Best Ball Rankings for 2023 Fantasy Football

Best Ball fantasy football leagues are a great format for those who don’t have time or don’t want to manage a roster for an entire season. Once a team is drafted, there’s not much left to do but root for all of your players each week. Every player is available in your lineup, but best ball formatting optimizes the highest-scoring players at each position to give you the best, highest-scoring lineup possible.

There’s a lot to consider when drafting a best ball team. Generally speaking, you should be targeting players you believe can put up big point totals in multiple weeks throughout the season. Keep in mind, there’s no waiver wire, trades, or adjustments to rosters so having depth is extremely important. Above all else, go with your gut! The best part of best ball leagues is investing in players you think are in for a big season.

Below, I’ve listed my best ball rankings of players at each position. Of course, these are bound to change following the 2023 NFL Draft, training camp, and any other news that comes our way. I’ll be sure to update them frequently with a note of the last revision.

Rankings last revised May 25, 2023

Positional Rankings for 2023 Best Ball Leagues

Quarterbacks

Quarterbacks with rushing upside are going to get a boost in value in almost every format, but especially in best ball leagues. Having the ability to rack up points on the ground is a huge advantage. So, even for a player like Justin Fields, who threw for just 2,242 yards last season, he still scored 20.0 or more points in seven of 15 applicable games last season, with two games of 40.0+ points, as well.

Running Backs

I aim to have at least five running backs on my best ball teams. If your best ball league awards 0.5 or one point per reception, then pass-catching running backs are obvious targets. We can debate all day about which of the notable studs are best suited for your 2023 best ball teams. However, I would rather spend a few words encouraging you to draft a few rookie running backs.

This 2023 class is loaded with talent. Pay attention to those who could mix in to their team’s backfield and carve out a sizable role, especially as the season progresses. Besides Bijan and Gibbs, few guys I’m keeping an eye on in that regard are Kendre Miller, Roschon Johnson, and Tank Bigsby. They could be key handcuffs or emerge as starters by season’s end.

Wide Receivers

There is a change in mindset amongst a large portion of fantasy football managers to draft wide receivers with their first-round picks. In best ball specifically, quarterbacks are likely the first position off of the board. However, if you end up with a later pick in the first round, and just about everyone before you locks up a stud quarterback, it’s okay to zag while everyone else is zigging. Snag a stud wide receiver with your pick, preferably one you expect to see at least 150 targets.

Tight Ends

Tight ends are even more of a headache in best ball than they are in just about every other format. Some best ball leagues will boost scoring for tight ends, making them somewhat more of a premium position. If that’s the case for your best ball league, I suggest being one of the managers with a top-five guy. It’s never a bad thing to have Travis Kelce on your roster.