Best Ball Double TE: Should You Draft Two Tight Ends Early in Best Ball?
Why some drafters double up at tight end: tight end is a scarce, top-heavy position, and most best ball strategy is about how to fill the single TE slot — pay up for an elite one or punt and stream. The double-TE approach is a different idea: draft two strong tight ends, start one at the tight end slot and the other at your flex, and exploit the position’s scarcity by having two players who out-score the replacement-level options others run there. The appeal is a high, stable floor and a scarcity edge; the cost is committing resources (and a flex spot) to a position whose ceiling at flex may be lower than a running back or receiver would provide. Double-TE is a niche but legitimate construction, and understanding its upside and trade-offs helps you decide whether two tight ends is a smart exploit or an over-commitment in your build.
Double TE
How double-TE works:
The structure: (1) draft two strong tight ends — rather than one elite TE and streaming the rest, you acquire two quality tight ends; (2) start one at TE and one at flex — best ball slots your best tight end at the TE position and the next at your flex (where TE is eligible), so both contribute; (3) it exploits positional scarcity — because the tight end position is thin, two strong tight ends can out-score the replacement-level players opponents run at the flex/TE, an edge from the scarcity (the elite TE advantage extended); (4) it banks a high floor, since two reliable tight ends give a stable weekly baseline at two lineup spots.
The upside and trade-offs:
Weighing it: (1) upside — scarcity edge and floor — two strong tight ends beat the weak TE/flex options others use, providing a consistent advantage at thin spots; (2) upside — correlation potential — pairing tight ends with their quarterbacks (or with a high-scoring offense) can add stack upside; (3) trade-off — limited flex ceiling — a tight end at flex generally has a lower ceiling than a running back or receiver would, so double-TE caps your flex upside (the opportunity cost); (4) trade-off — resource commitment, since drafting two quality tight ends spends picks that could deepen your scarcer RB/WR positions, so it is a real allocation choice (the value question of the draft strategy hub).
When double-TE makes sense:
The judgment: (1) when two strong tight ends fall to value — if the draft hands you two quality tight ends at reasonable cost, the scarcity edge can be worth it without overpaying; (2) when you want floor over ceiling — double-TE suits builds prioritizing a stable floor (more cash-style), less so pure-ceiling tournament builds where flex upside matters more; (3) when the TE position is unusually deep at value — in a year with several strong mid-priced tight ends, doubling up is cheaper and more attractive; (4) compare it to the alternatives, since double-TE competes with paying up for one elite TE or punting the position (zero-TE), so choose it only when two tight ends genuinely offer more value than strengthening RB/WR, integrating the call into the best ball draft strategy hub.
For the foundational strategy, see our elite TE advantage guide and best ball draft strategy hub. Start at the best ball hub for all resources.