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Steve Grogan Est. 2004
FFL: Week 2 | NFL: Week 2

Best Ball Scout Championship

Wed Apr 17 9:26am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

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Get in the Scout Championship


RealTime Fantasy Sports is once again very excited to bring you the Best Ball Scout Championship this season. This contest is a little different from our normal Best Ball Championship. All these drafts take place before the NFL Draft, so you don’t know where any of the rookies are going this year. You are taking them blindly. This makes for even more strategy come draft day. Should you load up on rookies? Should you just avoid rookies? What is the winning strategy? We are here to help.

First of all, the winner of the Best Ball Scout Championship takes home $10,000. You also win money for finishing first or second in your 10-team league. The cost to enter the contest is just $20. There are a maximum of 10,000 teams in this contest. Rosters are 20 deep with starters consisting of a QB, two RBs, two WRs, one TE and two FLEX spots. There are no kickers and defenses. Remember, this is a best ball contest, so there is no roster management. Your roster is set once the draft is complete.

With that said, we thought it would be a good idea to look at the championship roster from last year to see what won it all. Here it is:

Round 1: Ja’Marr Chase, WR
Round 2: Davante Adams, WR
Round 3: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR
Round 4: DeVonta Smith, WR
Round 5: Deebo Samuel, WR
Round 6: George Kittle, TE
Round 7: Keenan Allen, WR
Round 8: Joe Mixon, RB
Round 9: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
Round 10: Dak Prescott, QB
Round 11: Khalil Herbert, RB
Round 12: Jared Goff, QB
Round 13: Raheem Mostert, RB
Round 14: Ezekiel Elliott, RB
Round 15: Jimmy Garoppolo, QB
Round 16: Leonard Fournette, RB
Round 17: Tyler Boyd, WR
Round 18: Taysom Hill, TE
Round 19: Zach Ertz, TE
Round 20: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB

The big thing to notice on this roster is just one rookie was taken. Obviously, this owner hit big with that one rookie, taking Jahmyr Gibbs in Round 9. Gibbs was the 10th rated fantasy back last season. But the championship team from last year took just one rookie. This owner did not load up on rookies and waited until the middle rounds to take his one rookie target. This could be a good lesson learned for owners this season. Maybe going early on rookies or taking several is a losing strategy. Just something to keep in mind this year.

And like with many best ball owners, this roster had three quarterbacks and three tight ends. This owner did not take a quarterback early, waiting to take a quarterback until Round 10. But the owner did got a little early on a tight end, getting George Kittle in Round 6.

The other winning strategy for this owner was loading up on receivers early while waiting to get his running backs until later. This was a very interesting strategy that worked. The owner took five straight receivers to start the draft and didn’t get a running back until Joe Mixon was picked in Round 8. This is a little riskier but another strategy that can obviously worked. Take those sure thing receivers first and get a bunch of question mark running backs in the mid- to later rounds and hope some hit. The big hits for this owner was his pick of Gibbs and getting Raheem Mostert in Round 13. The Mostert pick likely was the big one that put him over the top, getting the fifth rated fantasy back in the back half of the draft. The owners also had some misses at running back with Leonard Fournette and Clyde Edwards-Helaire but that didn’t impact his team too much, hitting on some of those other backs. 

So overall, the winning strategy of last year’s Best Ball Scout championship team was going early on receivers, loading up on running backs with question marks in the middle to later rounds, take few rookies and wait on the quarterback spot.

There are numerous strategies to use but this was the winning one from last year. Just something to think about when drafting your team in this year’s Best Ball Scout Championship. Start drafting here.

Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at jeff@rtsports.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.

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Fantasy Preview: Week 2

Player Notes
Josh Allen Sep 13 9:00am ET
Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed 13 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown in the team's 31-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. An unfortunate game script led to Allen's worst fantasy performance since his rookie season. Allen threw the first touchdown of the game to running back James Cook, who scored the next two on the ground. One Buffalo pick-six later, Allen found his team up big and didn't need to throw. He didn't add anything on the ground either (two carries for two yards). Allen will return with a QB1 status ahead of a Week 3 matchup against Jacksonville a week from Monday.

From RotoBaller

James Cook Sep 13 9:00am ET
James Cook

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook caught one touchdown and ran for two more in the team's dominant victory over Miami on Thursday Night Football. He totaled 95 yards and is now an early favorite to be the RB1 in Week 2. Cook started the scoring with a 17-yard reception on fourth down on the Bills' first drive. A few drives later, Cook punched it in from the one-yard line, a rare site in his young career. Finally, he sprinted away from defenders on a 49-yard touchdown run up the middle. Cook has now matched his rushing touchdown total from last season. His night could have been bigger but the Bills remained up three touchdowns throughout the entire fourth quarter and let rookie Ray Davis burn the clock. Cook will be in the RB1 range when the Bills take the field against Jacksonville a week from Monday.

From RotoBaller

Luke McCaffrey Sep 13 8:30am ET
Luke McCaffrey

Washington Commanders rookie wide receiver Luke McCaffrey led all Commander wideouts in receiving yards in the season opener and will look to continue to stake his claim on the open No.2 spot against the Giants. The Rice product logged the second most snaps at the position, only behind Terry McLaurin, and caught all three of his targets for 18 yards. While 18 yards is not an impressive feat and will rarely be the most out of the wide receiving corps, seeing the 23-year-old look comfortable in an every-down role in his regular-season debut was promising. McCaffrey is worth taking a flier on as a stash option in deeper leagues but should not be relied on in any starting lineups this weekend.

From RotoBaller

Zach Ertz Sep 13 8:30am ET
Zach Ertz

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz caught three of his four targets for 28 yards in their Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite the modest output, Ertz saw 24.0% of the team's air yards and 16.7% of the team's targets. In addition, the veteran logged 39 total snaps, just under 70% of the team's total snaps. As rookie QB Jayden Daniels continues to develop at the professional level, the 33-year-old should continue to establish a connection with him and serve as a safety valve in the middle of the field. For now, Ertz should just be deployed in DFS settings as a cheap value play, as he has not yet proven that he should be relied upon in a redraft setting.

From RotoBaller

Austin Seibert Sep 13 8:30am ET
Austin Seibert

Washington Commanders kicker Austin Seibert will make his 2024 regular season debut as the Commanders recently cut ties with Week 1 starter Cam York. York missed two field goal attempts in the season opener and will hit the free-agent market. Seibert has played on several teams throughout his four-year NFL career and holds an 80.4% field goal mark. From 50+ yards, he has gone just 2-for-6. Seibert should not be relied on as a streamer, given his inconsistencies over the past few seasons. However, if the 27-year-old could establish himself in D.C., he could eventually grow into a deeper league streaming option.

From RotoBaller

Emmanuel Forbes Sep 13 8:30am ET
Emmanuel Forbes

The Washington Commanders defense stumbled in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they have a great opportunity to turn things around in Week 2 as they face the New York Giants. Baker Mayfield looked unfazed last week against the Commanders as he went 24-for-30 with 289 yards and four touchdown passes. All three Tampa Bay wideouts found the end zone, with Chris Godwin leading the way with 83 yards. The Commanders will enter this game slightly short-handed in the secondary as they will be without cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, who underwent thumb surgery on Thursday. However, morale around the Washington defense could change quickly as they will face Daniel Jones, who went 22-for-42 with 186 yards, two interceptions, and no scores last week. While Jones usually terrorizes the Commanders with a stellar 5-1-1 record against them, given how poorly he played in the opener, the Commanders will be a popular streaming option this weekend.

From RotoBaller

Jayden Daniels Sep 13 8:20am ET
Jayden Daniels

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels relied on his legs in his regular season debut as he ran for 88 yards and two scores on 16 carries. Through the air, he went 17-for-24 for 184 yards. The Commanders could not find much consistency in their passing attack, which forced the reigning Heisman winner to utilize his legs much more than his coaching staff would like. However, fantasy managers hope that the LSU product does not shy away from taking off, as his running ability placed him as the No.3 QB in total points last week. This weekend, he will face the New York Giants, which allowed over 200 passing yards to Sam Darnold. While Daniels will still need time to develop as a passer, fantasy managers should feel confident starting him this weekend in any league size.

From RotoBaller

Brian Robinson Jr. Sep 13 8:20am ET
Brian Robinson Jr.

Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. looks to continue to stake his claim as the lead runner in the Washington offense and should be locked into all lineups as an RB2 this weekend. Robinson saw 12 carries in the season opener compared to two from backfield mate Austin Ekeler. Robinson caught three passes on four targets through the air, while Ekeler caught four. Robinson tallied 89 total yards and a score against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was just a few inches away from punching in a second score but was tackled at the one-yard line, which set up a Jayden Daniels QB run. It was a promising sign to see the Alabama product begin to emerge as not just the "1A" of the backfield but the clear leader. Fantasy managers should feel confident starting Robinson in a game where he should see plenty of red zone opportunities against a weak Giants team.

From RotoBaller

Austin Ekeler Sep 13 8:20am ET
Austin Ekeler

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler led the team in receiving yards (52) in the season opener but had a limited role in the offense. In his Washington debut, Ekeler was exclusively deployed as a pass-catching running back as he saw just two rushing attempts, compared to Brian Robinson Jr.'s 12 attempts. However, through the air, Ekeler made the most of his limited touches as he caught all four of his targets. In addition, he ran 19 total routes and posted an average of 2.74 yards per route run, which was one of the best marks of the weekend. While the 29-year-old will typically serve as the No.2 option in a committee, his production on such limited touches is still worth noting as he still possesses some quality upside. For now, Ekeler remains a solid flex play in deeper PPR leagues but holds much less value in standard formats.

From RotoBaller

Terry McLaurin Sep 13 8:20am ET
Terry McLaurin

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin had a disappointing season debut, as he caught just two passes for 17 yards (on four targets). He could not find a connection with his rookie QB as the Commanders' passing attack could not get untracked. In fact, Daniels overthrew the Ohio State product on a potential 70-yard score on the opening play of the second half. Despite the frustrating debut, fantasy managers should continue to start McLaurin in all formats. Even playing with sub-par QBs throughout his career, McLaurin has posted four straight 1,000-yard campaigns and only caught less than 70 passes in one season (his rookie campaign). This week, McLaurin will face a Giant defense that could not contain Sam Darnold in Week 1. The 28-year-old is a solid WR2 in all formats on Sunday.

From RotoBaller

Tua Tagovailoa Sep 13 2:13am ET
Tua Tagovailoa

Dynasty | Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left Thursday night's game against Buffalo with a concussion. Dynasty Analysis: Tagovailoa tried to scramble to pick up a first down and sustained a head injury as he went down on a hard hit. Again, it was another scary sight as Tua went into the "fencing" position and it was immediately apparent he had suffered another serious head injury, reminiscent to what happened two years ago. This is significant as Tua had made it an entire season after enduring some scary concussions in 2022 and many are speculating already that he may consider retirement again (he has admitted he considered it in 2022) after this happened tonight. It's way too early to guess on what may transpire but it's also very apparent Tagovailoa is going to have some serious soul searching to do when he recovers. In short, this is scary.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Raheem Mostert Sep 13 2:13am ET
Raheem Mostert

Dynasty | Dolphins running back De'Von Achane had 96 rushing yards, seven receptions, 69 receiving yards and a touchdown in Miami's blowout loss to Buffalo. Dynasty Analysis: Achane was questionable entering the night but clearly performed more than admirably, leading the Dolphins in virtually every major statistical category. Raheem Mostert could be back as soon as next week, so Achane could have his workload scaled back. However, we've seen enough over the past season (and more) to say Achane is a lineup lock moving forward. He should be a matchup-proof option moving forward and his dynasty value seems to actually be trending up, despite it already being high. The best part of all this is he seemed to exit this game healthy and now has a nice break before the Dolphins play again in week three.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

James Cook Sep 13 2:13am ET
James Cook

Dynasty | Bills running back James Cook had 78 rushing yards, one catch, 17 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a TNF blowout win against the Dolphins. Dynasty Analysis: On a night where the defense was solid, Cook simply dominated the game from start to finish. After a quiet game last week, Cook clearly stated his case to be in the RB1 discussion with tonight's performance. We'll need to see more consistency from him moving forward, but it's clear his dynasty arrow is pointing straight up at the moment.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Keon Coleman Sep 13 2:13am ET
Keon Coleman

Dynasty | Bills rookie receiver Keon Coleman failed to record a catch in the Bills TNF win against the Dolphins. Dynasty Analysis: Well, this is a major buzzkill. Still, it needs to be taken with a grain of salt as Buffalo controlled this game from the start and rarely had to even throw the ball. Coleman has four catches for 51 yards on the season and while that's not great, it's still very early. He needs to be out of fantasy lineups until we see some production, but we may actually be seeing a quick "buy low" opportunity for dynasty owners. In short, it's not time to panic.

From Dynasty League Fantasy

Cam Little Sep 13 2:10am ET
Cam Little

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little should be dropped in most leagues for Week 2 in a tough matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Little did nail a 53-yard field goal in Week 1, but the Jaguars only put up 17 points, giving Little seven fantasy points total. The rookie kicker did prove he has the leg to hit long field goals, but against the stout Browns defense, field goals and extra points may be hard to come by. The Browns were third-best against kickers in fantasy last season, meaning there should be plenty of better kicking options on waivers for fantasy managers to pick up. The Jaguars may look much better on offense in Week 2, making Little a decent option going forward, but for now, fantasy managers should avoid starting Little besides really deep leagues.

From RotoBaller

Evan Engram Sep 13 1:30am ET
Evan Engram

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram had a rough Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, posting only one catch for five yards. He did have four targets, which tied for the team lead, but in a lackluster offensive team performance, that isn't saying much. Engram will look to bounce back and show he is capable of playing like his TE2 finish in PPR leagues last year. However, Week 2 may be difficult for the 30-year-old, as he faces a stout Cleveland Browns defense that was elite against the pass last year. Establishing the run seems like the ideal strategy for the Jaguars, but they will have to throw the ball to someone. That leaves the door open for a potential mismatch like Engram to have a solid outing, and maybe catch a touchdown to produce a great fantasy outing. Engram is too talented at a shallow position to consider benching, but his upside is somewhat limited in a tough matchup.

From RotoBaller

Tua Tagovailoa Sep 13 1:00am ET
Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins left tackle Terron Armstead (shoulder) exited Thursday's game against the Buffalo Bills. He briefly returned to action but then exited again and was ruled out. As of now, the severity of Armstead's injury is unclear. On one hand, it was promising that he was able to come back in the game briefly, and it's also possible Miami kept him off the field as a precaution. On the other hand, if the injury is serious and will cost Armstead some time, Miami's offense will take a significant step back as a whole. The 33-year-old is a reliable, veteran presence on the offensive line. In addition to Armstead, the Dolphins are bracing for injury news regarding Tua Tagovailoa (concussion), Raheem Mostert (chest), and Jeff Wilson Jr. (oblique).

From RotoBaller

Matt Gay Sep 13 12:40am ET
Matt Gay

Indianapolis Colts kicker Matt Gay (hernia) was a full participant in practice on Thursday. He has now been listed as "full" for two consecutive days, suggesting he's back to 100 percent following a Week 1 absence. Barring any sort of setback, Gay should be able to operate as the Colts' primary kicker on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. With Indianapolis currently favored to win, there should be plenty of scoring opportunities for Gay. He's a low-end starter in most fantasy leagues this week.

From RotoBaller

Jeff Wilson Sep 13 12:20am ET
Jeff Wilson

Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (oblique) exited Thursday's game against the Buffalo Bills and did not return. He finished Week 2 with just two catches for 12 yards through the air. Miami is dealing with a plethora of offensive injuries. Not only are they short two running backs in Wilson and Raheem Mostert (chest), but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) also suffered a very scary head injury during Thursday's game. If the Dolphins' injured players are sidelined for a while, we'll see a lot of De'Von Achane in the backfield with extra opportunities for rookie Jaylen Wright, too.

From RotoBaller

Darius Slayton Sep 13 12:20am ET
Darius Slayton

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (concussion protocol) was a limited participant in practice on Thursday. This is somewhat of an upgrade given that he wasn't able to practice at all on Wednesday. Still, he'll have to clear concussion protocol before the Giants can make him active in Week 2. If he does suit up, Slayton will benefit from a favorable matchup against the Washington Commanders as he looks to build on last week's three catches and 26 receiving yards. Even with a solid matchup on tap, Slayton lacks much fantasy appeal given his role in a struggling Daniel Jones-led offense.

From RotoBaller