Best Ball Draft: How to React to Positional Runs (and When to Join Them)
You’ve done your pre-draft research. You have a tier board. You know your target players. And then, three rounds in, the RBs you were planning to take at picks 4 and 6 are gone — taken in consecutive picks by managers who weren’t supposed to be targeting that position yet. This is a positional run. How you react significantly affects your draft outcome.
Positional Run Response Table
| Your situation during the run | Response | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| You planned to take this position in this range; good players still available | Join the run | Take your planned player — you’re not panicking, you’re following your board |
| The run is taking tier 2 players; your tier 1 targets are already gone | Wait — let others overpay | Stay in your lane; take best available at another position; the run will produce panic picks that benefit you later |
| A strong player at another position is falling because everyone is chasing this position | Take best available; ignore the run | Your board says “this player should be gone by now” — take the value regardless of the run |
The panic test: Before any pick during a run, ask — “Would I have taken this player at this pick if no run was happening?” If the honest answer is no, you’re panicking.
What Is a Positional Run?
A positional run is when multiple managers in a row draft the same position. They’re common because many managers build similar tier boards and make similar decisions about when to shift positions.
- RB runs: Common in early-to-mid rounds when workload-carrying RBs thin out
- QB runs: Typically happen in one concentrated burst; one manager takes a QB unexpectedly and others panic-follow
- TE runs: Often triggered when one manager takes a TE and others suddenly worry about position scarcity
The Four-Step Decision Framework
When you detect a run is developing:
Step 1: Assess your position needs. Do you urgently need the position being run on, or do you have adequate coverage?
Step 2: Check available value at the run position. Is there a player who represents genuine value at your pick, or would you be reaching?
Step 3: Check alternative value. Is there a player at another position representing excellent value because they’ve fallen due to the run?
Step 4: Make the call. Run position has genuine value for you: join. Doesn’t: take the falling alternative.
QB Runs Are a Special Case
QB runs are more predictable and more concentrated than other positional runs. In most drafts, there’s one major QB run — typically triggered by one manager taking a QB unexpectedly, which causes others to panic-follow.
Strategy: Before draft day, decide at what point you’re willing to take your QB. If the run happens within your target range, take your QB. If the run is happening before your target range and you’re rushing to take a QB earlier than planned — pause. There will be QBs available after the run subsides.
Why Runs Create Value for Disciplined Managers
The managers who panic during a run take suboptimal players early. The managers who stay disciplined get their original targets slightly later and pick up players who fell because of others’ panic. Runs are not threats to your draft — they’re opportunities, as long as you don’t overreact to them.
For how to build your tier board to handle positional runs effectively, see: How to Prepare for Your Best Ball Draft: A Pre-Draft Checklist. For how game theory connects to run decisions, see: Game Theory in Fantasy Football: How Your Competition Changes Your Optimal Strategy.