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Best-Ball Draft Prep Checklist: Know Your Strategy Before Pick 1

Prepare before the draft.

Create a prep document: ceiling estimates by player, stacks to target, bye weeks to coordinate, handcuffs to identify. Walk into the draft with a system, not guesses.

The Pre-Draft Checklist

1. Ceiling Estimates (every relevant player)

Create a spreadsheet:

  • Player name, position, team, age
  • Ceiling ppg (best week)
  • Floor ppg (worst week)
  • Path to ceiling (what needs to happen)

Example: Mahomes (35 ppg ceiling), Jefferson (28 ppg ceiling), Saquon (26 ppg ceiling)

2. Bye Week Map

  • Which teams have bye weeks in weeks 4-8? (prefer early)
  • Which teams have bye weeks in weeks 13-17? (avoid if you stack them)
  • Plan: Own studs with bye weeks 4-8, avoid studs with bye weeks 13-17

3. Offensive Stacks to Target

  • Chiefs offense (Mahomes, Kelce, + WR): Draft together
  • Vikings offense (Jefferson, Cook, + WR): Draft together
  • 49ers offense (if they’re viable): Draft together
  • Plan: Target 2-3 stacks, leave one round for each stack to form

4. Handcuff Inventory

  • Injury-prone RBs and their backups: (Saquon → backup, Cook → backup)
  • Late-round targets: Pair with studs in later rounds

5. Zero-Value Upside List

  • Backup RBs with 20+ ppg ceiling if starter injured
  • Young WRs with growing snap counts
  • TE breakouts: Plan to grab in rounds 11-15

The Worked Example

Your Pre-Draft Doc:

CEILING TARGETS (Round 1-5):
- Mahomes: 35 ceiling, 18 floor, elite
- Jefferson: 28 ceiling, 14 floor, elite
- Saquon: 26 ceiling, 16 floor, elite
- Kelce: 22 ceiling, 10 floor, elite
- Travis Cook: 22 ceiling, 14 floor, solid

STACKS TO FORM:
- Chiefs: Mahomes + Kelce (round 1-4)
- Vikings: Jefferson + Cook (round 2-5)

BYE WEEKS TO COORDINATE:
- Chiefs bye: Week 5 (okay)
- Vikings bye: Week 8 (okay)
- Avoid: 49ers (bye week 13, too late)

HANDCUFFS (Round 12-15):
- Saquon's backup (if he's injury-prone)
- Cook's backup

ZERO-VALUE UPSIDE (Round 13-15):
- Young WR in KC (behind receivers, 20+ ppg if emerges)
- Backup RB (injury insurance, 22 ppg ceiling)

The Draft-Day Use

As you draft:

  1. Early rounds: Follow your ceiling targets and stacks
  2. Mid-rounds: Fill gaps (WR3, TE2), start stacking
  3. Late rounds: Grab zero-value upside, handcuffs

If ADP differs from your plan: Adjust, don’t panic. If Mahomes falls to round 2 (your plan was round 1), grab him.

The Payoff

Pre-draft prep:

  • Clear strategy (you know what to do each round)
  • Adaptive (prepared for ADP shifts)
  • Confident (no second-guessing during draft)

Living guide — updated each preseason. Related: best-ball fundamentals · stacking.