Drafting Early in the BBC

Tue Jun 24 9:43am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer

Stroud could bring good value

Last season, the winning roster for the Best Ball Championship was drafted in July, right before camp was about to open. The winning team took home $25,000 for winning it all. Championship teams can be drafted any time of year but sometimes going early can pay off big - like it did for this owners. Here is last year’s winning roster for the BBC:

Baker Mayfield, QB, TB (3)
Bo Nix, QB, DEN (8)
Will Levis, QB, TEN (30)
Gardner Minshew II, QB, LV (34)
Saquon Barkley, RB, PHI (2)
Derrick Henry, RB, BAL (4)
James Conner, RB, ARI (11)
David Montgomery, RB, DET (18)
Alexander Mattison, RB, LV (32)
Tyjae Spears, RB, TEN (42)
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, DET (3)
Mike Evans, WR, TB (15)
Tee Higgins, WR, CIN (17)
Jakobi Meyers, WR, LV (19)
Cooper Kupp, WR, LAR (38)
Adam Thielen, WR, CAR (52)
Rashid Shaheed, WR, NOR (91)
Curtis Samuel, WR, BUF (102)
Brock Bowers, TE, LV (1)
George Kittle, TE, SFO (3)

This winning team hit at nearly every position. Mayfield and Nix were both top-10 fantasy quarterbacks. Barkley and Henry were both top-five fantasy backs. The receiver position wasn’t quite as elite as the others but still had St. Brown, who was third overall in receiver scoring. Lastly, tight end was huge for this team, having both Bowers and Kittle. Kittle was likely used as a flex play many weeks, taking advantage of his big season. Both these guys were top-three fantasy tight ends, getting big production from a position that was hit or miss for a lot of fantasy owners.

With that all said, we thought it would be a good idea to find some of the players that could pay off drafting at this time of the season before camp opens. There are still some question marks for a lot of positions and players heading into the year. Where are some ADPs you might be able to exploit in early Best Ball Championship drafts? Here are our favorites to help you win big in this year's BBC:

C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans (113.46). Stroud did not have the second season most hoped. He finished just 18th in fantasy quarterback scoring after finishing 11th his rookie season. Stroud had a lot of injuries to deal with at receiver, though, which impacted his numbers. Stroud can improve on last year, especially with a new offensive coordinator in place and a healthy group of receivers to work with. You can get Stroud for next to nothing as a No. 2 fantasy quarterback. He is worth the risk at that price, capable of being a top-10 fantasy quarterback if things go the right way for him in year three.

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Vikings (125.79). McCarthy missed all of his rookie season after tearing his ACL in the preseason. He will be ready for the start of this year and become the starter for the Vikings. McCarthy was looking real good before getting hurt last year. There was even talk he would win the starter's job. Either way, he will start for the Vikings explosive offense, an offense that loves to throw the ball. You have to think that if Sam Darnold can post big numbers in this offense that McCarthy might be able to do even better. He is a very intriguing fantasy player for his current price.

D’Andre Swift, RB, Bears (48.35). Swift was just alright in his first season with the Bears, finishing 19th overall in fantasy running back scoring. The team made some big changes offensively this offseason, though, most notably getting Ben Johnson as their new head coach. Johnson produced some huge fantasy seasons for his running backs in Detroit. He could do the same with Swift, who has very little competition at running back. Swift is the clear starter in an offense that gives their back plenty of chances. He has risk based on his track record but also has the potential to have a career-best season.

Quinshon Judkins, RB, Browns (59.57). Sure, head coach Kevin Stefanski likes to throw the ball, but you have to play to your strengths offensively. And the quarterback position remains a concern in Cleveland. Judkins has the chance to be a real focal point of the offense his rookie season. He is a power back that can play on all three downs. He should get a lot of weekly chances. Expect a breakout season from the young back. He has a huge ceiling in year one.

Jordan Mason, RB, Vikings (113.19). Aaron Jones remains the starter in Minnesota but is 30 years old and coming off a season that he broke just 11 tackles, making few plays after contact. You have to wonder how much he has left in the tank. Mason is the next man up in Minnesota and looked good with his chances in San Francisco the last few seasons, averaging an impressive 5.2 yards per carry last year He has some fantasy potential in an expanded role. You can get him super late in drafts, making him a good speculative pickup for fantasy teams.

Rashee Rice, WR, Chiefs (44.48). Rice got off to a huge start to his season last year but suffered a knee injury Week 4 and didn't play another game. He needed surgery to repair a torn LCL. Rice is expected to be ready for training camp. Rice had 100-yard games two of his first three. He had 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns. If he plays a full year, Rice has 102 receptions for 1,224 yards and nine touchdowns. That is a pretty great season. Rice is the type of player you love in a best ball format, being capable of the monster game any given week.

Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Panthers (66.21). The Panthers finally get their No. 1 receiver, taking the super-talented McMillan in this year’s draft. McMillan can make a fantasy impact from day one. Just look at the receptions an aging Adam Thielen was able to get the last two years. McMillan is a much more talented option. He could really push 100 receptions in an offense that was starting to hum late last season.

Cedric Tillman, WR, Browns (186.00). Tillman had his season cut short because of a concussion but was playing well before the injury after moving into a starting role. He had a stretch of three straight games with 18-plus fantasy points. Tillman is going to disappear some weeks but likely have some really big games along the way as the starter opposite Jerry Jeudy. He is a great best ball target because of his up-and-down play. Plus, the Browns threw the ball the second most times in all of football last year, so expect Tillman to get his chances.

Tyler Warren, TE, Colts (120.48). Most considered Warren the top rookie tight end in this year’s rookie class but Colston Loveland went ahead of him. We wouldn’t discount Warren to have a big season, though. He is a big-time pass catcher in an offense that has lacked a top tight end in recent years. A rookie tight end has led fantasy tight ends in scoring each of the last two seasons. Could Warren be that guy this year? It might not be that big of a stretch and he comes at a much cheaper price than Loveland.

Brenton Strange, TE, Jaguars (159.60). Strange became the starter for the Jaguars as his season progressed last year and showed some promise. He had four games with double-digit fantasy points. If you want to wait on a tight end and load up on some later options, Strange is worth a look. He will start from day one in an offense that has a chance to take some steps forward this year.

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.

Drafting Early in the BBC

The Paur Report