How to win the Million Dollar Best Ball Championship at Underdog Fantasy

If you have been craving best ball action as much as I have been all summer, then I have good news for you! Underdog Fantasy just went live on Friday and came out of the box swinging with a Million Dollar Best Ball Championship. For $25, you can battle it out with 43,200 others to take down the $200,000 first-place prize. You can download the app on your phone or visit Underdogfantasy.com to sign up.

Underdog Fantasy’s Million Dollar Best Ball Championship

Roster and Scoring

If you were familiar with the DRAFT app from previous years, it looks like the same scoring format from that. Underdog does have some roots from the people that formerly made the DRAFT app. You get 18 players total with very straightforward scoring in the .5 PPR format. Defense and Kickers need not apply.

Format and Playoffs

The “regular season” is a sprint Weeks 1-13 (Round 1) with the top two teams from each 12-man league advancing to the playoffs.

Here is the breakdown from Underdog’s website:

• At the end of Round 1, the top two (2) performing entries in each Group will advance to Round 2 and be awarded a prize (as described below). Round 2 will consist of 7,200 entries in 600 12-person Groups.
• At the end of Round 2, the top (1) performing entries from each Group will advance to Round 3 and be awarded a prize (as described below). Round 3 will consist of 600 entries in 50 12-person Groups.
• At the end of Round 3, the top (1) performing entry from each Group will advance to Round 4 and be awarded a prize (as described below). Round 4 will consist of 50 entries in a single 50-person Group.
• At the end of Round 4, the top (1) performing entry from the Group will be the Grand Prize winner and prizes will be awarded to all entries in Round 4 (as described below).
• Rounds
  • Round 1 – NFL Weeks 1 through 13
  • Round 2 – NFL Week 14
  • Round 3 – NFL Week 15
  • Round 4 – NFL Week 16

So, finish in the top two in your original 12-man league from Weeks 1-13, then win your new 12-man leagues each of the next two weeks to advance to the final 50-man Week 16 finals.

Payout Structure

Everyone is gunning for the $200,000 first-place prize, but finishing in the top two of your original 12-man league you drafted in gets you double your buy-in back with a return of $50.

The rest of the prize structure can be found below directly from Underdog’s website. They have some rules in case the season is shortened as well that will payout as long as at least four weeks of the NFL season are played. Some alternate scenarios are also addressed, so rest assured, all angles have been covered in the rules.

Prize Breakdown

1st = $200,000

2nd = $100,000

3rd = $50,000

4th = $30,000

5th = $20,000

6th = $12,000

7th = $9,000

8th = $7,000

9th = $5,500

10th = $4,000

11 – 20 = $3,000

21 – 30 = $2,500

31 – 50 = $2,000

51 – 600 = $250

601 – 7200 = $50

We Play to Win the Game

If you play safe, kiss your $25 entry goodbye in this Million Dollar Best Ball Championship. You have to think differently when playing this type of format since not only do you need to survive Weeks 1-13 with a high scoring team, but you also have to win your new 12-man leagues in both Weeks 14 and 15 to advance to the 50-team finals Week 16.

Your entire strategy needs to be tilted towards fielding teams with huge upside that can get you to the Week 16 finals where anything can happen. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is through stacking. For those new to this term, stacking is pairing a quarterback with one or more options from the same offense. This allows you to achieve maximum upside should that team have a big week that can help you post big scores throughout the season, while also giving you a better chance to win your 12-man leagues in Weeks 14 and 15 in hopes to advance to the championship.

Stacks to Avoid

Buffalo Bills

There are a few reasons I’m not thrilled to target many Bills players in best ball this season, but having to face the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in Week 14, fly out to Denver in Week 15, then face the New England Patriots in Foxboro in the Week 16 championship, if you make it there is my main one for this format.

After a run-through of team schedules to close out the season, the Bills by far have the worst matchups in my eyes during the playoff run. They are a team I will be avoiding in this format where maximum upside is needed late in the season. In fact, the Bills are basically the only team stack I will actively be avoiding after going over the playoff schedule. This trio of matchups is simply too much to overcome in my eyes when all the money is on the line.

Stacks to Target

Kansas City Chiefs

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the Chiefs are worth stacking, but with the near absolute nuts come playoff time, it’s one worth mentioning. A Week 14 matchup in Miami looks good before overdrive kicks in with a Week 15 matchup in the Superdome against the New Orleans Saints, followed by a Week 16 matchup at home against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Chiefs are an offense that can get you into the playoffs with the upside to win the whole thing with amazing matchups when the money really starts to come into play. There will be teams that somehow end up with two of Tyreek Hill/Travis Kelce/Clyde Edwards-Helaire paired with Patrick Mahomes in their first three picks, and I want to be one of them.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have plus matchups, in theory, all three weeks in the playoff format on Underdog with a home matchup against the Saints, followed by trips to Arizona and Dallas to close out the contest. It’s also much more likely you are able to pair Carson Wentz with one or more of Miles Sanders/Zach Ertz/Jalen Reagor/Dallas Goedert than being able to stack the Chiefs. The cost on the Eagles stack should be more attainable should you choose to focus on it since the ADP’s are much lower.

Carolina Panthers

If you are lucky enough to grab the 1.01 in your original draft, you should consider grabbing Teddy Bridgewater and a few more Panthers weapons if possible. Carolina gets a home game against the Denver Broncos in Week 14 before taking trips to Green Bay and Washington to close out the contest.

The Panthers defense projects to be one of the worst in the league, which could allow plenty of passing opportunities throughout the season for the offense in a scheme that just decimated the college ranks last season, led by Joe Brady as offensive coordinator. Outside of Christian McCaffrey, you should be able to get any part of the Panthers stack you choose, which makes it a solid targe. You can get the stud players you want elsewhere and focus on a stack as the rounds progress. A bye week before the playoff weeks start on Underdog sounds great as well to get some rest late in the season.

San Francisco 49ers

It’s hard to think that a 49ers’ stack can win you $200,000, but with trips to both Dallas in Week 15 and a trip to Arizona in the Championship week, it’s not out of the question to see them involved in a few shootouts to close the season. The home matchup in Week 14 against Washington might be dicey as you would expect them to be close to double-digit favorites, but the upside in the big money weeks remains.

Starting your draft with a stud running back while grabbing George Kittle in the late second or early third round looks very promising. Both Jimmy Garoppolo and his other receiving options can all be had for cheap as the draft progresses.

New Orleans Saints

The only downside to the Saints is that it’s nearly impossible to predict landing both Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas on a singular team at their current ADP’s. That said, if you do happen to land one of these studs, you should highly consider reaching a round for Drew Brees and one of Jared Cook and/or Emmanuel Sanders.

The offense will undoubtedly lose a few touchdowns to Taysom Hill which is frustrating, but with a road matchup against a powerful Eagles offense in Week 14 followed up by two home matchups against the Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings to close out the contest on Underdog, the Saints are a team that not only can get you to the playoff format, but win you the entire thing.

The Underdog Million Dollar Best Ball Championship is going to start gaining steam quickly. Get in there now before the ADP’s get any sharper and start stacking your way to the $200,000 first-place prize.

Brit Devine is a fantasy contributor at ProFootballNetwork. Follow him on Twitter @brit_devine as well as @PFN365 and @PFNDynasty for all the latest fantasy news.