Underdog’s first big best ball contest of the season, the Big Board, stunningly filled with over a month remaining before the NFL draft—wild stuff.
If you were slow to hop in, don’t worry. Underdog was not going to leave us best ball sickos hanging over the next few weeks and recently released a new Big Board tournament with a $500,000 prize pool with $100,000 to first place.
But here’s the thing, this isn’t your grandpa’s Big Board draft.
This is a Superflex draft.
The roster settings are nearly identical to the regular Big Board, except for one big tweak. Instead of a third WR slot, there is a Superflex (SFlex) slot where a QB can accumulate points in addition to the traditional QB slot.
But before you hop into the lobby, here are four tips and tricks to help you navigate this new wrinkle to drafting.
Before we get to those four tips and tricks, here's one bonus tip - sign up for Underdog Fantasy with the offer below and you'll get a 100% deposit match of up to $100. Seems like a no-brainer, right?
Be Ready For The QB Avalanche
It should be no surprise that drafters are aggressively targeting QBs in this format. Here’s a look at how the first two rounds shook out in a recent draft I did:
Your eyes do not deceive you. That’s eight QBs in Round 1 and 13 total QBs through the first 21 picks. Considering QBs have such a high floor, it makes sense that drafters are rushing to get one to two QBs right out of the gate.
To further validate this QB frenzy, look at this chart by Underdog’s Hayden Winks, showing ten of the top-12 scoring players in this format last year were passers.
If you have a Top 7 or 8 pick, it’s wise to lock up a signal caller with your first-round selection.
Attack QBs, But Be Smart
I will give an unpopular take, but the Superflex settings have resulted in QB delirium for some drafters. If I have a pick at the back end of the round, I won’t force a quarterback selection over an elite RB or WR.
I selected Cooper Kupp and Jonathan Taylor in the draft posted above at the 1-2 turn. Some people think this is crazy, but it reflects my overall strategy when it comes to Superflex:
Don’t show up to a gunfight with a knife.
The teams with the first three picks have a massive advantage as they have access to Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, or Patrick Mahomes.
How will you compete against a Hurts team with a QB like Deshaun Watson or Dak Prescott?
Sure, you can hope and pray they have an outlier season. But you’re likely drafting a watered-down version of the team in the 1.01, 1.02, or 1.03 position. Last year, the QB9 (where Watson is going off the board) scored almost 100 fewer fantasy points than the big three at the top.
I’ll put it another way. Consider the gap between Hurts’ ADP in the traditional format (Round 2) and Watson’s or Prescott’s price (Rounds 7 and 8). You are sacrificing rounds of value when you make that click.
Instead, I’d prefer to draft some combo of elite WRs (Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Cooper Kupp) or elite RBs (Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor). That way, I know I’ll be beating the elite QB drafters at the RB and WR positions.
The other reason not to draft watered-down versions of the early draft slot teams is that you also push down the top skill players to them when you pass on the elite options. Don’t let the Hurts or Allen drafter also get a guy like Austin Ekeler. That’s not fair.
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How To Punt QB
Punting QB in Superflex is not for the faint of heart (I got roasted hard for doing this in back-to-back drafts the other day). Nevertheless, it’s a viable strategy when you pick at the turn.
The key to making a “Zero QB” build work is to attack the position with volume. You’ll need to find at least one signal caller with high-end upside. In the draft I posted earlier, where I started Kupp and Taylor, I waited until pick 60 to select my first QB and ended up with the trio of Trey Lance, Anthony Richardson, and Sam Howell.
Admittedly, my approach is a risky strategy. There is no guarantee that these QBs will start come Week 1. However, we are drafting in tournaments with top-heavy prizes and should take on smart risks wherever possible.
QBs like Lance and Richardson have the talent (and rushing profiles) to put up a monster fantasy season if things break right.
My favorite “punt QB” options in Superflex drafts right now:
- High risk, high reward: Lance, Richardson, Kyler Murray
- Mystery box rookies: Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis
- “Boring” statue QBs: Jimmy Garoppolo, Mac Jones
- Second-year leap candidates: Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell
All of those QBs went after pick 50 in the draft I’ve been referencing.
One Other Key Roster Setting Shift
To make room for the new SFlex slot, Underdog has removed one of the WR slots. You can still use a WR score in your SFlex spot (analysis shows that they end up in the slot roughly 20% of the time), but the format levels the playing field between starting RBs and WRs.
Because of this, early heavy WR builds are less viable than in traditional formats where you can start up to 4 WRs (3 WRs + 1 Flex) compared to 3 RBs (2 RBs + 1 Flex).
If you like aggressively drafting WRs like me, you’ll want to make a slight mental adjustment and break some ties in favor of the RBs throughout your draft.
Speaking of your draft, have you started drafting on Underdog Fantasy yet? If not, you can get a 100% deposit match of up to $100 by creating a new account with the offer below. Sign up and start drafting today!
If you’d like to talk Superflex best ball strategy, hop into the Fantasy Life Discord and find our #🌊best-ball channel. I host an Office Hours session every Tuesday at 3:30 pm ET. See ya there.
