Hitting on Darnold in Timebox Contests and Benefit to Drafting Low-Owned Player

August 21, 2024

Best Ball Fantasy Football Fantasy Football

Megan Shoup

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Steve just wrote about the benefit of drafting unique or low-owned players period in Best Ball drafts. Whether its BBMV or Timebox contests (short draft life), this can be a powerful strategy. Be sure to check out Steve’s articles for current low-owned QBs and TEs he’s targeting.

The power of drafting a low-owned player in a time box contest (short draft life) like current Puppy 3, is it can be even more powerful to draft a player that will be low-owned because they are likely to be lower owned than BBMV.

Sam Darnold Example:

The best example is I’ve drafted QB Sam Darnold in 10% of my Best Ball drafts BEFORE the news of J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending surgery. Gross, it’s Sam Darnold. He sees ghosts! Why?

Because I believed that there was a better chance than the market was giving that even when McCarthy was healthy, Darnold could keep the job all season. He had two rough stops with the Jets as a rookie and the Panthers before being the 49ers back-up QB last year. He’s never been a starter with elite weapons and an amazing playcaller. He now has both in head coach Kevin O’Connell (Shanahan tree) and WR Justin Jefferson. Not to mention Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson when he returns.

Even journeyman back-up QB Nick Mullens and QB Josh Dobbs put up numbers last year in this Vikings offense, sometimes even with Jefferson out. I believe there’s a strong chance that even if Darnold isn’t an amazing real-life QB, he can put up great fantasy numbers in this offense with these weapons. I actually think there’s a chance he can have a Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield type resurgence.

But we just care about fantasy. And I was thrilled I drafted him 10% before the McCarthy news. And that meant I had him in 4 BBMV drafts and 9 timebox tournaments. Now he may end up 40% drafted in BBMV. But in those timebox tournaments, he’ll be next to not owned at all. In some of the smaller contests, I could literally be the only one that drafted Darnold. I only drafted/draft Darnold in Vikings stacks obviously.

Summary:

So this is the power of drafting a low-owned player in the 18th round of Timebox contests. Again, check out Steve’s article for favorite low owned QB and TEs and look for his article on RBs and WRs soon.

Outside of Steve’s list, some other super low-owned players I would draft in BBMV or Timebox contests this week and next week are: RB Jammal Williams, RB Alexander Mattison, WR Darius Slayton, WR Jalen Nailor, WR Dyami Brown, TE Hayden Hurst, TE Dawson Knox, and TE Tucker Kraft.

Only draft one or two max in rounds 17 and 18 of your drafts for unique ownership and potential leverage.