Best Ball Scout Championship
Wed Apr 17 9:26am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer
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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Dynasty | Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the season with a hamstring injury. Dynasty Analysis: Prescott will reportedly have surgery to repair his hamstring that has apparently torn off the bone. It's the latest blow to a Dallas team that has had very few things go their way this season. Prescott will end the season with a very pedestrian 1,978 passing yards with just 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight games this season. His absence will hurt the short-term value of every offensive player in Dallas, but his long-term health shouldn't be affected. Still, his ADP and ranking is surely going to fall as Prescott has had a hard time stringing two elite-level seasons together thoughout his career and looks more like a high-end QB2 than an elite player to build a dynasty franchise around.
The New York Giants have activated kicker Graham Gano (hamstring) from the injured reserve ahead of their Week 10 outing against the Carolina Panthers. The 37-year-old hasn't appeared in a game since picking up the ailment while attempting a tackle on the opening kickoff against Washington in Week 2. Before his injury, he connected on his only two field goal attempts in Week 1. Upon his return, Gano will immediately slot back in as the team's primary placekicker and is gifted with a juicy matchup this Sunday morning across the pond. Carolina has allowed the second-most fantasy points in the league thus far to opposing kickers and could be a useful fantasy option if the Giants' offense can get it together in Munich.
From RotoBaller
Arizona Cardinals S Budda Baker leads the NFL with 58 solo tackles, and he has recorded at least seven total stops in all nine games, logging 12-plus tackles in four of his last six games.
From TheHuddle
Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson will square off against the Miami Dolphins this Monday night in one of the tougher matchups of Week 10. Parkinson looked like he was picking up some steam heading into the team's Week 6 bye, but he's totaled a meager four catches and 49 yards in the three contests since. The Dolphins' defense has been excellent against opposing pass-catchers this season, and tight ends are no exception, with the sixth-fewest fantasy points allowed to the position. Additionally, last weekend marked the first time the 25-year-old did not lead LA's tight end room in snaps in 2024, with that honor going to second-year TE Davis Allen. Whether or not Allen has surpassed Parkinson in the pecking order remains to be seen. Still, he's not a recommended option for the matchup on Monday Night Football. The former Stanford Cardinal ranks as RotoBaller's PPR TE27 in Week 10.
From RotoBaller
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (toe/hip) is designation-free for the team's Monday night matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Head coach Sean McVay didn't make a big deal when asked about Robinson's ailments leading up to Week 10's tilt, and it's nice to see the veteran come through. The former fourth-round pick was the hero in last week's OT win over the Seattle Seahawks but will face a stiffer task this Monday against a solid Dolphins defensive unit. Miami has been staunch against the pass this year, allowing the fourth-fewest passing yards per game (183.1) and the fifth-fewest touchdowns through the air (8). Additionally, fellow wideout Puka Nacua will presumably play the entire contest this weekend, so long as he doesn't get himself ejected again. With the Rams' wide receiver corps intact, the 30-year-old is little more than a FLEX play with touchdown upside for the contest. He's RotoBaller's PPR WR47 in this week's rankings.
From RotoBaller
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua will line up against the Miami Dolphins in Week 10 on Monday Night Football. Between a knee injury that won't go away and some suspect behavior (throwing a punch at a Seahawks defender in Week 9 only to get ejected), the second-year wideout has had a tough time formulating any consistency this season. The good news is he did not appear on the Rams' injury report this week, so maybe he's past the ailment that's robbed him of five contests and part of another. The bad news is that Miami's secondary is no joke, as they've afforded their opponents the fourth-fewest passing yards per game in the league (183.1). Still, the 23-year-old will occupy his usual role as a top-two option in LA's passing attack and should be started by fantasy managers despite the less-than-ideal matchup. The BYU alum ranks as RotoBaller's PPR WR8 for this weekend's slate.
From RotoBaller
Minnesota Vikings RB Aaron Jones is averaging 18.9 touches and 101.3 yards from scrimmage per game this season.
Fantasy Spin: The only thing that has been missing for Jones has been regular trips to the end zone, but a Week 10 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars could fix that. Jacksonville's defense is allowing the second-most yards per game and has allowed the fifth-most rushing touchdowns. Jones has RB1 upside.
From TheHuddle
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From RotoBaller
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is coming off a tremendous performance during last week's win over the Seattle Seahawks. Kupp hauled in 11 of his 14 targets for 104 yards as he torched that secondary all game long. The veteran wideout missed four games due to injury, but is back now and hasn't missed a beat. Kupp figures to continue being a focal point on offense after playing in 92 percent of the snaps last week. He heads into a matchup against the Miami Dolphins who have struggled at times to contain the passing game. Fantasy managers shouldn't be worried about Kupp losing a step as he should be plugged in as a strong WR1 for this weekend.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys running back Dalvin Cook won't be elevated from the practice squad ahead of the Week 10 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Cook has been on the active roster for each of the last two games, but hasn't done much damage on the field. He has rushed eight times for 20 yards over his past two appearances. The Cowboys have decided to go a different route this weekend. Instead, Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott, and Deuce Vaughn will split up the carries in the backfield. Out of the trio, Dowdle is the most reliable option with a 75-yard performance during last week's loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Fantasy managers still holding onto Cook are probably safe to look elsewhere for help.
From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
Washington Commanders kicker Chris Rodriguez Jr. has been signed to the active roster ahead of the Week 10 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodriguez is back on the active roster with Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) being ruled out for this weekend. The expectation is that Austin Ekeler and Rodriguez will split up the backfield duties for Washington. Last week, Rodriguez carried the ball 11 times for 52 yards in the win over the New York Giants. He'll get a tougher challenge against the Steelers defense this week, but he could have some desperation flex value for Week 10.
From RotoBaller
New York Jets kicker Spencer Shrader has been elevated from the practice squad ahead of the Week 10 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. The merry-go-round at kicker continues for the Jets as they seemingly have gone through a handful of kickers over the last few weeks. The Jets also have Anders Carlson, but it's looking like Shrader is going to get the starting nod this weekend. Fantasy managers shouldn't get too invested in Shrader as this could very well be a one-game stint for him. He could be worth a look for fantasy managers needing a streaming option at kicker this week, but probably won't be a long term solution at the position.
From RotoBaller
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London (hip) is expected to suit up for the Week 10 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. London was pulled out during the first half of last week's game due to a hip inury. He has been limited in practice this week, but could be the team just being cautious with London. It sounds like London will be ready to play, barring any setbacks. London figures to do damage against a shaky Saints secondary that no longer has Marshon Lattimore. Fantasy managers should feel confident about pulling London into their fantasy lineups ahead of this game.
From RotoBaller
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From TheHuddle
Los Angeles Chargers RB Gus Edwards (ankle) was activated off injured reserve on Saturday, Nov. 9. Also, TE Tucker Fisk was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster, CB Eli Apple and LB Caleb Murphy were elevated from the practice squad and free-agent TE McCallan Castles was signed to the practice squad.
From TheHuddle
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From TheHuddle
Washington Commanders TE Colson Yankoff (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve on Saturday, Nov. 9. Also, RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and PK Zane Gonzalez and DE Efe Obada were elevated from the practice squad for Week 10.
From TheHuddle
Denver Broncos C Luke Wattenberg (ankle) was activated off injured reserve on Saturday, Nov. 9. Also, FB Michael Burton and LB Zach Cunningham were elevated from the practice squad for Week 10.
From TheHuddle
