Now that I have double-digit Best Ball Mania VI drafts under my belt, I’m ready to share a team with the world. I hopped on a solo show (which you can view below) and walked through my rationale. The draft, naturally, was a bit hectic, so I’ve decided to also recap the thought process in writing form for anyone who prefers the written word (looking at you, Reddit).

Last year, we were able to make it all the way to the final day of Best Ball Mania V and finish in the top 250. That’s the top 0.03% for those keeping track at home. And I only entered 17 teams in that contest. This year we are going to push the envelope even further, and I’ll once again be sharing my rankings in the 2025 Best Ball Cheat Sheet for anyone who wants to get involved. Below is a quick example of what one of the teams drafted with this cheat sheet looks like and the rationale behind it. 
 

 

Quarterback Best Ball Mania VI Picks

Bo Nix, QB Denver Broncos - Round 9

The first few picks of this quarterback room are obvious. We waited and grabbed EIGHT players at running back and wide receiver first. Then we targeted mobile upside with both picks. Last year, Jayden Daniel was a key value pick for players, and we’re hoping to land a bit of that magic this year. At face value, Bo Nix was statistically fairly similar to Josh Allen in the passing numbers we care about (yards and touchdowns). And they both attempted a fairly similar number of rushes, too. The big difference was rushing TDs (12 for Allen vs 4 for Nix). Touchdowns can have variance from year to year, so we like the bet on Nix at ADP.

Drake Maye, QB New England Patriots - Round 10

If you like Bo Nix, you should like Drake Maye. Simple as that. Drake Maye and Bo Nix had the same passing yards per attempt (6.7), and they had a very similar completion percentage (66.6% for Maye vs. 66.3% for Nix). Maye actually ran for 421 yards on 54 attempts vs. Nix running for 430 yards on 92 attempts. We still like Nix better on the more established offense, but the Patriots are expected to take a step forward this year (MGM Sportsbook has the Broncos O/U set at 9.5 wins with the Patriots at 8.5). I waited at took two stabs at mobile QB.

Sam Darnold, QB Seattle Seahawks - Round 17

Typically, I would not take two quarterbacks if I take two within the first ten rounds. I would have been happy “double-tapping” QB in rounds 9 and 10 with the QB11 and QB16 and calling it a day. But the stars aligned perfectly for me to take a QB3 in the second-to-last round. I already had both Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, so the stack was already on the table. And then Darnold fell below his ADP of 183.4 to where I was picking at 197. Quarterback and tight end are my favorite late values, so I couldn’t pass that up there.  

 

 

 

Running Back Best Ball Mania VI Picks

Saquon Barkley, RB Philadelphia Eagles - Round 1 

This pick doesn’t really need much explanation. Saquon Barkley was the RB1 overall in fantasy football last year despite not playing in the final game. His current ADP is 2.5, so naturally I had no problem selecting him at 5 and starting there. As we talked about on the show, we are doing a lot of these drafts, and the early rounds are often about just playing the board as it comes.

Jonathan Taylor, RB Indianapolis Colts - Round 2 

There are four running backs in the NFL who have averaged 100+ yards from scrimmage for their entire careers. Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, and Alvin Kamara. McCaffrey also went in the first round, and Alvin Kamara is one of my most rostered players so far this offseason, but he actually goes 40 picks after Taylor on average, so we can try to get him later on as well. 

RJ Harvey, RB Denver Broncos - Round 5

The ADP on RJ Harvey has been climbing steadily over the course of May. Folks are realizing, not only is he a talented player who was drafted in the second round, but he was drafted to arguably the best possible spot for a rookie running back. The offenses that Joe Lombardi has worked for have been top five in passes to the running back for 18 straight years, as crazy as that sounds. Last year, Javonte Williams was top five in targets himself. My only problem with Harvey is that he goes in a very similar ADP range to Kenneth Walker and Alvin Kamara, who we also love. This time we I opted for Harvey, hoping one of them would make it back (they did not).

Ray Davis, RB Buffalo Bills - Round 12

As we already took three backs early and we didn’t get some of our other targets, we kicked the can on filling the running back room for a bit. As a rookie in a crowded running situation with Josh Allen and James Cook, Ray Davis still managed 130 touches for 631 yards and 6 touchdowns. He could provide a little standalone value, but a big boost could come from an injury to James Cook (we also can’t rule out James Cook holding out as he pursues a new contract). If we are going for handcuff plus type players, we want them on prolific offenses - especially ones that can force the game into garbage time early. 

Tank Bigsby, RB Jacksonville Jaguars - Round 13

I just wrote an article on the biggest camp questions for all AFC teams. And the biggest one for the Jaguars is about who their top running back will be. They drafted Bayshul Tuten, but they also didn’t select him until the fourth round. The rookie could impress, or he could end up down the depth chart, as rookies often do. Travis Etienne was the starter last year, though Tank Bigsby was the more efficient runner. At the end of the day, with these muddy backfields, sometimes you just take the cheapest guy and hope for the best. New head coach Liam Coen has no allegiance to any of these guys, so we’ll just hope our guy wins the job.

Justice Hill, RB Baltimore Ravens - Round 16

My first two backs are rock solid. RJ Harvey is a rookie wild card. And then Ray Davis and Tank Bigsby need a little bit of luck/help to really contribute regularly. Given the build of that room, I felt I could use a little floor later on. Hill was getting 3.4 targets per game, which was good for RB16 in that category last year - not bad for the RB55 off the board. If anything happens to Derrick Henry, there could be a little bit of actual upside for us, which makes him a reasonable handcuff plus.  

 

 


 

Wide Receiver Best Ball Mania VI Picks

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR Seattle Seahawks - Round 3

The beauty of the Klint Kubiak offense is the usage of guys that DON’T soak up targets. Much like the Dolphins and 49ers, he uses the fullback and blocking tight end for a lot of snaps. That highly consolidates those targets at the top. Sam Darnold was able to distribute the ball at a high level for fantasy football in Minnesota, so the bet is that the JSN breakout of last year could continue in this new scheme. 

DeVonta Smith, WR Philadelphia Eagles - Round 4

This is a player I love taking, but in hindsight, he might have some negative correlation with Saquon Barkley. The bet on Smith and AJ Brown is that the Eagles won’t be dead last in the league in pass attempts again, but that could hurt the run game. That said, there are plenty of outs here. A balanced attack could see both guys eat. Or an injury to AJ Brown or Dallas Goedert could see a boost for Smith without a hit to the run game. Happy with the player still, but I probably should have taken Rashee Rice, Mike Evans, or Davante Adams. 

Chris Olave, WR New Orleans Saints - Round 6

Chris Olave is a good wide receiver. So is Garrett Wilson. The problem for both guys is that they might not have great quarterback support. There are two key differences, though. A guy like Justin Fields has an O/U of only 2,450 passing yards and 14.5 TDs, which is by far the lowest in the league (and in line with his previous productions). And he also goes four rounds before Olave. It’s a much more palatable bet on Olave at this ADP. And Tyler Shough is free at the end of every draft, if I want to do that. 

Cooper Kupp, WR Seattle Seahawks - Round 7

The Rams were worried that Cooper Kupp would get hurt again when it mattered most. Reasonable. The Seahawks were willing to bet that Kupp doesn’t get hurt and that he can produce for them. Also reasonable. I’m willing to make that bet as well, given what we said about the consolidation of the offense in the JSN section. Once I took JSN and Kupp, Sam Darnold was added to my queue for later. 

Michael Pittman, WR Indianapolis Colts - Round 8

This is one of my favorite values on the board. Michael Pittman has been a guy who routinely plays over 90% of the snaps in his career. He had back-to-back 140+ target seasons before last year. In 2024, he hurt his back and dealt with inconsistent QB play. Now that he’s fully healthy and the Colts have Daniel Jones waiting in the wings in case of emergency, Pittman should get back to being the focal point of this pass attack. There aren’t many players going outside the top 50 WRs with his upside. 

Tyler Lockett, WR Tennessee Titans - Round 18

Calvin Ridley is locked in as the top target for Cameron Ward. After that, it gets murky. It’s guys like Tyler Lockett, Treylon Burks, Elic Ayomonar, Chig Okonkwo. With my very last round pick, I’m betting on Lockett to get behind the defense a couple times for Cameron Ward and maybe crack my lineup once or twice. There were four teams in the top 10 of Best Ball Mania last year that had Jermaine Burton on their team, including the first place team, so you don’t need to hit on EVERY pick. We’re just giving ourselves a chance at upside. 
 

 

 

Tight End Best Ball Mania VI Picks

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns - Round 11

My advice is always to lean into the positions you are good at. I spend a lot of time on tight ends, so I’m willing to wait and leverage that position. Last year, David Njoku was one of only 6 tight ends who had a 20% target share in the games he was healthy. Njoku, 2015 Antonio Gates, and 2012 Rob Gronkowski are three of the only tight ends I’ve seen finish as a TE1 in fantasy while playing fewer than 12 games. In 2023, Njoku was cooking with Joe Flacco, so hopefully, Flacco wins the job.

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers - Round 14

When the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf, we were out on Freiermuth. Once they traded away George Pickens, we were back in. He once again has a path to being a top two target on the team - last year he was and finished as the TE9 in fantasy. Hopefully, they bring in Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins so it’s not Mason Rudolph, but we’ll live if it is.

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots - Round 15

As I mentioned, last year I had a team that finished 226th out of 672,672 teams in Best Ball Mania V. The only two tight ends on that team that scored points were Pat Freiermuth and Hunter Henry. I’m not saying that will happen again, but the conditions haven’t materially changed. Henry led his team in targets with 97, which was good for a tie as TE6 in targets with David Njoku. Josh McDaniels obviously has some tricks for the tight end from his Rob Gronkowski days, and Henry could easily be a top-two target on the Patriots once again.