Deep Sleepers: Underdog Best Ball

If you’re on the clock in Round 15, you shouldn’t be thinking about getting unique with players who aren’t being drafted in every league. That’s too big of a reach. 

But in the 17th round of a large-field best ball tournament like Underdog’s Best Ball Mania, it’s a winning strategy. That’s because it can separate our teams during the best ball playoffs. In other words, the real +EV bet is scrolling down for players who are not being drafted to avoid overlapping with other rosters via unique usability.

The following is an ETR aggregated list of unique players to scroll down for in the last two rounds of Best Ball Mania V. This list will be updated weekly throughout the offseason as players gain steam and no longer meet the minimum 204 ADP threshold.

Note: Our Underdog rankings and tiers now include ownership estimates for Best Ball Mania. Click here to access those.

Last updated: July 29

1. Cardinals WR Greg Dortch (36% Ownership Estimate)

With Rondale Moore shipped to Atlanta, Dortch needs to only beat out veteran WRs Chris Moore, guaranteed a minuscule $750,000 on the open market, and Zach Pascal, glued exclusively out wide (84%) in Year 1 under OC Drew Petzing, for a starting role in 11 personnel. Dortch’s 10 career games with 70% of the team’s snaps resulted in 11.2 per-week points, which would’ve tied Cooper Kupp as fantasy’s WR27 last year.

2. Texans WR Noah Brown (7%)

Typically available in the final round, Brown already proved he boasts a ceiling with three top-12 finishes across 10 games. He’s even viable in elite stacks between the Dolphins, Chiefs, and Ravens given Houston’s schedule in the best ball playoffs (versus Miami, at Kansas City, against Ravens). Note that we’re projecting 32-year-old Robert Woods to be cut, which would save the Texans $5 million against the cap.