PlayerProfiler is home to award-winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out! Below, Wyatt Bertolone shows you how to assemble a winning best ball team with his Underdog Mock Draft.
Underdog Best Ball drafts require even more strategy than other seasonal fantasy football drafts. Without free agency to fall back on during the season, every pick must be carefully considered and coordinated to ensure the team is prepared and well-built. Especially in large tournaments, where achieving a high percentile outcome is necessary for a high finish. You must balance safety and ceiling expertly. Today, I’ll be examining a recent best ball draft of mine to discuss my process.
Starting Off Right
The first round of Underdog drafts is appropriate. I can nitpick a little bit between players here and there, but for the most part, I’m fine selecting the next player up in ADP. I want exposure to all of them. In this draft, I got a falling Puka Nacua, which was a nice little gift. Getting Nacua past his ADP offers the opportunity to build a team with a unique combo to start the draft that not as many have.
The gifts kept coming in the second round as Ashton Jeanty fell back to me. Ever since the NFL Draft, Jeanty has been a staple of the first round. He’s one of the best running back prospects we’ve seen in recent history, and he landed on a team where he’ll see a lot of opportunity. I couldn’t imagine many teams have been drafted with both Puka Nacua and Ashton Jeanty on them, so I was feeling good.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it three ADP values in a row. That’s ok though, Mike Evans is still a good pick at his cost in tournament best ball on Underdog. There’s reason to have a little worry that Evans will slow down a bit in 2025, but we can also have faith that he still has a large ceiling in small samples. In a tournament where you have to advance out of pods each week until a big final in week 17, Evans has value.
Building A Foundation
Kyren Williams isn’t for everyone. Kyren Williams in the fourth round is for me, though. Sure, he has some concern that he’ll lose a little bit of the volume that’s propping him up. We also had those concerns last year, and it turned out there was no need to worry. Williams’ current ADP more than accounts for any concern. Drafting Williams also helps build out my Rams bet after drafting Puka Nacua in the first round.
Jauan Jennings is another player who will split people. Jennings is a late-career breakout wide receiver who’s a below-average athlete. He has also been efficient whenever he has had the opportunity and produced at a high level in 2024. With Deebo Samuel gone and Brandon Aiyuk on the mend, Jennings projects to have a big role for the 49ers in 2025. Yes, there’s the contract news. These things normally work themselves out.
In the sixth round, I was treated to another gift. This time it was a falling Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard isn’t flashy, but he’s been a quality back and showed improvement in 2024 while being a workhorse for the Panthers. Jonathon Brooks will miss all of 2025, and newly acquired Rico Dowdle projects to be Hubbard’s handcuff. Hubbard will have a good role again in 2025 on the ascending Panthers’ offense.
Finding A Lane
In the seventh round, I took a bit of a risk that didn’t pay off. I wanted to get two wide receivers here with my seventh and eighth picks. I wanted to get Darnell Mooney and Emeka Egbuka. Egubka was the more important player to me as I like him more, and he helps build out a potential Buccaneers stack with Mike Evans. Egbuka has the latter ADP, so I went with Mooney first, hoping to get Egbuka back. Unfortunately, as you can see, Egbuka did not come back.
In hindsight, I should have taken Emeka Egbuka first. But, it’s worth taking risks like this as the times when it works are worth more. With Michael Pittman being drafted before my eighth-round pick as well, all the wide receivers I wanted in this spot were gone. I settled for Tony Pollard, who was next up on my board, but frankly, I wasn’t pumped about it. I could have reached a bit for Baker Mayfield. However, I decided to take a risk again and see what happens.
In the ninth round, my second risky bet paid off. Baker Mayfield was an easy selection after ADP to pair with Mike Evans. Mayfield won’t duplicate his 2024 season, but another high finish should be expected. It sure would be nice to have Emeka Egbuka on this team as well. You win some, you lose some. At least I know at this point that if I want to, I can add Cade Otton late in the draft to further build out the stack.
Solidifying The Build
With only four wide receivers through nine rounds, it was a priority moving forward. Rashid Shaheed has some risk since he’s returning from an ACL injury, but that’s priced into his cost. If Shaheed had stayed healthy in 2024, we’d be talking about whether or not he or Chris Olave should be taken first. Shaheed was the more productive player while they were both healthy. I like Shaheed at his cost.
Still without a tight end in round 11, it was time to make a move. Tucker Kraft is one of my favorite tight ends to bet on at cost. He’s been highly efficient on his opportunities and earned an every-down role for the Packers. The only concern is how much the Packers will pass in 2025 and the crowded receiving corps. The wide receivers don’t bother me. They rotate, but Kraft doesn’t. How much the Packers’ pass is tougher to project, but if Kraft also earns more opportunities like he can, it won’t be an issue.
Going into round 12, I still needed more wide receiver help. Christian Kirk has lost some of his luster that he gained from his first year with the Jaguars. At first, his signing with the Texans looked great as, at that time, the only other wide receiver on the roster of consequence was Nico Collins. But then the Texans left the NFL Draft with Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Kirk’s 2025 projection took a hit, but he still will be their starting slot wide receiver. With the Texans’ offensive line being as bad as it is, Kirk could be a valuable weapon working as a quick outlet for CJ Stroud.
Finishing It Up
The last six rounds were about finishing up each position. Pairing Matthew Stafford with Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams in the thirteenth round builds out my secondary stack. Despite nearing the end of his career, Stafford is still playing at a high level. Austin Ekeler rounds out the running back corps. Ekeler is at an advanced age, but he showed in 2024 that he’s not done yet, and he plays on one of the league’s top offenses.
In rounds 15 and 17, I filled out my tight end room with Jonnu Smith and Cade Otton. Smith has seen his stock drop precipitously since being traded to the Steelers. At this cost, and as the Steelers’ second-best receiving option, he’s worth it. With just Smith and Tucker Kraft, I wanted a third tight end. Otton isn’t sexy, but he builds out my Buccaneers stack, and we saw that he can produce if called upon.
Wan’dale Robinson and Jalen Coker finish up my wide receiver room in the 16th and 18th rounds. Robinson is a high-floor, low-ceiling player. On this team, I wanted a little more floor at this point. This team is built on running back firepower, and one will be my flex in most weeks. Coker, on the other hand, is the upside swing. Coker impressed in limited time as a rookie. After Tetairoa McMillan, the Panthers’ next passing game option is up for grabs.
Team Review
All in all, I’m happy with the team, though I can nitpick it. I already mentioned that I should have drafted Emeka Egbuka over Darnell Mooney. If I had known I was going to get a falling Chuba Hubbard, I wouldn’t have taken Kyren Williams and instead would have taken a wide receiver there. This would have given me more flexibility through the draft and the potential option for a third quarterback, which I wouldn’t have minded. Just Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford are right on the edge of being enough for me. Some lessons you just can’t learn without doing the drafts.
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