Best Ball Defense, D/ST & Kicker
Most best ball formats skip kickers and some skip D/ST — confirm yours first. If your format uses them, when to draft and how to approach defense and kicker.
Defense, D/ST & Kicker Guides (12)
Kickers in Best Ball: When to Draft a Kicker and How Many You Need
Leagues that require a kicker (when to draft: final round or at minimum last few rounds = difference between best kicker and worst kicker in season smaller than any other position = spending Round 10 pick on kicker when you could draft WR4 or RB3 is meaningful opportunity cost = kicker ADP clusters Rounds 17-20 in most best ball formats / how many to draft: in standard best ball roster with 1 K slot one kicker is sufficient = kicker injuries rare enough most managers run with one = if format gives 20+ roster spots and kickers cheap in final rounds drafting two does not hurt but not necessary / which kicker to target: kicker on highest-scoring offense = kicker points driven by red zone offense + field goal range attempts + climate and dome advantage = kicker on elite offense in dome situation is best available = roster them last but target the right one), leagues that do not include kickers (some best ball tournament formats removed kickers entirely = in these formats do not draft kicker and there is no slot = check scoring rules before draft day), positional opportunity cost (the real kicker strategy question is not which kicker but what am I giving up by drafting kicker earlier than necessary / Round 12 kicker costs potential: speculative WR with upside + handcuff RB in good situation + backup TE who could inherit targets / Round 19 kicker costs almost nothing / skill is delaying kicker pick as long as possible without missing position entirely = taking kicker only after all more valuable picks exhausted / watch kicker ADP during draft: if other managers start taking kickers Rounds 15-16 you may need to move earlier to avoid missing kicker on your target offense = if kickers not going until Round 18 no reason to move before Round 17).
Read →Kickers and DST in Best Ball: Why Most Best Ball Formats Exclude Them and What It Means
Why best ball usually excludes kickers (kickers add unpredictability without skill: kicker scoring is notoriously difficult to predict week to week = in season-long leagues you can pick up and drop kickers weekly but best ball rosters locked after draft = kicker variance becomes pure luck rather than skill / fantasy points from kickers are low-information: two managers who both drafted high-quality skill position players can have results decided by which kickers team happened to attempt more field goals that week / best ball rewards research and strategy: including kickers adds randomness that dilutes signal of good drafting), why best ball usually excludes DST (DST performance is largely opponent-driven: defense facing weak QBs scores better than one facing elite offenses = you can research and predict matchups in season-long because you can swap defenses weekly but in best ball you are locked in / defense scoring is often rule-dependent: different platforms give different points for sacks interceptions fumble recoveries and return TDs = adds variance without strategic depth / removing DST allows every roster spot to fill with skill position players who have more predictable fantasy value), how this changes best ball roster construction (more spots for skill positions: without kicker and DST taking spots the bench expands with RBs WRs TEs and QBs / late-round ceiling plays: extra roster spots become location for high-ceiling late-round picks = young receivers about to break out + backup QBs with upside + emerging handcuffs / depth at every position: genuine depth at RB WR and TE rather than allocating picks to unpredictable positions), when best ball does include kickers or DST (some formats do include them: typically legacy formats or leagues emphasizing fun over competitive purity / strategic adjustment: draft kicker and DST extremely late = final rounds only = do not spend a pick earlier than you would on player who simply would not be on your roster otherwise = the unpredictability means you cannot draft your way to a kicker advantage).
Read →Best Ball Defense Streaming: Does Defense Matter in Best Ball Drafts
How many DST picks in best ball (most best ball managers draft 1-2 defenses: in 18-round best ball drafting more than 2 DST slots is generally waste of picks that could go to higher-upside WRs or RBs = one defense as primary start and one as backup is sufficient / some managers skip DST entirely: if platform does not require DST many best ball managers allocate those picks to WRs or RBs = in best ball specifically DST is lowest-variance lowest-upside position and rarely differentiates weekly scores meaningfully compared to WR position), which defenses to target (target defenses facing weak offenses early in schedule: weekly matchup matters more for DST than any other position = defense facing bottom-5 offense in week 1 has much better chance of producing good DST week than elite defense facing top-5 offense / prefer defenses with strong pass rushes: pass rush generates sacks pressures and forced fumbles = DST events that produce most points beyond baseline points-allowed score).
Read →Best Ball Kicker and Defense Strategy: Do K and DST Matter in Best Ball
When to draft K and DST in best ball (draft K and DST as late as possible: in most best ball leagues with 18-player rosters kicker and DST should be drafted in last 2-3 rounds = weekly variance of these positions is too high to justify spending meaningful draft capital on them / only draft 1 of each: unlike skill positions where depth provides value carrying 2 kickers or 2 DSTs rarely improves best ball score = second one virtually never scores more than first in any given week = use extra picks on WR depth instead), do K and DST matter in best ball (they matter in aggregate not individually: over full 17-game season K and DST together contribute 300-400+ PPR points = that is not trivial they contribute 15-20% of total team scoring = but because variance is high and predictability is low they are impossible to optimize in drafts / matchup-based drafting limited value: some managers draft DSTs with favorable early-season schedules = this has marginal value the schedule advantage degrades after weeks 3-4 when early matchup data is already priced into ADP).
Read →Best Ball Kicker and DST: How Kicker and Defense Scoring Works in Best Ball Fantasy Football
Drafting kickers in best ball (draft as late as possible: standard best ball approach to kickers is to draft them in final 2 rounds = often rounds 17-18 of 18-round draft = kicker position is deep enough that any starting NFL kicker will produce at roughly same rate across full season = taking kicker before round 15 in best ball is draft error that costs skill position depth / consider volume factors: if manager drafting kickers in final rounds and must choose between two similar options high-volume passing teams with reliable red-zone offenses produce more kicker attempts = offense that operates frequently in field goal range generates more kicker opportunities than run-heavy stall-prone offense), drafting defenses in best ball (same late-round approach: best ball defenses follow same logic as kickers = draft as late as possible = position does not require activation decisions so depth at DST does not compound the way WR depth does = one solid defense from team with good defensive unit and favorable schedule is sufficient).
Read →Best Ball Kicker Strategy: How Kickers Affect Best Ball Fantasy Football Roster Building
Kicker strategy when included (optimal draft timing: when kickers are included in best ball format optimal timing is almost always final 1-3 picks of draft = difference in expected seasonal points between top kicker and 12th kicker is small = spending meaningful pick on kicker earlier than last round gives up real value at other positions for minimal kicker upgrade = drafting kicker in round 14-16 of 16-18 round best ball draft ensures access to high-volume kickers without wasting early picks / targeting high-volume offenses: kickers with most predictable consistent scoring are those on offenses that create lots of scoring opportunities = pass-heavy teams with efficient red zone offenses that drive into field goal range frequently but do not always score touchdowns = kickers on pass-heavy offenses tend to attempt 30-plus field goals per season = kickers on run-heavy or low-scoring offenses attempt significantly fewer), DST strategy in best ball (similar principles: DST in best ball formats that include position follow similar principles to kicker strategy = save position for late rounds and target high-turnover defenses or those facing weak offenses and do not spend significant draft picks on position with high weekly variance relative to skill positions = if format includes both kicker and DST spend last 2 picks on each and invest all meaningful picks in skill positions first).
Read →Best Ball: Should You Draft a Defense and When?
Most best ball formats have no D/ST slot — confirm yours first. If yours does: draft in Rounds 12-15, one defense only, target upside over consistency, check schedule.
Read →Best Ball When to Draft a Defense: How to Handle DST in Best Ball Drafts
Best ball fantasy football guide to drafting team defenses — in best ball formats that roster DST, defense is a low-priority, high-variance position…
Read →Best Ball Stacking with Defenses: How to Use Defense/ST as a Stack Element
A best ball fantasy football guide to defense and special teams stacking — in best ball formats that include a defense/ST slot, the defense can be…
Read →Best Ball Defense Strategy: How to Draft DST in Best Ball Formats
A best ball fantasy football guide to drafting defenses — in best ball, you cannot stream a different DST each week based on matchup; your drafted…
Read →Best-Ball Defense Stacking: Pairing Defenses with Your Offensive Players
Stack your QB and WR against a weak defense in the same week. Both score high in blowout games. Defense stacking amplifies ceiling in best-ball.
Read →Defenses and Kickers in Best Ball: Do They Matter and How Should You Draft Them?
Defenses in best ball (streaming problem: cannot swap weekly like redraft = defense you draft is defense you have for full season / target: high sack rate regardless of opponent + strong secondary generating turnovers + team competitive not dominant = defensive TDs and turnovers while facing opponents who attack downfield / avoid: teams losing frequently = prevent mode limits scoring / when to draft: wait until core skill positions filled then final 2-3 rounds / two-defense strategy: draft two to mitigate single defense bad stretches = rarely optimal = low variance between two mediocre defenses vs higher upside lost from late-round skill position swings), kickers in best ball (variable scoring based on FG attempts and distance = team offense efficiency and red zone philosophy / target: high-scoring offense reaching field goal range frequently + philosophy attempting long FGs + stable starting situation / strategy: either draft reliable top-5 kicker to ensure you get one + or draft any kicker late and accept average production / practical: last 1-2 rounds = if top-5 falls take him otherwise any serviceable kicker late / one kicker only: two kickers almost never correct = roster spot better used on skill position upside), formats without DST and kickers (large tournaments commonly exclude both = more skill position variety + higher ceiling potential from explosive scoring only + simplified analysis = direct all preparation toward skill position analysis).
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