Best Ball Conference Championship Weeks: How NFL Conference Championship Games Affect Best Ball
Conference championship best ball strategy: in Underdog Mania and similar best ball contests that extend into NFL playoff weeks, teams that advance to the conference championship round are the most valuable because their players produce in the additional scoring weeks. Prioritizing players from teams with strong Super Bowl odds (historically low variance, consistent playoff contenders) is a mild edge strategy in these formats.
Conference Championship Quick Reference
| Best ball scenario | Impact of conference championship | Draft adjustment | Mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contest ends at week 17 (NFL.com, Yahoo, DraftKings) | No impact — conference championships are irrelevant | Do not adjust drafting based on team playoff probability | Deprioritizing players on non-playoff teams in regular-season-only contests — their regular season production is all that counts |
| Contest extends through NFL wild card (week 18–19) | Mild impact — 12 teams still play in wild card round | Slight edge to players from consistent playoff teams | Over-adjusting draft strategy for a 1-week playoff probability edge — production is still primary |
| Contest extends through divisional round | Significant — 8 teams play; players from eliminated teams score 0 | Moderate stack diversification across playoff-likely teams | Concentration in one team’s offense — if they lose in round 1, you have empty production weeks |
| Contest extends through conference championship (Underdog Mania) | Highest impact — only 4 teams produce | Weight players from perennial playoff teams; avoid over-concentration in any single team | Drafting a full team stack from a team with low playoff probability in a conference championship contest |
| Super Bowl week format | Two teams play — pure lottery of which teams make it | Diversify across players from multiple playoff contenders | Full stack from one Super Bowl team — opponent’s victory = empty scoring week for your team |
| Multiple entries in playoff-extending contest | Portfolio diversification across different playoff-likely teams | Spread entries across different team concentrations | All 20 entries concentrated in the same team stack — one first-round loss eliminates the production for the entire portfolio |
NFL Bye Week Impact During Playoffs
Conference championship roster planning. In best ball formats that extend into playoff weeks, roster construction should account for team postseason probability — a WR on a team likely to make deep playoff runs provides conference championship week production while other managers have unproductive rosters. This is a secondary consideration (draft value and production are primary), but equal-value players from playoff-likely teams are marginally preferable.
Super Bowl week in best ball. Some Underdog contests extend through the Super Bowl (week 22). Only two teams play the Super Bowl — having players on both teams ensures some production regardless of outcome. Stacks of players from the same Super Bowl team are high-risk, high-reward (if that team wins, your players produce a combined elite week; if they lose, you score poorly).
Regular Season Only Best Ball
Most best ball contests end week 17. The majority of best ball contests (NFL.com, Yahoo, DraftKings) end at week 17 of the regular season — playoffs are not relevant. In these contests, team playoff probability is completely irrelevant to roster construction, and players on non-playoff teams provide full regular season value with no playoff-week consequences.
For how playoff strategy connects to best ball overall, see: Best Ball Playoff Weeks: How NFL Playoff Weeks Affect Best Ball Fantasy Football.