How To Win A Million Dollars In Underdog Fantasy Best Ball Leagues: Stacking

The quest for life-changing payday can be found via many avenues in fantasy football. To accomplish this feat, a drafter must rely on many outside forces – opening draft slot, other drafter’s thoughts, draft flow, and injuries. Most important of all is having the right plan in the right draft.

Drafters is a BestBall event that removes the luck of the playoff dance late in the season. The team that scored the most points over the first 17 weeks of the NFL season takes home half a million dollars for an investment of $20. Their contest needs 140,004 teams to sell out.

After receiving a promo email from Drafters, I decided to dump $100 into their contest for five teams. I train wrecked my first two drafts while also entering two slow drafts (eight-hour draft clock).

With my final swing, I saw the light once I received my draft pick (3). My play was to select CeeDee Lamb, and pair him with Dak Prescott, Jake Ferguson, and Jalen Tolbert. The second part of the plan was to stack the Bills, with a goal of landing Josh Allen, Keon Coleman (my sleeper of the year), and Dalton Kincaid.

The goal was to maintain an open mind at running back while ensuring I had sufficient front-end wide receiver depth to compete. At the same time, I needed to stay in rhythm with their ADPs, which required knowing when to move a player up and when to finesse a draft pick.

Here’s how the draft broke:

1.3 CeeDee Lamb (WR), Dallas Cowboys

The first step of my master plan was accomplished. I’m hoping Lamb regains his 2023 form and offers a massive edge at wide receiver.

2.10 Josh Allen (QB), Buffalo Bills

I probably could have drafted Allen in the third round, but I didn’t want to risk missing based on my pre-draft thoughts.

3.2 Bucky Irving (RB), Tampa Bay Buccaneers

As I watched Teams 1 and 2 make their selections, I envisioned rostering Ladd McConkey, which would give my team a strong wide-receiver start. This draft flow was wide receiver-heavy over the first two rounds, leading to Bucky Irving sliding to my third pick. After adding him to my roster, my first thought was tying up Rachaad White and Sean Tucker to lock up the Bucs’ backfield. I quickly added both players to my queue so I could quickly see their ADPs.

4.10 James Cook (RB), Buffalo Bills

I was surprised to see Cook slide to me in the fourth round. He gave him roster protection with Josh Allen while filling my RB2 spot with a better player than I deserved. Just like the Tampa backfield, I queue up Ray Davis to project my second backfield build.

5.2 DK Metcalf (WR), Pittsburgh Steelers

When on the clock, I quickly scanned my wide receiver options. I don’t love the Steelers’ passing offense, but Metcalf should lead the team in receiving touchdowns, and I trusted his resume over the wide receivers drafted after him.

6.10 Deebo Samuel (WR), Washington Commanders

In this round, I was at the mercy of who the other drafters left me at wide receiver. Samuel brings play-making ability, and his role appears to be trending higher with Terry McLaurin looking for a new contract.

7.2 Keon Coleman (WR), Buffalo Bills

In this format, there was no way Coleman was making it back to me in the next round. I was thrilled that I secured my first choice in my Bills’ QB/WR stack. For me to have a chance at the overall title, Coleman must deliver a breakout season.

8.10 Dak Prescott (QB), Dallas Cowboys

On the 8/9 turn, Team 2 failed to draft a quarterback over the first seven rounds. There was no way I could risk letting Prescott slide to my next selection. Stack two has been locked up at the front end.

9.2 Joe Mixon (RB), Houston Texans

Ideally, I was looking for a wide receiver in this range. Jayden Reed and Cooper Kupp went over the previous four picks. I felt the drop-off at wide receiver was much higher than taking a shot on Joe Mixon. By drafting him, I also knew I would target Nick Chubb later, who had a favorable ADP. I now have a piece of three backfields, which should play well in a BestBall format. For the record, I would have drafted Kupp with this pick if he had been available to me.

10.10 Dalton Kincaid (TE), Buffalo Bills

From my last selection to this pick, only two tight ends were drafted. I felt fortunate to get my QB/TE hook-up based on the draft flow in this round.

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11.2 Trey Benson (RB), Arizona Cardinals

When on the clock in this round, I knew that Jake Ferguson should have been my pick ahead of his expected ADP (141). I would have accomplished my initial draft plan for the Bills and Cowboys’ stacks. In the end, I chose the ceiling of Benson while gambling that Ferguson slides to me in round 12. At the same time, I didn’t know for sure that my running back handcuff would fall to me in the rounds that I could roster them.

12.10 Ray Davis (RB), Buffalo Bills

As you can see, Jake Ferguson didn’t make it back to me. He came off the board at pick 141, one selection before my turn. At the moment, I felt I had much more weakness at tight end than I envisioned when adding Trey Bensen in the 11th round. On the positive side, I secured my first running back handcuff.

13.2 Hunter Henry (TE), New England Patriots

This draft forced me to get and get out at tight end in this round. The drop-off in talent was pretty severe, and realistically, I needed two more viable options to stay in the tight end scoring game to compete.

14.10 Nick Chubb (RB), Houston Texans

The Texans should give Chubb most of the running back work out of the gate if Joe Mixon misses any time. My second backfield handcuff is now in place.

15.2 Xavier Leggette (WR), Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

At this point in the draft, I haven’t drafted a wide receiver in seven rounds due to filling in my blanks at other positions in my draft plan. In WR heavy format, I’m at the mercy of who the drafters left me and my view of the player pool. Leggette was a target in this area in the draft, while also rostering him in my two other leagues in this format.

16.10 Isaiah Likely (TE), Baltimore Ravens

Drafting Likely was about looking for upside. The Ravens throw a ton of balls to their tight ends, and he is one injury away from an excellent opportunity. His ADP is more favorable due to him suffering a foot injury in late July.

17.2 Sean Tucker (RB), Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I missed Rachaad White before my pick in the 14th round. It would have been challenging to roster him and Nick Chubb, as it would have cost me a wide receiver. Tucker gives my team some injury protection for Bucky Irving. Ideally, I didn’t want to roster seven running backs, but I thought I had an extra roster slot by committing to only two quarterbacks.

18.10 Troy Franklin (WR), Denver Broncos

I secure my deep sleeper of the year. Franklin brings size and big-play ability, having gained valuable college experience with Bo Nix. His offseason reports have been positive, and he has been working to get stronger.

19.2 Tyler Lockett (WR), Tennessee Titans

Most of the fantasy market this year has treated Lockett as fantasy roadkill. He lines up to be the Titans’ WR2 this year, and his resume suggests a higher outcome than his ADP.

20.10 Jalen Tolbert (WR), Dallas Cowboys

Tolbert showed growth last year, but he enters 2025 as the fourth option in the passing game for the Cowboys. I'm hoping to catch a few helpful games out of him, and Tolbert gives some handcuff value to CeeDee Lamb.

Drafting fantasy teams keeps your mind active while relying on passion for the plan at times. I was so close to acing my draft plan. In the end, I only have a bunch of names, with the hope that their stats will add up to the memorial season. For now, I expect to win the overall prize.