This article is part of our NBA Draft Strategy series.
Best Ball leagues are quickly becoming one of my favorite ways to try to parlay my extensive early-season research into profit, without having to worry about any in-season waiver wire headaches or who to start.
The following draft is my first draft (of any kind) for this season. Below, I outline the players I considered, who I took, and why. Keep in mind that this is a points league. Hopefully, it will help you get a better feel of the market ahead of your draft(s). If you want the full results, you can click here. I'll also have a similar article up soon for another best ball draft I participated in -- one where I had the No. 1 overall pick.
Round 1 (pick 10)
Players I considered: Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard, Trae Young, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry
My pick: 
Jayson Tatum
Realistically, this was between Young and Tatum for me. I have injury concerns about everyone else in the squeezed season. Embiid is never healthy; Leonard rests; Durant is coming off an Achilles tear; Curry has been injured lately and now has to try to carry a team at 32 years old.
Tatum's ceiling is much higher than Young's. Kemba Walker isn't healthy and the team lost Gordon Hayward without a legitimate replacement (sorry, Jeff Teague fans). Tatum will have to completely carry the Celtics on many nights. Meanwhile, the Hawks handed Young a relatively cushy roster. He won't have to be the be-all-end-all to the offense anymore.
Round 2 (pick 3)
Players I considered: Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, Domantas Sabonis, Bam Adebayo, Ben Simmons, Nikola Vucevic, Andre Drummond, Deandre Ayton
My pick: 
Bam Adebayo
Apparently, the two other fantasy managers occupying the four picks before mine were also scared off by the injury histories and rest potential of both Embiid and Leonard. I considered taking Embiid this time around, but I have a hard time believing he'll miss fewer than 15 games -- same goes for Leonard.
After eliminating those two again, it was really tough. I'm mildly concerned about Simmons' injury history (missing all of his rookie year, and needing knee surgery last season), and Vucevic doesn't have a spotless injury history either. Cleveland is enough of a mess for me to push Drummond to the side and consider just Adebayo and Ayton. We shouldn't be surprised if Ayton takes a real step forward and averages more fantasy points than Adebayo, but, for now, I just have more faith in Adebayo after seeing what he could do in the postseason.
Round 3 (pick 10)
Players I considered: De'Aaron Fox, Pascal Siakam, Zach LaVine, Ja Morant, Brandon Ingram
My pick: 
Pascal Siakam
This was mostly between Siakam and Fox for me, but Fox's ADP is 51 compared to Siakam's 39, so I'm hoping to play that angle and come away with both. Still, I'll gladly settle for Ingram, LaVine or Morant with my next pick, as they're all high-usage players in safe roles.
I'm hoping Siakam struggling in the playoffs motivated him this offseason and he'll come back improved. With Ibaka and Marc Gasol gone, he should see more usage by default, and he could especially grab more rebounds.
Round 4 (pick 3)
Players I considered: De'Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine
My pick: 
De'Aaron Fox
Surprisingly, my plan actually worked, and I grabbed Fox. He's a really underrated point guard and should continue to have full control of the Kings' offense after signing a max extension this offseason. Over the past two years, he's reached average highs of 21.1 points, 7.3 assists (2.8 just 2.8 turnovers), 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals. I wouldn't blame anyone for grabbing LaVine instead given his scoring potential, but Fox is a much more well-rounded player, which is something I gravitate toward in fantasy.
Round 5 (pick 10)
Players I considered: Malcolm Brogdon, Fred VanVleet, Kelly Oubre, Lonzo Ball, Michael Porter Jr., Dejounte Murray
My pick: Fred VanVleet
I really like all of these players, so it was a tough choice. Brogdon's extensive injury history worries me, as does the return of Victor Oladipo. We know about Porter's injury potential. Ball doesn't have a clean bill of health either, though was healthy for the most part last season after ceasing to wear Big Baller Brand shoes -- he used to have to change them every quarter. Might as well have been playing with tissue boxes on his feet.
Anyway, Murray is someone who I believe in this season, but I can never get the feeling out of my head that coach Gregg Popovich won't let him loose. That leaves VanVleet, who will continue to be a focal point of the Raptors' offensive attack. Kyle Lowry will regress one of these seasons, and if that happens this year, VanVleet could see even more usage.
Round 6 (pick 3)
Players I considered: Malcolm Brogdon, Kelly Oubre Jr., Lonzo Ball, Michael Porter Jr., Dejounte Murray
My pick: 
Kelly Oubre Jr.
I think people are underestimating how big of a role Oubre (and Andrew Wiggins) will play on the Warriors. Those two, plus Steph Curry, are the only three legitimate scoring options on the team -- apologies to Eric Paschall, who scored the most points on the Warriors last season.
If Oubre was able to average 18.7 points and 6.4 boards on a Suns team last season with Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Ricky Rubio, he shouldn't have any trouble doing the same -- and maybe more -- for this Warriors team. He's also just 25 years old, so general improvement should be factored in.
Round 7 (pick 10)
Players I considered: Ricky Rubio, Marcus Smart, Blake Griffin, Brandon Clarke, Collin Sexton, Steven Adams
My pick: 
Ricky Rubio
I think these are all great options for the end of the seventh round, and I'm really tempted to take Griffin here, but I'll wait to see if he's available next round. I ended up taking Rubio because I think the Wolves will really need his playmaking ability to set up a subpar roster around him. Rubio also had no issues getting his numbers on last season's Suns team, which had a comparable amount of talent, and maybe more.
Round 8 (pick 3)
Players I considered: Marcus Smart, Blake Griffin, Brandon Clarke, Collin Sexton
My pick: 
Blake Griffin
My first real risk. The book is out on Griffin -- he's an All-Star when healthy. But he's injured so often that, well, he slips to the eighth round in fantasy drafts. At this point, I'm willing to draft based on pure upside when other managers are selecting Brook Lopez, Steven Adams, Spencer Dinwiddie and Eric Bledsoe.
Round 9 (pick 10)
Players I considered: Evan Fournier, Tyler Herro, RJ Barrett, Will Barton, DeAndre Jordan, Mason Plumlee, Aron Baynes
My pick: 
RJ Barrett
Despite being a Barrett pessimist, I think getting him in the ninth round is fair value in a points league. Part of me is worried coach Tom Thibodeau will be quick to yank Barrett if he struggles. On the other hand, the Knicks desperately need him to pan out, and he shouldn't really be competing with anyone for playing time. When Barrett saw at least 30 minutes last season, he averaged 30.5 fantasy points. Ultimately, I like his upside as a sophomore as a late-round flier.
Tyler Herro and Will Barton would have been my next choices, and there's a fair chance I'll regret not taking one of them. However, Herro is better in category leagues due to his three-point shooting -- he put up comparable fantasy point numbers to Barrett last season when he saw 30-plus minutes -- and I'm worried about Barton's injury history.
Round 10 (pick 3)
Players I considered: DeAndre Jordan, Mason Plumlee, Aron Baynes
My pick: Mason Plumlee
The Pistons signed Plumlee to a $25 million contract for a reason, and the team also has next to no center depth. So, I'm pretty confident Plumlee will be seeing minutes in the upper-20s to low-30s. In the six games last season that he was at least 24 minutes, he averaged 32.0 FP. Believe it or not, that's more than Baynes averaged last season when seeing 24-plus minutes. Jordan averaged 36.4 FP in that situation, but I'm still worried about him and Jarrett Allen splitting time, or Allen possibly usurping Jordan. Maybe I'll get Jordan next round as a third center.
Round 11 (pick 10)
Players I considered: Mike Conley, Evan Fournier, DeAndre Jordan, Obi Toppin, Will Barton, Jeff Teague
My pick: 
Will Barton
Getting Barton in the 11th round feels criminal. He's a walking 25 fantasy points per game and actually averaged over 30 FP last season. He should continue seeing 30-plus minutes for a Denver team that got much thinner during the offseason. And if Michael Porter Jr. can't stay healthy, it's Barton who is going to get a lot of his usage. I'm hoping to get Conley, Fournier or Jordan with my next pick, though I might tilt toward Jordan if he's available just for some positional balance.
Round 12 (pick 3)
Players I considered: Mike Conley, DeAndre Jordan
My pick: 
DeAndre Jordan
I took one look at the remaining center options and realized it would be a good idea to get a third center as quickly as possible, so drafting Jordan was an easy move to make. He'll be fighting with Jarrett Allen for minutes, but I'm not concerned about that when I'm getting him in the 12th round.
Round 13 (pick 10)
Players I considered: Joe Harris, Paul Millsap, Terrence Ross, Jae Crowder
My pick: Paul Millsap
With Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee leaving, Denver will not only need to lean on Michael Porter Jr., but also the veteran Millsap, especially for backup center minutes. Two seasons ago, he saw 27.1 minutes per game and averaged 12.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 combined steals-plus-blocks. That won't be easy at 35 years old, but I'll take the risk in the 13th round.
Round 14 (pick 3)
Players I considered: Kevin Porter Jr., Jordan Clarkson, Jeff Teague, Josh Hart
My pick: 
Joe Ingles
Ingles had a slight down year last season with the arrival of Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic. However, he's missed next to no time in his career due to injury and is a versatile player who can even play point guard when needed. If anyone else on the roster misses time, more usage should flow to Ingles.
Round 15 (pick 10)
Players I considered: Kevin Porter, Jordan Clarkson, Luke Kennard, Jeff Teague
My pick: Jeff Teague
I waited as long as I felt like I could to grab Teague, who will start for the Celtics early in the season when Kemba Walker (knee) sits out. I expect Walker to remain in and out of the lineup throughout the year, so Teague could have some pretty big weeks.
Round 16 (pick 3)
Players I considered: Malik Beasley, Bobby Portis, Enes Kanter, Cameron Johnson
My pick: Malik Beasley
We still don't know how long Beasley will be suspended for following his arrest, but I'm not really concerned about that in the 16th round. He won't score 20 points per game like he did after being dealt to the Wolves last season, but he should be in line for a sixth-man role.
Round 17 (pick 10)
Players I considered: Dario Saric, Dorian Finney-Smith, Zach Collins, Royce O'Neale, Trevor Ariza
My pick: 
Trevor Ariza
I wanted to grab a forward here, and, obviously, none of these options are especially attractive. I strongly considered Collins, though the more I think about it, I wonder how much playing time and usage he'll actually see once he's back from injury. The Blazers are deep at forward. So, I decided to go with Ariza, who is maybe the Thunder's third-best player? If he ends up seeing 30 minutes per game somehow, he'll be a relevant fantasy player. I'm not banking on it, but, we're talking about the 17th round here.
Round 18 (pick 3)
Players I considered: De'Anthony Melton, Tomas Satoransky, Jeremy Lamb, Zach Collins, Kent Bazemore, Shake Milton
My pick: 
Shake Milton
The 76ers have a thin roster, and Milton has proved himself to be a valuable rotation player. If Ben Simmons misses any time, Milton becomes the legitimate starting point guard. In 19 games last season that Milton saw over 25 minutes, he averaged 15.7 points, 3.8 assist and 2.8 rebounds. I can't lie, though, this was mostly a toss-up for me.
Round 19 (pick 10)
Players I considered: Zach Collins, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O'Neale, Josh Jackson
My pick: Josh Jackson
Drafting Jackson over Collins felt dirty. But if the Pistons fall apart/get injured/tank, maybe Jackson will become a real part of the rebuild? I don't know, man. I don't know. Anything goes in best ball -- it's like international waters.
Round 20 (pick 3)
Players I considered: Alex Len, Robin Lopez, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bismack Biyombo
My pick: Alex Len
Aron Baynes has spent his fair share of time on the injury report, and I don't think we'll see 48 minutes of Chris Boucher when Baynes gets hurt this season. If Len can find his way into 20 minutes in those situations, he'll provide fine numbers. This might also be his last stop in the league if it doesn't go well, so I think he'll be motivated.
