Inside Our 30-Round CFF Best Ball Startup: Picks, Values, and Strategy
Kevin breaks down his recent 30 Round CFF bestball draft
It may still be early in the offseason, but things are already heating up on the college fantasy football front. Over at TDR, we officially kicked off our CFF best ball drafts, and this one carries a little extra weight; it’s our first real startup draft with money on the line. That always adds a different layer of strategy, urgency, and conviction when you’re on the clock.
Beyond the competition, drafts like this are one of the best ways to get a pulse on the current market. Early startups help reveal where ADP is starting to settle, which players are gaining steam, and where the true value pockets exist throughout a 30-round build. With best ball formats especially, roster construction and positional runs can tell us a lot about how managers are approaching the 2026 CFF landscape.
Let’s take a look at the draft board and dive into some of the players selected, the strategy behind certain picks, and a few spots where value stood out along the way.
Full 30-Round Draft Board*
*Formatted picks can be found at the end of the article
Favorite CFF Targets
Quarterbacks
Now that we’ve looked at the full draft board, let’s break down some of my favorite picks from this startup. We’ll start with the quarterback position, which had an interesting trend throughout the draft.
In the first two rounds, we only saw two quarterbacks come off the board. That’s something to keep an eye on in this format. With so many high-volume running backs and wide receivers available early, managers seemed comfortable pushing quarterback down the board and prioritizing other positions first. In a best ball CFF format where depth and weekly spike weeks matter, that strategy could end up paying off.
It’s still early in the offseason, but if this draft is any indication, it looks like you may be able to wait on quarterbacks and still land strong options later in the draft. Let’s take a look at a few of the signal-callers that stood out as some of my favorite selections.
Oklahoma State QB Drew Mestemaker - 2.12
Drew Mestemaker coming off the board at 2.12 is a pick I really like in this format. Mestemaker led all of FBS last season in passing yards with 4,379 while throwing 34 touchdowns and completing nearly 69 percent of his passes at North Texas. Now he heads to Oklahoma State after the Cowboys essentially imported a large portion of Eric Morris’ North Texas offense through the transfer portal. That continuity matters. Mestemaker already knows the system and the tempo, which should allow him to step in and produce right away in Stillwater.
He also brings a little bit of rushing upside, finishing with five rushing touchdowns last season, which gives him another path to fantasy production. The connection with Wyatt Young moving with him from North Texas should help the transition as well. Oklahoma State is entering a bit of a rebuilding year, which could lead to plenty of negative game scripts and a lot of passing volume. If you are taking a quarterback as QB2 at the end of the second round, you are betting on elite production. Mestemaker has already shown he can put up massive numbers, and the situation in Stillwater could set him up to do it again.
Hawaii QB Micah Alejado - 14.04
Micah Alejado going at 14.04 is one of my favorite quarterback values in this draft. Alejado quietly put together an incredible freshman season, finishing with a 141.2 passer rating while throwing for 3,106 yards and 24 touchdowns in just 11 games. He was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year and earned All-Mountain West Honorable Mention after leading the conference with 24 touchdown passes and averaging over 282 passing yards per game. At one point, he ripped off four straight games over 300 yards and even posted back-to-back 400-yard performances against Air Force and Utah State. What makes it even more impressive is that he did much of that after suffering an ankle injury early in the season during the upset win over Stanford.
Alejado is currently rehabbing that injury and being held out of spring drills, but the expectation is that he will be ready for the 2026 season. If he returns fully healthy, the upside here is massive. Hawai‘i runs one of the most fantasy-friendly systems in college football and the volume in that run-and-shoot offense is exactly what we want for CFF. Alejado already showed he can handle that workload and produce huge passing numbers, including leading Hawai‘i back from a 21-point deficit to win the Hawai‘i Bowl against Cal. At this price in the 14th round, you are getting a quarterback who has already shown elite production and could realistically lead the Rainbow Warriors into Mountain West title contention and the Group of Five playoff conversation. In this offense, a healthy Alejado is a fantasy gold mine.
UNLV QB Jackson Arnold - 17.01
Sometimes a change of scenery is exactly what a player needs, and Jackson Arnold might have finally found the right landing spot in Las Vegas. The former five-star quarterback transfers to UNLV after stops at Oklahoma and Auburn, bringing 17 career starts with him. Last season at Auburn he threw for 1,309 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions while adding 311 rushing yards and eight scores on the ground. The passing production never fully clicked in the SEC, but the dual-threat ability was still clear every time he stepped on the field.
Now Arnold lands in a much more favorable situation with Dan Mullen, one of the best quarterback developers in college football. Mullen has consistently built offenses that allow quarterbacks to produce both through the air and on the ground, and Arnold’s mobility fits perfectly in that system. UNLV also has a clear opening at quarterback after losing Anthony Colandrea to the transfer portal, giving Arnold a real opportunity to take control of the offense. At 17.01 this is a great upside swing. The rushing ability alone gives him a strong fantasy floor, and if he locks down the job in a quarterback-friendly system against Mountain West defenses, Arnold could end up being one of the better late-round quarterback values in this draft.
Alabama QB Keelon Russell - 18.01
Keelon Russell at 18.01 is exactly the type of upside swing I like taking in this format. At this point in the draft the risk is minimal, but the payoff could be massive. Russell is currently in a quarterback battle with Austin Mack heading into the season, and if he wins that job the ceiling changes quickly. Mack has appeared in just six games over the last two seasons and has thrown for only 267 yards and three touchdowns. Russell has also seen limited action so far, completing 11 of 15 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns in two appearances, but the tools are obvious and the upside in this offense is significant.
Russell is an elite playmaker with one of the most intriguing skill sets in the 2025 quarterback class. He has been an extremely accurate passer throughout his career, showing the ability to attack every level of the field while getting the ball out quickly. What stands out most is his ability to extend plays. He has the speed and agility to turn pressure into explosive scrambles while still keeping his eyes downfield to make a throw. The arm talent and creativity are there, and if he ends up winning this job he could elevate the entire Alabama offense. In the 18th round, you are simply betting on talent and situation. If Russell hits, he has the profile to become a league-winning quarterback in this format.
Running Backs
Next up are the running backs, and this is where things start to get really interesting in this format. The running back position might be the deepest in all of CFF right now, and this draft really showed that. Even as the draft pushed into the middle and later rounds, there were still starting backs and high-volume options coming off the board.
Because of that depth, there is a ton of value to be found throughout the draft at running back. Managers were able to wait and still land productive players in strong rushing offenses. In a best ball format where touchdowns and weekly ceiling matter, that depth makes the position extremely appealing to build around. Let’s take a look at a few of my favorite running back picks from this draft.
