote about Sanders' fantasy football outlook in Carolina here.
Round 5-6 Best Ball Rankings
49. WR23 Terry McLaurin
50. TE4 George Kittle
51. WR24 D.J. Moore
52. WR25 Christian Watson
53. QB7 Justin Herbert
54. WR26 Calvin Ridley
55. WR27 Drake London
56. WR28 Jerry Jeudy
57. RB18 Dalvin Cook
58. WR29 Jameson Williams
59. TE5 Dallas Goedert
60. TE6 Darren Waller
61. QB8 Trevor Lawrence
62. RB19 Jahmyr Gibbs
63. TE7 Kyle Pitts
64. WR30 Jaxon Smith-Njigba
65. WR31 Tyler Lockett
66. WR32 Keenan Allen
67. WR33 Marquise Brown
68. TE8 Evan Engram
69. WR34 Mike Evans
70. RB20 JK Dobbins
71. RB21 Joe Mixon
72. RB22 Javonte Williams
Projection Points
I’m just a tick lower on Christian Watson than the Underdog market. The potential drop-off from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love is real.
For the first time in three years, I am higher than ADP on Kyle Pitts. This is the time to buy with his stock so (relatively) low. The NFC South is wide open and the Falcons have the picks and salary cap to make a big move at quarterback.
With the Chargers nearly $20M over the cap, Keenan Allen is a cut candidate according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. Allen is about to be 31 years old, and I’m not sure there is an opportunity out there for him to continue getting anywhere close to the 10.6 targets per game he saw last season.
Joe Mixon finally got the best offensive line of his career, only to squander it with his worst year of his career so far. Among the 33 RBs with at least 150 carries on the season, Mixon ranked dead last in missed tackles forced per carry (0.09) as just 30.5% of his carries gained 5+ yards (32nd). Mixon was once one of the most dynamic runners in the game, but this massive drop-off in skill is a huge concern for his future.
The Bengals will go as far as Joe Burrow takes them, but HC Zac Taylor has to be left wanting more from their inept run game. Mixon will be 27 years old in 2023 and the Bengals can save upwards of $10M by cutting him after June 1, according to The Athletic’s Jay Morrison.
Round 7-8 Best Ball Rankings
73. RB23 Dameon Pierce
74. RB24 Rachaad White
75. WR35 Kadarius Toney
76. WR36 Treylon Burks
77. RB25 Isiah Pacheco
78. WR37 Diontae Johnson
79. WR38 Brandon Aiyuk
80. WR39 Jahan Dotson
81. WR40 George Pickens
82. WR41 Rashod Bateman
83. WR42 Quentin Johnson
84. WR43 Courtland Sutton
85. WR44 Jordan Addison
86. WR45 Zay Flowers
87. QB9 Deshaun Watson
88. QB10 Dak Prescott
89. RB26 Alvin Kamara
90. RB27 Tyler Allgeier
91. RB28 Khalil Herbert
92. RB29 Brian Robinson
93. RB30 Cam Akers
94. RB31D’Andre Swift
95. RB32 James Conner
96. QB10 Daniel Jones
Projection Points
Jahan Dotson quietly popped with 4.2 receptions and 68.1 yards per game over his final five contests of his rookie season. He also cashed in three more TDs in this stretch, giving him 7 on the season. Dotson showed excellent separation skills in his rookie campaign and I see him taking a huge step in 2023. I want him on every one of my teams.
The RB dead zone isn’t so dead in early best-ball tournaments. In fact, I want to live in the Round 7-12 range here.
I’ve got Rachaad White, Khalil Herbert, and Brian Robinson ranked slightly ahead of ADP while Isiah Pacheco and Tyler Allgeier both have 1,100 scrimmage yards and 8-10 TDs as a ceiling outcome even if they don’t have great receiving profiles.
What if the Bears don’t draft a running back with an early pick, and instead just try to rebuild their offensive line? If that happens, Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman are both mispriced by 15+ spots in ADP.
Round 9-10 Best Ball Rankings
97. QB11 Tua Tagovailoa
98. TE9 Pat Freiermuth
99. TE10 David Njoku
100. RB33 Jamaal Williams
101. RB34 Zach Charbonnet
102. RB35 Damien Harris
103. TE11 Dalton Schultz
104. WR46 Jakobi Meyers
105. WR47 Elijah Moore
106. WR48 Darnell Mooney
107. WR49 Brandin Cooks
108. WR50 Josh Palmer
109. WR51 Gabe Davis
110. QB13 Kirk Cousins
111. QB14 Aaron Rodgers
112. WR52 Josh Downs
113. RB36 James Cook
114. RB37 Rashaad Penny
115. RB38 A.J. Dillon
116. QB15 Jared Goff
117. TE11 Dawson Knox
118. TE12 Greg Dulcich
119. RB39 Ken Gainwell
120. RB40 Antonio Gibson
Projection Points
I was higher than the field on Pat Freiermuth last season and it’s easy to be back in at his lowly 111 overall ADP. Over the last two years, Freiermuth has out-scored Kyle Pitts on a per game basis (7.9 to 7.5) without an ounce of the hype Pitts has received.
There are going to be a few running backs in this range that don’t pan out, but I’m of the opinion that going WR-heavy early is optimal because of the amount of mid- to late-round runners there are right now…
Jamaal Williams is a solid running mate for Alvin Kamara and can obviously handle 18-22 touches in any game that Kamara should miss due to potential suspension. Not only does Williams have standalone usability as the early-down RB, but I think he has untapped upside as a receiver after barely being involved in the Lions pass game last year.
Rashaad Penny could legitimately lead the league in YPC if he stays healthy for 120-150 carries. The Eagles will likely be in the market for a rookie to add to their depth chart, but Ken Gainwell is set up to expand his role as well.
Damien Harris is the best early-down and short-yardage RB the Bills have ever had in the Josh Allen era and he’s a great fit with James Cook’s skillset. That backfield is ambiguous for season-long leagues where we have start/sit decisions, but I absolutely want to include Harris in my draft plan in every best-ball league as an RB3/4 target. Harris has 8-10 TD upside if the Bills are serious about running Josh Allen a little bit less.
While Brian Robinson started to look healthy and gain steam late last season, Antonio Gibson finally got an expanded role in the passing game. J.D. McKissic (neck) is officially gone as well.
You can make a case for any of the running backs in this range to not just have usable weeks, but far exceed their ADP.
Round 11-12 Best Ball Rankings
121. QB16 Geno Smith
122. WR53 JuJu Smith-Schuster
123. WR54 Zay Jones
124. WR55 Michael Thomas
125. WR56 Donovan-Peoples Jones
126. WR57 Jalin Hyatt
127. WR58 Adam Thielen
128. WR59 KJ Osborn
129. WR60 Tyler Boyd
130. WR61 Allen Lazard
131. QB17 Russell Wilson
132. RB41 Samaje Perine
133. RB42 Alexander Mattison
134. RB43 Devon Achane
135. QB18 Kyler Murray
136. QB19 Derek Carr
137. TE13 Cole Kmet
138. RB44 Raheem Mostert
139. RB45 Devin Singletary
140. TE15 Chig Okonkwo
141. QB20 Matthew Stafford
142. QB21 Trey Lance
143. RB46 Elijah Mitchell
144. RB47 Jeff Wilson
Projection Points
While the Cardinals organization goes through a massive upheaval, Kyler Murray will be exactly nine months removed from surgery in September. After getting a massive contract extension last year – and with the Cardinals clearly fighting upstream in the division – might the team take it easy with Murray’s rehab in 2023?
We need Kyler to run for fantasy. Plain and simple. It’s more than fair to wonder what he’ll provide as a scrambler when he returns this year. With that said, I’m not taking Kyler at his ADP right now and am largely avoiding what could be a trainwreck offense.
Trey Lance is the most difficult QB projection on the board. You could make a case for him as early as 90 overall or as late as 150 – so this is a bit of a middle-ground ranking. We really have no idea how the 49ers QB situation plays out while it’s fair to wonder what Lance’s mobility will be like after sustaining such a nasty ankle injury. I feel awful for the guy, but the 49ers Super Bowl window is wide open. Do they give Lance another shot?
Round 13-16 Best Ball Rankings
145. RB48 D’Onta Foreman
146. WR62 D.J. Chark
147. WR63 Skyy Moore
148. RB49 Roschon Johnson
149. WR64 Wan’Dale Robinson
150. QB22 Bryce Young
151. TE16 Tyler Higbee
152. WR65 Romeo Doubs
153. WR66 Robert Woods
154. WR67 Alec Pierce
155. WR68 Michael Gallup
156. QB23 Kenny Pickett
157. QB24 CJ Stroud
158. QB25 Anthony Richardson
159. QB26 Jordan Love
160. WR69 Nico Collins
161. RB50 Kareem Hunt
162. RB51 Tank Bigsby
163. RB52 Tyaje Spears
164. TE17 Taysom Hill
165. RB53 Jaylen Warren
166. WR70 Chase Claypool
167. WR71 Curtis Samuel
168. TE18 Michael Mayer
169. WR72 Rashid Shaheed
170. WR73 Darius Slayton
171. WR74 Mecole Hardman
172. WR75 Rashee Rice
173. WR76 Kayshon Boutte
174. WR77 Rondale Moore
175. WR78 Isaiah Hodgins
176. WR79 Marvin Mims
177. WR80 Marquez Valdes-Scantling
178. WR81 Odell Beckham
179. TE19 Trey McBride
180. TE20 Noah Fant
181. RB54 Cordarrelle Patterson
182. RB55 Leonard Fournette
183. RB56 Ezekiel Elliott
184. QB27 Mac Jones
185. WR82 DeVante Parker
186. WR83 A.T. Perry
187. WR84 Tim Patrick
188. WR85 Khalil Shakir
189. WR86 Parris Campbell
190. WR87 Hunter Renfrow
191. WR88 Tyquan Thornton
192. WR89 Terrace Marshall
Round 17-20 Best Ball Rankings
193. QB28 Brock Purdy
194. QB29 Ryan Tannehill
195. QB30 Jimmy Garoppolo
196. TE21 Hayden Hurst
197. TE22 Mike Gesicki
198. TE23 Jake Ferguson
199. RB57 Michael Carter
200. RB58 Clyde Edwards-Helaire
201. RB59 Zach Evans
202. RB60 Jerick McKinnon
203. TE24 Luke Musgrave
204. TE25 Gerald Everett
205. TE26 Hunter Henry
206. WR90 Allen Robinson
207. WR91 John Metchie
208. WR92 Cedric Tillman
209. WR93 Van Jefferson
210. WR94 Corey Davis
211. WR95 Braxton Berrios
212. WR96 Isaiah McKenzie
213. TE27 Juwan Johnson
214. RB61 Kenny McIntosh
215. RB62 DeWayne McBride
216. TE28 Isaiah Likely
217. TE29 Jelani Woods
218. QB31 Sam Howell
219. RB63 Sean Tucker
220. TE30 Tyler Conklin
221. TE31 Dalton Kincaid
222. WR97 Mack Hollins
223. RB64 Chuba Hubbard
224. RB65 Jerome Ford
225. QB32 Will Levis
226. TE32 Zach Ertz
227. RB66 Kyren Williams
228. RB67 Zonovan Knight
229. RB68 Zamir White
230. RB69 Boston Scott
231. WR98 Kendrick Bourne
232. RB70 Kendre Miller
233. RB71 Chase Brown
234. RB72 Evan Hull
235. RB73 Chase Edmonds
236. RB74 James Robinson
237. RB75 Nyheim Hines
238. RB76 Eric Gray
239. QB33 Baker Mayfield
240. TE33 Irv Smith
