Best Ball is a Way Better Fantasy Format Than Start/Sit Leagues
I used to be like you: young, dumb, hopeful. Now, I am a father and there’s a certain type of wisdom that comes bestowed upon you as a result. I used to be against Best Ball leagues. I thought it was a scapegoat for plebes that couldn’t make good decisions on who to start or sit. Trey Daubert actually tried to tell me this, but I was too dumb.
Now, I’ve seen the light. Best Ball leagues are superior to start/sit leagues.
For one, how in the hell do you predict injuries? It’s literally impossible. You could start the best fantasy player in the history of fantasy football, and he could get injured the first play and then you’re just f***ed.
I know this because I chose Christian McCaffrey multiple times and always got burned when he got injured. Then, you don’t have the ability to change your lineup because it’s locked after they start the game. So, I basically lose that week because a guy got injured and I can’t sub him out.
What kind of sense does that make? Do you know what happens in actual NFL games, or even a fucking peewee football game? A player gets hurt and the next player goes in. A wild concept I know. Do you know what happens in a Best Ball league? My player gets injured, and a guy from my bench takes his spot, JUST LIKE IN AN ACTUAL GAME. It makes sense.
Secondly, since we are on the topic of the actuality of football, if a player is having a poor game, guess what, you take him out and you feed the next guy on the bench.
Players are going to have bad games and it really doesn’t matter the circumstances. It could be the weather, it could be the best game plan ever made against a certain player, it could be an injury like we talked about. Do you know what you do in an actual game? You adjust, you sub guys in or out depending on their performance.
Guess what a Best Ball league does? That’s right you guessed it, it puts in the best production of points it can according to your starting lineups in your league, you don’t even have to touch it.
I’ve seen the best teams of fantasy get f***ed by just choosing on who to start in start/sit leagues. Sometimes, the players are very similar in production averages and potential of production and one player just goes off and the other lays a goose egg. It happens and is normal. What’s not normal is punishing that player for starting the wrong guy and not being able to change it.
What kind of sense does that make? Fantasy football leagues should award players with the best fantasy team, right? How can you do that if you have to choose who to start each week before the game and aren’t able to adjust it at all?
This was my first year doing a Best Ball league and I will never go back to a start/sit league.
Week by week, I focused more on making the best possible team I can and let my players worry about production. If you don’t have a deep team, you will most likely lose due to the unpredictable nature of the NFL. If you have a deep team, you are more likely to win games because you can get the best possible production from your team and not just like five guys. It’s a team game.
If your fantasy league isn’t doing a best ball league yet, you live in the Stone Age with start/sit leagues. Get with the times and go best ball, it’ll change your entire outlook on fantasy football. Trust.
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