My Top 4 Macro Strategy Stands for the 2023 Best Ball Season

September 1, 2023

Best Ball Fantasy Football Fantasy Football

Megan Shoup

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When you listen to best ball content around the industry, you’ll hear discussion and debate both about macro and micro takes. Macro takes are the big picture strategies – lineup construction, roster capital, etc. Micro takes are the player rankings and values. Both are incredibly important to succeeding in best ball.

What is so great about best ball, and why I think it’s “going to the moon” is the strategies and blending them are very nuanced. And there’s no one right way or strategy to play or win. There are definitely some wrong ways to build best ball lineups, but there is no one right way that is gospel. This makes it fun to make strategy stands, especially if some are lower than what the field is doing. If you are correct, then it can be a huge edge for you.

So here are my four biggest strategy stands for the 2023 best ball season and maybe some you’ll want to use in the final week. We also discussed this on our recent Strategy Show on the Fanspeak Network.

#1 – Build with 3 Quarterbacks (yes, even on Underdog):

Maybe this is “success bias” because my BBM3 Finals team had 3 QBs, and would not have even made the playoffs, let alone the BBM3 Finals without 3 QBs. Why? Because I had QB Dak Prescott injured the first 6 weeks. I hear people say, if your top QB is injured, you’re lineup is done. Not if it’s a short-term injury. But you probably want 2 other QBs to carry you during that timeframe.

Only 11 teams had their QBs play all 17 games of the fantasy season. That means essentially 2/3 of the teams/Quarterbacks were not playing for periods either due to injury or inefficiency. You can’t predict injuries, but you can build for them to protect a good lineup like my BBM3 Finals lineup.

Also, 3 QBs not only help to make sure you’re getting the best possible QB score every week to help you make the playoffs. But 3 QB stacks IN playoffs is key. It is going to be extremely difficult to beat 1 of 16 on Underdog in the quarterfinals and semifinals. I would rather have 3 QB stacks options to give me an edge in playoffs to make the Finals.

#2 – Build with the Late Round TE/Rookie TE lineup construction:

We have gone on record since right after the NFL Draft, that we love this TE class. Not only was it a highly ranked TE class loaded with talent, but most of the rookie TEs landed in pristine spots on teams to have an impact right away. We discussed it at length here, but we are all-in on the rookie TE class.

For most of the best ball draft season, the rookie TEs went late in drafts. Outside the rookie TEs, we also think other late-round TEs are in a position to outscore or compete with certainly the mid-round TEs. You can target non-rookie TEs later like Jake Ferguson, Juwan Johnson, Hunter Henry, Gerald Everett, and Cole Turner to name a few.

#3 – Stack your QBs with not just receivers (RB/TE consideration):

Again, maybe this is bias from my BBM3 Finals lineup, but as you can see, I stacked the Cowboys at QB/RB/WR/TE. That is actually my favorite team stack – one player from each position group. Why? Because it allows you to usually spread out the draft capital. And especially the QB/RB can ping-pong you through the season and the playoffs efficiently. I stack 2 to 4 players from a team usually, but I much prefer stacking a QB with a receiver and another position with more than 2 WR from the same team. Now every team is different and unique. A team like the Dolphins is very concentrated between their WR1 and WR2. But generally, I love team stacks of no more than 4 but with all the position groups.

#4 – More Hero and Double Hero RB builds on Underdog and Leaving the Top 10 Picks with 1 QB/4 RBs/5 WR (late round TEs):

Underdog is Fanduel scoring with 1/2 PPR and no bonuses. How do I usually play FanDuel DFS? I usually roster an RB in the flex because you are touchdown-hunting. So even in a year of the WR avalanche and WR coming off the board at an alarming rate, why would I not build for an RB to be in the flex most weeks?

I’ve said this all draft season, but you can do any lineup strategy you want, just make sure to have 4 WRs by rounds 7 or 8 at the latest. I know Hayden Winks of the Underdog Network has mentioned this several times on their shows and articles and it makes perfect sense. You can still address the WR before the cliff falls off so that you have 4 good WR to use in those 3 WR spots. But you’re still addressing other positions efficiently.

We discussed this with Sam Sherman on the Fanspeak Network this month and the importance of the RB position, especially on Underdog. And we discussed how our favorite build is starting the first 10 rounds with 1 QB/4 RBs/5WRs ideally. This obviously leans into strategy #2 then with building with the late round TEs.