In this week's Alarm Fantasy Football Coop and I drafted against eachother in the $15 million DraftKings Best Ball Contest with a $2 million top prize at stake.  At a $20 entry cost and with a "draft one, get one" promotion doubling the thrill, this draft was an adrenaline-pumping challenge. Here is my rundown of our plans, best values, and lessons as I worked through this giant tournament.

 

Setting the Stage: The Draft and Its Stakes

The DraftKings Best Ball Contest is a massive tournament—$15 million on the line, $2 million for the winner, and a setup where your best lineup plays automatically each week based on player production. With full-point PPR, pass-catching running backs and high-target receivers rule the day. Because the end-of-year outcomes determine the largest payouts in this massive-field contest, I set out to find a balance between early stability and late-round upside. Breaking news kept us scrambling, necessitating quick changes on our draft boards.

 

Rashee Rice & Mike Williams Breaking News Impact

Two major developments totally overhauled my strategy:

Rashee Rice Suspension: Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice, who was involved in a March car pileup last year, received five years of probation and a 30-day jail sentence that he will serve concurrently. There is actually a pending NFL suspension, reported to be two to six games. With the Kansas City having a tough early schedule—Chargers, Eagles, Ravens, Commanders, Lions, Bills—a six-game suspension would have an impact on tough contests like the Giants and Jaguars. This uncertainty lowered Rice's worth, and he only went with 3.06 in our draft. For best ball, where scoring during the fourth quarter matters, I thought about Rice as a risk-reward selection. For guillotine or total points leagues, he's a pass.

Mike Williams' Retirement: At the close of the draft, we heard rumors that Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams retired after eight years. That was a game-saver on my Chargers stack, adding quarterback Quentin Johnston and tight end Trey Harris. With one target hog out of the way, I felt good about my Los Angeles passing attack investment.

 

My Draft: Stacking for PPR Dominance

I constructed my 18-man roster with PPR-friendly assets in mind, focusing on high-target receivers and running backs and stacking up marquee offenses for correlated upside. I wound up with three quarterbacks, three tight ends, nine wide receivers, and five running backs (one of whom is a handcuff). I constructed my roster as follows:

  • Round 1: Jameer Gibbs (RB, Detroit) – I began with Gibbs, a PPR monster due to his receiving chops and big-play potential in Detroit's pace-up attack. He is my anchor with high floor and ceiling.
  • Round 2: Ladd McConkey (WR, Chargers) – I took McConkey, expecting a large target share, particularly after Williams' retirement. This set me up for my Chargers stack, which was the backbone of my build.
  • Round 3: Tee Higgins (WR, Bengals) – Pairing Higgins with Joe Burrow (Round 5) created a Bengals stack with serious upside. If Jamar Chase misses time, Higgins could dominate in Cincinnati’s pass-heavy attack.
  • Round 10: Justin Herbert (QB, Chargers) – Snagging Herbert at the top of the queue was a steal, completing my Chargers stack. Williams’ exit makes this offense even more appealing, with Herbert set to shine.
  • Round 14: Quentin Johnston (WR, Chargers) – Johnston's role as a potential WR2 with Williams' retirement makes this late-round selection a high-risk sleeper. I'm extremely loving the value.
  • Round 17: Jatavian Sanders (TE, Panthers) – My co-host challenged Sanders' role in a run-first offense, but I rolled the dice on the rookie's speculative value. You swing for it in a tournament like this.
  • Round 18: Jermaine Burton (WR, Bengals) – A late-round flier on a talented but troubled young player, Burton may pan out if he can find a niche in Cincinnati.

My strategy was PPR safety with Gibbs, McConkey, and Higgins, and stacks by the Chargers and Bengals for correlated scoring. Late-round selections like Johnston, Sanders, and Burton chase breakout upside. Having three QBs (Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson) and three TEs (Evan Engram, Isaiah Likely, Sanders), I focused on depth and differentiation.

Coop went middle of the road, anchoring his team with early running backs and stockpiling for standing out. His team had three quarterbacks, three tight ends, eight receivers, and six running backs. Here's how he constructed his team:

  • Round 1: Malik Nabers (WR, Giants)– He saw Nabers for his huge target upside as a rookie with elite-level separating, the ideal PPR fit.
  • Round 2: Jonathan Taylor (RB, Colts) – He's on cloud nine with the Colts' RPO-heavy offense, and Taylor's dual-threat ability makes him a cornerstone piece.
  • Round 3: Kenneth Walker (RB, Seahawks)– Walker's fit in a zone-blocking system combined with his 4.2 broken tackles per game last season makes him a steal at RB15 ADP.
  • Round 4: Lamar Jackson (QB, Ravens) – Jackson's dual-threat skill is the foundation of a Ravens stack with Rashad Bateman (Round 15) and Isaiah Likely (Round 12), which makes his roster appealing in this big-field tournament.
  • Round 12: Jerome Ford (RB, Browns)– Ford's rookie-year usage and explosiveness are best for the tournament format by a 2.8 yards per game.
  • Round 15: Rashad Bateman (WR, Ravens) – Potentially late stack play, Bateman may erupt with increased targets in Baltimore.

His approach paired running back reliability (Taylor, Walker) with stacks among the Ravens, Seahawks, and Giants. He mentioned he doesn't like late-season correlation, citing an expert model of valuing over matchup stacks.

 

Key Best Ball Takeaways

  • PPR Is All: I was attacking heavy-target players such as Gibbs and McConkey early, and you ought to do the same. PPR rewards pass-catchers in best ball's auto-lineup setting.
  • Stacks Are to Win: My Bengals-Chargers stacks, and my co-host's Ravens-Seahawks stacks, are targeting big-scoring weeks. Match quarterbacks with pass-catchers for huge points.
  • Late-Round Swings: Johnston, Sanders, and Burton are the reason I enjoy best ball—breakout candidates getting it late can take you to victory.
  • Suspension Strategy: Rice's third-round fall was fascinating but sidestepped. In best ball, he is a gamble; in the rest of the leagues, drop him early due to early games missed.
  • Coaching Schemes Tap into Value: My insistence on co-hosting with the Seahawks scheme for Walker and Colts RPO for Taylor pushed me to research those coordinators to identify sleepers.
 

Final Thoughts

Drafting with Coop is always fun, even as he plundered some of my favorite players! Rashee Rice's suspension and Mike Williams' retirement made me change gears, but my Chargers and Bengals stacks, with late upside selection, have me stoked about this $15 million game. 

If you want in, hit fantasyalarm.com/dkbestball for the "draft one, get one" special. With $2 million on the line, it is time to build your roster and pursue the prize. Let's make the 2025 fantasy season a book one!

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18+ in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. 1 per customer. Must enter a lineup into the NFL Best Ball $15M Headliner Contest by 9/4/25. $20 entry fee. Bonus issued as 1 ticket to NFL Best Ball $15M Headliner Contest. Ticket reward is site credit valid for use only on NFL Best Ball $20M Headliner Contest. Ticket reward is single-use and expires on the sooner of 30 days (720 hours) or contest lock. See terms at https://www.draftkings.com/nfl-best-ball. Ends 9/4/25 at 6:20 PM ET. Sponsored by DK.

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