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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The Paur Report
Bender's Starts/Sits: Week 3
Dynasty | Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet had 91 rushing yards, three catches, 16 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Seattle's win against Miami. Dynasty Analysis: The Seahawks have been blessed with the league's easiest schedule (Denver, Miami, Tua-less Miami), but that shouldn't take away from the progress we've seen with Charbonnet. If Kenneth Walker continues to miss time, he's an easy "set it and forget it" lineup option. At this point, it also wouldn't be shocking to see Seattle move to a bit of a committee moving forward with as well as he's played. Charbonnet remains a high-upside handcuff and maybe more as the season rolls on.
Dynasty | Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton completed 26-of-37 passes for 319 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions in Carolina's win over the RaIders. Dynasty Analysis: Oh boy. In just one start, Dalton had more yards, three more touchdowns and three fewer interceptions than Bryce Young had in his first two starts of the year combined. While Carolina may be excited to win this game, it also could have solidified the worst - the problem clearly was Young at the helm. With Dalton making this team more than competitive for at least one week, it's clear we won't see Young next week and may not for a while. Young's dynasty arrow is going to go down even further after this.
Dynasty | Raiders tight end Brock Bowers had three catches for 41 yards in the Raiders loss to Carolina. Dynasty Analysis: The Raiders offense was a bit of a mess today against the Panthers and Bowers couldn't shake himself through the ineptitude. It was a disappointing day for him but also what amounts to a blip on the radar in terms of his season. Bowers is a clear lineup lock at this point and while he may post some clunkers here and there, his upside seems real.
Dynasty | Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson had eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown in Carolina's win against the Raiders. Dynasty Analysis: Andy Dalton ignited the Panthers offense and nobody benefited more than Johnson, who posted a whopping 14 targets on the day. It was a much-needed breakout for Johnson, who was nearly invisible the first two weeks of the season. While we need to see more from Dalton moving forward, Johnson will clearly be in the mix for lineups moving forward.
Dynasty | Raiders running back Zamir White had 34 rushing yards in the Raiders loss to the Panthers. Dynasty Analysis: At this point, White just simply doesn't look like an NFL or fantasy viable option at running back, despite a golden opportunity to start the year. His dynasty value is starting to sink as it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Raiders either bring in another veteran or start playing Alexander Mattison a little more. While the game script today didn't help White, we just haven't seen anything in three weeks to recommend White in fantasy lineups moving forward.
Dynasty | 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings had 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns in San Francisco's loss to the Rams. Dynasty Analysis: The 49ers can point a lot of fingers as to who to blame for this one, but Jennings clearly did his part. After a couple of solid outings to start the season (he had seven catches for 101 yards in the first two games), Jennings just went nuclear in this one. It's going to be tough to recommend him in lineups with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk still entrenched as the top two options. However, Jennings has real promise and has now solidified his spot on dynasty rosters permanently.
Dynasty | Rams running back Kyren Williams had 89 rushing yards, twol catches, 27 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a surprising win against the 49ers. Dynasty Analysis: Williams looked like the 2023 version of himself in this one, consistently churning out tough yards and finding his way into the end zone every chance he had. It's clear the Rams are going to use him as their workhorse with the likes of Ronnie Rivers and Blake Corum simply serving as emergency options moving forward. It's a big development in dynasty leagues as Williams again looks like a solid RB1.
Dynasty | Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr had five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Lions. Dynasty Analysis: After a quiet week one, we've seen Harrison establish himself as one of the league's brightest young stars. In fact, Harrison and Malik Nabers look like the best pair of rookie wide receivers we've seen in a long, long time. With Kyler Murray looking his way early and often (Harrison has 19 targets in the past two games), he looks like a lineup staple from here on out.
Dynasty | Ravens running back Derrick Henry had 151 rushing yards, one catch, 23 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a win at Dallas. Dynasty Analysis: After some questionable usage over the first two weeks, Henry doubled his season yardage in this one, punishing the Cowboys in the process. While it's clear he's not going to be used much as a receiver, Henry still has weekly RB1 upside moving forward as the Ravens are starting to build their offense around his unique skill - punching people in the mouth. Henry will be a high-upside next week and remains a solid target for dynasty managers who are in "win now" mode.
Dynasty | Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott had six rushing yards, one catch and six receiving yards in a loss to the Ravens. Dynasty Analysis: Rico Dowdle had 11 touches, while Elliott had just four. The game script was flipped quickly on the Cowboys as the Ravens jumped out quickly in this one. Still, Elliott has been ineffective this year and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Dallas elevate Dalvin Cook from the practice squad to see if they can't give their running game a spark. Elliott doesn't belong in lineups at the moment and may not belong on rosters much longer, either.
Dynasty | Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was held catchless in a win against the Bears. Dynasty Analysis: Mitchell has just two catches for 32 yards on the season as Anthony Richardson continues to struggle. This is a big-time buzzkill for a rookie many were hoping would break out early. While all hope is not lost (not even close), Mitchell is currently going to need to stay on dynasty benches for the foreseeable future. If you believe in Richardson, he could also be a decent buy-low at the moment.
Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb had a below-par day in the 28-25 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Lamb was targeted seven times, securing four catches for 67 yards. The 25-year-old lost a fumble deep into Baltimore territory in the first quarter, which ended up leading to a big Baltimore lead early on in the game. Lamb will look to put together a stronger fantasy performance on Thursday with a quick turnaround against the New York Giants.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys receiver KaVontae Turpin saw involvement in the passing game in Sunday's loss to Baltimore. Primarily a return man, the speedy TCU product caught all three of his targets for 51 yards and a touchdown. In an offense looking for a consistent third option in the passing game behind CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson, Turpin's performance was encouraging for Dallas. That being said, he remains firmly off of the fantasy radar until he sees more consistent usage.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was seldom used in the Week 3 loss. Given that his role is more of an early-down grinder type of back at this stage in his career, the game script was not favorable for Elliott today as Dallas was playing from behind all game. He rushed three times for six yards and caught a pass for six yards. Elliott and the Cowboys have a tight turnaround, as they will suit up on Thursday against the Giants.
From RotoBaller
San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason returned to earth in a 27-24 loss to the Rams in Los Angeles on Sunday. He took 19 carries for 77 yards and caught both of his two targets for 11 yards receiving. As the stat line suggests, Mason wasn't bad in this one but failed to find the end zone for the first time this year, limiting his fantasy day. In the first two games of 2024, Mason completely dominated the running back touches but rookie Isaac Guerendo cut into his workload with five carries of his own for 19 yards against LA. It wasn't the RB1 performance that fantasy managers were looking for in Week 3 but Mason didn't look bad. There could come a time while Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) is out that Guerendo becomes even more involved, but it doesn't appear to be a worry just yet. Mason will resume his bell-cow role when the 49ers host the New England Patriots next Sunday.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson returned to the lineup on Sunday after a one-week absence. His impact was instantly felt, as he led the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards in the loss to Baltimore. Ferguson was targeted 11 times, securing six catches for 95 yards. With how poor tight end play has been this season, Ferguson's outing was encouraging for fantasy managers. He should remain a top option at the position going into Thursday night's game with the New York Giants.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott strung together an impressive Week 3 fantasy performance in the 28-25 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Prescott struggled in the first half, but came alive in the second half. The veteran quarterback completed 28-of-51 passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for seven yards and a touchdown on two carries. The outing was Prescott's best fantasy performance of the season through the first three weeks. Prescott and the Cowboys have a quick turnaround, as they will take on the New York Giants on Thursday night.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle saw the bulk of the backfield work in Week 3's loss to Baltimore. Dowdle rushed eight times for 32 yards, accounting for 62% of the team's rushing yards. He was targeted five times in the heavy-volume passing attack, catching three passes for 24 yards. Dowdle outplayed Ezekiel Elliott in the loss, although both backs will likely see similar usage moving forward. The Cowboys have a short week, as they take on the New York Giants on Thursday.
From RotoBaller
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers went from one of the team's top fantasy finishers in Week 2 to one of their worst in the first win of the season. The game script went away from Flowers as he hauled in three of his four targets for 20 yards and took one carry for only three yards. The speedy wideout still hasn't seen many downfield targets, but his high target volume as well as the rushing attempts in each game keep him involved in the offense most of the time. Lamar Jackson and company didn't do much damage through the air with just 182 total passing yards compared to 274 yards on the ground. Flowers will look to bounce back against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, which will likely need a bigger offensive output to get the win.
From RotoBaller
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews continues to disappoint to start the season, but he has brought a new low to fantasy managers that stuck with him in Week 3. During the 28-25 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Andrews only received one target and put up goose eggs across the board. His counterpart, Isaiah Likely, only recorded one target as well which turned into one catch for four yards, so it wasn't much of a tight end game in this one. Andrews' best finish through three weeks was TE10 in half-PPR formats, and he now has six receptions for 65 yards on eight targets. At this rate, neither one of the Andrews nor Likely are every-week starters in shallower fantasy leagues until they show some consistency. Andrews will look to bounce back at home against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4.
From RotoBaller
