We’re getting down to business. With training camps just weeks away, the Best Ball season is about to kick into high gear. You’ve been diligent in your research, gathering data and using our FREE Best Ball rankings to ensure you’re ready to dominate your drafts this year. However, without a strategy to build great stacks throughout the draft, you won’t be maximizing your Best Ball potential. That’s where we come in. Here we break down the optimal Best Ball draft strategy for securing great stacks from the No. 12 pick in each round for 2024.
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Best Ball Draft Strategy: Building Stacks from Pick 12
Ready to up your Best Ball game to the expert tier? Matt Gajewski has a guide on how to do just that; he breaks down everything, from stacking strategy to specific draft times to general roster construction.
Best Ball Stacks for Round 1/2 Turn (Picks 12/13)
There are loads of options here. You can set yourself up for a few future stacks.
If Puka Nacua falls, there’s a small chance Cooper Kupp will be there in Round 3. Matthew Stafford should be there at pick 156 (ADP 153). It is a tough stack to get, but take it if you can get it.
Jets WR1 Garrett Wilson should be there, and the Aaron Rodgers pairing is an easy add at the Round 13/14 turn. You can pretty easily add Mike Williams, Malachi Corley and Tyler Conklin throughout, depending on how your roster is coming together.
If you opt for Marvin Harrison Jr., Kyler Murray (ADP 81) has a shot at falling to you at the Round 7/8 turn (Pick 84/85)
If you opt for Drake London, Kyle Pitts (ADP 61) is going to be there at the Round 7/8 turn (ADP 60/61) 95% of the time.
If A.J. Brown happens to fall, which is unlikely, Jalen Hurts should be there at the 3/4 turn.
Really, just take your pick here — all these stacks are easy to complete most of the time.
Best Ball Stacks for Round 3/4 Turn (Picks 36/37)
This is a really good spot to grab an elite quarterback and a top receiving option.
Zay Flowers’ ADP lines right up with the pick slot; Lamar Jackson is 10 spots later, so just reach. Or you could reach for Mark Andrews to pair with Jackson. Jackson and Andrews won’t be unique, but it will be a unique stack for those drafting at the turn.
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes both have ADP slightly lower than the turn picks. Often you’ll see Kelce go right before the turn as drafters hope to grab Mahomes on the way back. But you can still grab Hollywood Brown and Mahomes and then hope Xavier Worthy and/or Rashee Rice are there the next round.
Keep in mind that, just because of how their ADP lines up this year, Lamar/Andrews and Kelce/Mahomes are going to be highly owned stacks.
Josh Allen (ADP 38) goes just after the turn; if you want to reach 10 spots for Dalton Kincaid, you’re going to have a unique combo.
If Michael Pittman Jr. falls, Anthony Richardson is going three spots ahead of the Round 4/5 turn. There is a decent chance you get both.
The chance of this happening is small, but Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs could fall to you. In that case, C.J. Stroud is an easy add at the next turn.
Best Ball Stacks for Round 5/6 Turn (Picks 60/61)
This is a tough spot to start a stack. You’re more likely adding to previous stacks or finishing off previous ones. If Keenan Allen falls, you could pull a Bears double and grab Rome Odunze.
If Calvin Ridley falls three spots, you can reach 10 for DeAndre Hopkins and start off a likely under-owned Tennessee Titans stack. This is a nice fallback option, as you’re all but guaranteed to get Will Levis later in the draft.
Best Ball Stacks for Round 7/8 Turn (Picks 84/85)
This is another tough round to start a stack. We’re heading straight into the running back dead zone, and wide receivers become scarce. Courtland Sutton is a slight reach, but you can give yourself an out with a late Broncos stack.
If Rashid Shaheed falls a couple spots, you can put together a Derek Carr, Juwan Johnson, A.T. Perry Saints stack quite easily.
Best Ball Stacks for Round 9/10 (Picks 108/109)
We have very few options here, but if Joshua Palmer falls a couple spots, you can grab Justin Herbert at the next turn (Pick 132) and Quentin Johnston the round after. D.J. Chark and Brenden Rice are great Round 18 adds.
Best Ball Stacks for Rounds 11/12 (Picks 132/133)
If you’re down and out, this is a great spot to start a Panthers bounce-back stack. Grab Xavier Legette this round and Adam Thielen next. If you need a tight end, Ja’Tavion Sanders will be there when you pick in Round 18.
This is a good spot to start a Patriots stack here as well, with Ja’Lynn Polk’s ADP five spots after the turn. From there, DeMario Douglas should be available in the next round, and if not, Hunter Henry is going three spots later. If you’re worried about not having a stack, grab Drake Maye the next round; if not, just hope he falls 10 spots to pick 203. There is a good chance that happens if you already have a few Patriots receivers. Kendrick Bourne is going undrafted and is a freebie in Round 18.
End of the Draft Best Ball Stacks
Don’t be afraid to reach more to start or complete stacks in this portion of the draft. Point projections between players are fairly insignificant, and there is a lot of guesswork.
The pickings are slim here — since we’ve already talked about the Panthers and Patriots. The New York Giants are always available, and they have loads of pairing options if you grab Daniel Jones — just be aware that, if the Giants are out of it, Jones could get benched towards the end of the season because he has $30 million guaranteed next season (like Russell Wilson last year).
If you want to get Troy Franklin (171) and Marvin Mims (183), start off with Franklin in Round 13/14 and Mims in 15/16. Bo Nix should be available with your last-round pick. Feel free to throw in a Josh Reynolds or Adam Trautman/Greg Dulcich.
