Building a Fantasy Football Best Ball Team From Pick No. 5: Chase, Henry and More

I stumbled upon fantasy football best ball leagues on Yahoo, so I thought it'd be fun to do a draft and explain my reasoning for those of you looking to join one of those leagues.

I was randomly given pick No. 5 in this 10-team setup. There's 17 roster spots: one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one flex and nine bench slots. It's a 0.5 PPR league.

After drafting in a best ball league, you don't do much else during the fantasy season. There's no in-season pickups, so I'm stuck with this drafted roster the whole way. The best performers at each position are the ones who score every week. The fantasy team with the most points at the end of the year wins.

With all that in mind, let's put together a team!

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Round 1 - Ja'Marr Chase

In round 1, Chase slipped a couple picks, so I happily drafted him fifth overall.

He has an injury issue he's working through right now, but when healthy, he could be the top fantasy wideout in the NFL. So I'll gladly take a little gamble on his health and have him lead my fantasy wideout room, and team overall.

Round 2 - Derrick Henry

In round 2, I got my first running back with Henry.

He too can be a high-end fantasy asset, and he rarely has down weeks, so I especially like him in this kind of format. I like Henry leading my RB room.

Round 3 - Josh Allen

When my pick was up in round 3, I didn't like many of the options, so I decided to grab the top fantasy QB in Allen.

He could end up as the top fantasy player in the game again, so he's never a bad pick, especially in this format. I can avoid this position for a while now with Allen leading the charge.

Round 4 - Tetairoa McMillan

McMillan was my second wideout pick, and my choice in round 4.

He might not be on a great team or offense, but he's the clear lead pass catcher, so I like his fantasy outlook. McMillan and Chase is a fun 1-2 wideout punch.

Round 5 - Emeka Egbuka

I got another wideout here in round 5 with Egbuka.

He's another working through an injury, but he shouldn't miss any time, if any at all in the regular season. Egbuka has a chance to be his team's top wideout, so that makes three of those guys to power my wideout position.

Round 6 - Bucky Irving

I landed a second straight Buc here with Irving.

He's not the strongest fantasy RB2, so I'll be looking to draft more backs here soon. Irving is looking to bounce back in 2026 after an injury-riddled 2025 campaign, and I like his outlook in Tampa Bay, so this pick could end up swinging the fantasy season in my favor.

Round 7 - Jadarian Price

I didn't wait long to get another back, nabbing Price here in round 7.

He'll lead the Seahawks' backfield early on, as Zach Charbonnet is out at least four weeks. Price might split the backfield after that, so I'm still likely to keep taking RBs soon.

Round 8 - TreVeyon Henderson

Here's another RB option for me.

Henderson has a chance to lead the Patriots' backfield in 2026, and he will at least get a healthy amount of work in a split setup. He's not a bad backup option, especially with a little upside to his name.

Round 9 - Travis Kelce

I reached a bit to grab Kelce here, as the tight ends have been going off the board quickly.

I don't love him as a fantasy TE1, but I can get a couple more options later on, and in this format, that's not a bad strategy when I'm essentially “streaming” at the position.

Round 10 - Dalton Kincaid

I didn't plan to go TE here, but thought the value was solid on Kincaid, so I took a chance on him.

Him and Kelce at TE quickly made the position issue I had a round ago not seem as dire now. Hopefully Kelce and Kincaid can power me most weeks at TE, although I plan to grab another option yet.

Round 11 - Courtland Sutton

Sutton is one of my favorite late-round fantasy wideouts to take, and I'm especially happy to get him in this kind of setup.

Sutton might end up being a top-three scorer at the position for me pretty often, so this could turn into a really good draft value pick for me.

Round 12 - RJ Harvey

I went with another Denver player here, grabbing another RB in Harvey.

He's similar to Henderson in that he's in a split backfield in Denver. With the oft-injured J.K. Dobbins leading that room, I really like drafting Harvey later. The only thing that could foil this is rookie back Jonah Coleman if he overtakes Harvey. Still, I don't mind stashing Harvey in case he takes off in 2026.

Round 13 - Jake Ferguson

I got my third, and final, tight end here with Ferguson.

I like Ferguson's outlook this season, and adding him to a TE room with Kelce and Kincaid makes me feel pretty good about that position, so much so that I can say I'm done drafting players there.

Round 14 - Wan'Dale Robinson

I got another late-round wideout that I really love in Robinson.

He's capable of big weeks, and I bet he will be part of my best ball lineups several times over the course of the season. Importantly, he doesn't share a bye week with any of my other wideouts, so he was needed as well.

Round 15 - C.J. Stroud

I'd avoided quarterbacks since taking Allen, and rightfully so, but I needed at least one more option, and Stroud appealed to me the most.

Stroud hasn't delivered as he did as a rookie, but he's capable of big showings, so for the rare off Allen fantasy days, hopefully Stroud can cover me.

Round 16 - Daniel Jones

For the days Stroud cannot cover things, Jones should do the trick.

Jones has some upside, but is coming off a major injury, so he's available very late in drafts. He gives me three QB fantasy scores to pull from, and doesn't share a bye with Allen or Stroud, so that sets me up well for the whole season.

Round 17 - Deebo Samuel Sr.

I nabbed Samuel in the final round, taking him over Kayshon Boutte.

I needed another fantasy wideout, and thought Samuel offered the most upside. He could carve out a decent role in San Fran, and maybe turn back the clock a bit and score enough to use a few times.

Final Thoughts

I really felt solid with this best ball team after my last pick, and Yahoo's system agreed, as I got an A- grade. I'm projected for the second-most points in the league.

I had the top projection at quarterback, where Allen should power me almost every week. Stroud and Jones are there in case Allen struggles at all, or gets hurt/injured.

I have just the seventh-most projected points at running back. I feel good there though with Henry, Irving, Price, Stevenson and Harvey. I feel that group will get me through the season, as long as I'm not decimated by injuries.

I'm also above just three teams in projected points at wide receiver. Again though, the room of Chase, McMillan, Egbuka, Sutton, Robinson and Samuel makes me feel confident.

I was second in projected TE points. That's kind of funny considering that I have streaming options: Kelce, Kincaid and Ferguson. 

Maybe the fact that I took three players at QB and TE is what helped my projections, but I think that's the best way to attack a best ball league so you are set for the season.

I really like the overall look of my roster, and barring several big injuries, I like my team's chances of winning it all. Now, I can sit back and watch the team, which is the beauty of the best ball format.