4for4 Staff Superflex Best Ball Draft & Roundtable Discussion

Apr 10, 2023

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Hardcore best ball players have already been drafting for months but April is unique in that the main contests available are Superflex leagues, highlighted by the $500K Big Board: Superflex tournament on Underdog Fantasy. In the spirit of Superflex best ball leagues, eight members of the 4for4 staff joined an Underdog league and had a roundtable discussion about the draft and their general thoughts and strategies on Superflex best ball leagues.

Roster Settings: 1 QB/2 RB/ 2 WR/1 TE/1 Flex/1 Superflex + 12 bench spots

Scoring: Half-PPR

Draft Order

4for4 Fan
Chris G.
Jeff Hicks
Connor Allen
Justin Edwards
4for4 Fan
TJ Hernandez
John Daigle
Jennifer Eakins
4for4 Fan
Tim Talmadge
4for4 Fan

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4for4 Staff Superflex Best Ball Draft Roundtable

How do you approach roster construction in a Superflex Best Ball league with 20 roster spots?

Jennifer: I think 4-6-7-3 is the sweet spot unless you decide to wait on QB or TE and go 5-6-6-3 or 4-6-6-4. I prefer to have at least one elite QB but if I am in the later part of the draft as I was here, I'll grab the best player available in the first round and then a QB from that next tier on the way back.

John: Superflex drafts are always fun because the more pragmatic you are (rather than being locked into one particular strategy), the easier it is to optimize your lineup. We all want to draft one of the big four quarterbacks — Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Fields — in any particular order, but when the top of the draft does not allow for that (and in this case it obviously didn't), it's genuinely a mistake to stay glued to that strategy. Thus the first seven picks made my selection for me since I could then pivot to a player who could win their position — Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey, Travis Kelce — instead of chasing a low-end QB1 just to fit the mold. And in understanding that there is one less starting receiver required in this format (WR-WR-SFLEX-FLEX), I knew I could stack a few elite WRs early and finish with fewer than everyone else since I was top-heavy at a position that should be less prioritized in half-PPR leagues (especially when you only need two weekly).

Justin: It will depend on where I spend my high-premium picks, but I'd like to leave the draft with something similar to 4/6/7/3

TJ: Compared to traditional best ball leagues, where you can force some extreme roster constructions for the sake of uniqueness, Superflex best ball leagues force you into a somewhat balanced roster. This is especially true with only two starting wide receivers. Unlike traditional best ball leagues, having more running backs than wide receivers can sometimes be optimal in this format.

Do you have a preferred draft slot in Superflex Best Ball leagues? If so, which spot and why?

Jeff: Superflex drafts tend to be different each time so I'm okay drafting anywhere.

Connor: I generally prefer the end or beginning because it is easier to stack and plan for what I need.

Tim: Picking early gives such an advantage. As teams with later slots play catch-up at QB, the early picks likely land some top RB/WRs on the comeback.

Who was your biggest reach in this draft? Why do you like this player more than his ADP or what other factors made you reach?

Chris: You reach I teach… I only took two guys prior to ADP: T.J. Hockenson (wanted an elite TE at the onesie position to allow me more flexibility with the Flex spots) and Chase Brown (really high on him due to his NFL Combine results).

Justin: I felt like I reached on Geno Smith as my QB2 with the 29th pick. His outlier 2022 performance seems like a difficult one to reproduce, but the quarterbacks going immediately after him (Wilson/Rodgers/Carr) felt like a tier drop, and I needed a quarterback instead of waiting 15 spots for another.

John: With Josh Jacobs, Ken Walker, Tony Pollard, and Nick Chubb — the latter two being the best values at any position in pre-draft Best Ball leagues — available at 3.8, I honestly thought I could pass on that position for my first QB (Russell Wilson) and anchor one of those four on the way back. But all of them flying off the board within the next eight picks then forced me into an injured Kyler Murray, who is knowingly not expected back within the first month of the season, if at all; selecting Kyler in any draft, let alone Superflex leagues, immediately means padding that position in the later rounds just in case he's held out altogether in a rebuilding year. So I knew I was eyeing a 5-QB build the moment I took him, which isn't necessarily ideal.

Jeff: My reach was Baker Mayfield without considering ADP. He ended up as my QB3 and considering he was pick 99, I was more interested in a QB that had a chance to play 8-12 games. Not the ideal QB but he has enough of a track record. Some teams had four QBs when I took him so I considered him an option to play at least half the season based on who was left at the position.

Who was your best value in this draft? What do you like about this player that the field is missing?

Chris: Mike Williams. New OC who had a top-five scoring offense with the previous team and a big target who should get more red zone looks due to hopefully being healthy.

Jennifer: He wasn't my largest value in numbers, but Brian Robinson fell to me a half of a round past his ADP as my RB4. While the Commanders' offense is tough to get excited about, Robinson was a fantasy RB3 last year from Week 6 on after coming back from a gunshot wound. He was 10th among RBs in touches per game in that time frame (18.6) and had five games in that span with 85+ rushing yards.

Connor: Getting Ezekiel Elliott at pick 165 is wild. He will be a top-100 pick once he signs with a team. I get that he is probably washed but he could find himself with a big role.

Tim: I could just be a homer but I think it's Desmond Ridder. He's being selected after quite a few uncertain starters despite the fact that the Falcons have said he's their guy. He has one of the better receiving duos in the league and brings some low-key rushing upside.

TJ: Chigoziem Okonkwo. In a sharp draft, I take my guys rather than trying to get players past their ADP in every round but Okonkwo is one of my favorite players at his price. The Titans' tight end led his position in yards per route run in 2022, an indicator that he may be ready to join an elite group of players at his position. Going outside the starter ranks at his position with limited target competition, Chig is a great player to complement an elite option

How did your draft strategy change, if at all, with the roster requirement of just two wide receivers compared to three wide receivers in standard Underdog best ball leagues?

Chris: It changed everything. Adding another flex spot opens more opportunities for other positions like RB and QB.

Jennifer: I usually take at least eight, sometimes nine WRs in best ball formats, and held back due to only needing to start two per week. My focus was more on having a serviceable QB3 in those later single-digit rounds when I'd normally be focusing on WR, and then grabbing a dart QB4 in the final four rounds where that would tend to be an extra wideout, as well.

John: I'm not opposed to drafting 6-7 wide receivers if you're getting value (or your stacks require it), but being in the back half of Superflex leagues should immediately put you into a top-heavy approach at a slim spot. Since only two receivers are required, I know I'm trying to win that position rather than chasing elite QBs with options who simply aren't elite. And the fact I took four wideouts within the first seven rounds means I'm betting on them to account for that position weekly whether they hit or not. ("If it's a lie, then we fight on that lie.") That draft capital alone meant I could leave WRs be, and focus on every other spot.

TJ: If I start with a strong wide receivers corps, I’m willing to limit myself to six wide receivers and draft seven or more running backs as I did in this draft. While my priority is a winning quarterback depth chart, when a draft falls like this, I’m happy to load up on late-round running backs over receivers, especially when there is the potential for a lot of closing-line value on their ADPs—rookie running backs before the NFL Draft are great candidates for this.

What was the biggest mistake you made in this draft?

Connor: I probably should have picked one more QB because of Superflex rather than relying on just two studs.

Justin: I need DeAndre Hopkins or Tyler Lockett to carry my WR1 slot and that is going to prove to be very tough.

Tim: I could end up with a bag of nothing at QB but that's how the board fell. My bigger regret would probably be the lack of stacks.

What is the biggest mistake that the average player makes in Superflex Best Ball leagues when they are used to playing non-Superflex leagues?

Chris: They draft too many QBs when there are only two maximum spots where QBs can be slotted.

Jeff: Going QB-QB-QB and missing out on studs that fall such as Davante Adams, the three workhorse RBs left, etc.

Jennifer: Playing QB chicken rarely ends well in Superflex formats, particularly if you're drafting with people who are used to the format. Sure, there are plenty of serviceable QBs down the rankings, but without securing at least one fantasy QB1 you'll be chasing mediocre QBs for the rest of the draft.

Connor: Not playing the QB situation right can completely sink you. Too many and you don't have enough upside at other positions. Too few and you have no shot to compete each week.

John: Chasing QB when those who break the game are already gone. I personally put Fields in that league-winning tier given his increased 10.7 carries per game in year one under OC Luke Getsy, but there's an argument to be made that JJ, CMC, and Kelce should all be drafted ahead of anyone not named Allen, Hurts, and Mahomes.

Justin: You absolutely cannot piece together a team with streamer-level quarterbacks. Your flex position will not carry you with an RB3 or WR3 when the rest of the league is plugging in a quarterback in that slot.

Tim: Panicking over supply and demand. The teams that come away stacked at QB will have an advantage but there are ways to get your own.

TJ: Getting caught in the mediocre QB2 trap. This happens a lot with teams drafting at the back half of the first round that feel forced to take two quarterbacks at the turn, even if they are mediocre options. I’d rather try to “win” the other positions and take a platoon approach to my QB2 than settle for non-elite players at every position

Besides yourself, which roster do you like the most from this draft? Why?

Chris: Connor's team in the 4-slot. Probably the most balanced team in the draft. If Watson hits he probably walks away with all the money.

Jennifer: Team 12's strategy of three QB/WR1 stacks to start the draft (assuming Aaron Rodgers is a Jet) could really pay off, plus he added Mecole Hardman to that New York stack later on. He added three potential lead backs in Rounds 7-10 and also drafted one of my favorite rookie RBs Israel Abanikanda later, although he did reach a few rounds for him. Kyle Pitts is an enigma heading into 2023 but if he hits, is already a value with an ADP of 79.1 and he was taken here at spot 85.

Justin: Everyone did great.

Do you have any other thoughts, tips, or ideas about Superflex Best Ball that you would like to share?

Chris: Take advantage of the WR heavy drafters from the previous tournament who jump in and forget to read the rules.

Connor: Don't be afraid to take high-upside picks early in the draft season that haven't signed with teams or haven't been drafted yet.

Justin: Keep in mind that this format essentially eliminates a WR, which devalues the position

Tim: In any format, it ultimately comes down to roster construction. Personally, I go in with checklists for each position and manage the board around that. Obviously, it doesn't always go to plan but it helps. Especially in a fast draft like this.