CFF Best Ball Rankings Are Live: Here Are My Favorite Values
The rankings are live, but instead of just dumping a list, you’re explaining where the market is leaving value.
We have never done full CFF Underdog best ball rankings before, so this was a fun project to build out.
At The Devy Royale, most of our work is usually centered around devy, C2C, dynasty, and NFL Draft value. This format is different. CFF Underdog best ball is not about ranking the best long-term assets. It is not about building the cleanest devy portfolio. It is about weekly scoring, roster construction, spike weeks, and understanding where the market is leaving value.
The full rankings are now live on The Devy Royale website, but I wanted to use this article to talk through some of my favorite values in drafts right now.
The format matters. These are 20-round drafts with a starting lineup of 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX, 1 Superflex, and 12 bench spots. The scoring is built around fantasy production: 0.5 points per reception, 1 point per 10 rushing or receiving yards, 1 point per 25 passing yards, 4 points for passing touchdowns, 6 points for rushing or receiving touchdowns, -1 for interceptions, -2 for lost fumbles, and 2 points for two-point conversions. The contest also uses a playoff-style structure, with Week 1-11 as Round 1, then Week 12, Week 13, and Week 14 as advancing rounds.
That changes the way we should draft.
Quarterbacks matter more because of the Superflex spot. In most weeks, you want a quarterback in that spot if you can get one. That does not mean we should blindly push every quarterback up the board, though. The room can still over-draft the position. If a quarterback lacks rushing upside, has job security questions, or is priced near his ceiling, I am fine letting someone else take that risk.
Running backs still matter because volume dries up quickly. Wide receivers need either target volume or explosive weekly upside. Tight end is thin, but that does not mean every early tight end is worth chasing. Best ball also changes how we look at volatility. Since the format automatically uses your highest-scoring players each week, spike weeks become more valuable than they would be in a managed lineup league.
Here are some of my current values in Underdog drafts right now!
Quarterback
Auburn QB Byrum Brown
TDR CFF Ranking: Overall 79, QB19
Byrum Brown is one of my favorite quarterback values because this format rewards exactly what he brings to the table. He enters his final season with 7,690 passing yards and 2,265 rushing yards in his college career. He has already reached 3,000 passing yards twice, and last season he rushed for over 1,000 yards. That matters in a Superflex best ball format. Brown does not need Auburn to be a great team. He just needs this offense to run through him, and that is exactly what should happen.
The Auburn offense is going to look different under Alex Golesh. This thing is going to play fast, create volume, and put Brown in position to produce every week. Golesh brought over several players from last year’s USF offense, including multiple receivers Brown already has timing with. That matters. Brown knows the system, he can handle the tempo, and he gives you rushing production that can separate in this format. At QB19 in our rankings, he is a player I want to be ahead of the market on.
Alabama QB Keelon Russell
TDR CFF Ranking: Overall 129, QB31
Keelon Russell is one of my favorite picks in these drafts because he has true league-winning upside if he wins the Alabama starting job. That is the bet. You are not drafting him because he is safe today. You are drafting him because if he beats out Austin Mack, his price is going to look ridiculous. Russell was a five-star recruit, redshirted behind Ty Simpson, and then gave everyone a reminder of the talent during the spring game.
The spring game buzz matters because the ceiling is obvious. Russell threw for 240 yards and four touchdowns, and Alabama’s offense looked different when he was out there. The arm talent, timing, and playmaking ability are all there. He still has to win the job, so there is risk. But in a 20-round best ball draft, especially with a Superflex spot, this is the kind of quarterback swing I want to make. If Russell starts, he is not going to be priced like QB31 for long.
Cincinnati QB JC French
TDR CFF Ranking: Overall 240, QB53
JC French is the deep quarterback dart I do not mind taking late. He is not a flashy name, and he is probably not going to be pushed up draft boards like some of the bigger Power Four quarterbacks. That is fine. He has real experience, he has produced before, and he brings enough rushing ability to matter in this format. At Georgia Southern, he threw for 5,882 yards and 38 touchdowns, and last season he added 315 rushing yards with six rushing scores.
That is what makes him interesting as a late best ball pick. French is expected to be right in the mix to start at Cincinnati, and if he wins the job, you are getting a starting quarterback at a dirt-cheap cost. He is more floor than ceiling as a passer, but the rushing touchdowns give him a path to usable weeks. In Superflex, those late starting quarterbacks matter. He is not someone you need to force, but at QB53 in our rankings, he is the kind of late shot that can help fill out a quarterback room.
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