Tips From Top Players: MFL10 Strategy with 14TeamMocker and Scott Barrett
With the NFL draft in the rearview mirror, the attention has moved from rookie talent evaluation to how depth charts are likely to shake out by summer's end. For the fantasy football player that doesn't want to wait until August to draft, best-ball leagues such as MFL10s have become a popular option, but the true degenerates have already been drafting for months.
In this series, I will interview some of the top MFL10 players in the industry to pick their brains on how they approach this relatively new fantasy football format.
For the first iteration, 14Team Mocker of Rotoviz and Scott Barrett of Pro Football Focus offered their insight.
How many MFL10s did you play last year? How many do you plan on playing this year?
Scott Barrett: 100+, 100+
14Team Mocker: 40 and 45
Do you find an edge in participating in more drafts at certain times during the year? When and why?
SB: Yes, more [inexperienced players] in August. My profit% by month bears this out.
14: Each of the last two years it seems like I do worst in August drafts. Not sure if it's the overconfidence of people who do them earlier in the year, or my strategy thrives from more unknowns, or if it's just a coincidence.
Is there a maximum amount of exposure you want to have to any single player? Will you forego value and bypass that player if that max exposure is reached?
SB: 18% in R1-3. 25% in R4-16. Not limit after.
14: I don't feel comfortable with more than 25 - 30% exposure to anyone, but if their ADP is really low I don't care as much. Was way overexposed to Jamaal Charles, CJ Anderson, Kendall Wright, and Breshad Perriman last year. That was fun.
In a vacuum, do you have an ideal roster construction strategy (# of players at each position) that you strive for? Any popular strategies that you almost always avoid?
SB: 2QB, 2-3TE, 2-3DEF, 4-5RB, Rest on WR
14: I will always construct a team of 2QB/6RB/7WR/3TE/2DEF, no exceptions.
Is there an unconventional roster construction strategy that you have successfully used in the past or would like to implement this year?
14: No, I will never deviate, I have a fairly nuanced (read: bullshit) theory about why that strategy is optimal.
What is one rule that differentiates your MFL10 draft strategy from your traditional redraft strategy?
SB: Depth is far more important in best ball. Different guys provide different value. DeSean Jackson is more valuable because of his high-ceiling. Unpredictability is not important. Jason Witten/Alex Smith as high-floor backups actually provide value.
14: I want to commit fairly significant assets in MFL10s to two quarterbacks I am highly confident will not lose their job unless it's to injury. In redraft, I'll take a QB at the very end with a solid Week 1 matchup or first few weeks, and stream or trade the rest of the season. I'm also more interested in boom/bust type receiving backs in MFL10s, ones with high weekly ceilings, even if they have little chance of claiming a 3-down role. In redraft, I'm not rostering running backs without a chance at a workhorse role unless things have become desperate.
How do you manage your bankroll, or at what point do you decide to make the jump from MFL10s to MFL25s, or even MFL100s?
SB: I don't manage my bankroll, but I've been profitable every year I've done this so... YOLO?
14: I only do MFL10s.
Do you plan on participating in MFL 50/50s this season? If so, how will you approach this new format?
SB: Absolutely not.
14: I probably will, but not sure how much different of a strategy I'll use. While I approach MFL10s with the idea that I'm trying to come in first, and never playing for sixth place, it's tough to change your strategy in a way that can predict which rosters could be buttressed from 9th to 6th place, and exactly how.
What is one tip that would you give to someone signing up for their first MFL10?
SB: Follow me on twitter
14: Don't.
Which player do you hope to have the most shares of in MFL10s this season and why?
SB: He's a secret.
14: Kenny Stills so I can root even harder for the most beautiful man alive.
Editor's note: After the interview, 14Team Mocker was reminded that Eric Decker was actually the most beautiful man alive, but Mocker requested that his response stays off the record.
There you have it. Thanks again to Scott Barrett and 14Team Mocker for their insight and humor. Be sure to follow them on twitter @ScottBarrettDFB and @14TeamMocker.
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