BEST of 2024 So Far (After Week 16)

Fantasy football prognosticators endeavor to forecast the top players in each position. If you have been following The Science of Fantasy Football, you know that year-end points can be misleading, and points per can also be deceiving. However, what truly matters in Best Ball Fantasy Football is the frequency with which a player appears on our score sheet. This is what the BEST Index aims to measure. Let us "see" the best of BEST after week sixteen

BEST Index Explained

Fantasy Football is a weekly game that needs weekly statistical tools. The MVP Index grades players on the three things that can happen every week: whether a player helped you win, caused you to lose, or kept you in the matchup that week. It uses historical median production to determine values that need to be exceeded to count. Since we don’t care about the lousy Best Ball Fantasy Football scores, the BEST index uses two of the three parts of the MVP Index to show BEST Ball effectiveness for each player.

QB Position

BEST of 21 Top Rated: Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow

Best of 19 Super Elite: Baker Mayfield

BEST of 18 Super Elite: Josh Allen

BEST of 16 Elite: Jayden Daniels, Jared Goff, and Sam Darnold

BEST of 15 Solid: Jalen Hurts

RB Position

BEST of 23: Top Rated: Bijan Robinson

BEST of 22 Super Elite: Josh Jacobs

BEST of 20 Super Elite: Derrick Henry, De’Von Achane, and Jahmyr Gibbs

BEST of 19 Super Elite: Saquon Barkley

BEST of 18 Elite: Kyren Williams

BEST of 17 Elite: Alvin Kamara, Chase Brown and Chuba Hubbard

BEST of 16 Solid: James Conner

BEST of 15: Solid: Joe Mixon, James Cook, and David Montgomery

WR Position

BEST of 22 Top Rated: Ja’Marr Chase

BEST of 21 Super Elite: Justin Jefferson

BEST of 19 Super Elite: Amon Ra St Brown

BEST of 17 Elite: Terry McLaurin

BEST of 16 Solid: Cee Dee Lamb, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr, and Jaxon Smith Njigba

BEST of 15 Solid: AJ Brown

TE Position

BEST of 17 Top Rated: George Kittle

BEST of 14 Super Elite: Trey McBride and Brock Bowers

BEST of 13 Elite: Johnu Smith

BEST of 10 Solid: Travis Kelce

Conclusion

Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow share the top spot this weekend and have been the best at the QB position, with a clear gap over the rest of the field. Both players are on teams with defenses that have been giving up more points than usual, so both QBs must pass early and often every week. Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen continue to be the best, and Buffalo's weather is starting to slow down Allen as usual. Rookie Jayden Daniels has been incredible, and veterans Jared Goff and Sam Darnold are having their best years. Eight QBs have a BEST index equal to or greater than the number of games played.

Bijan Robinson and Josh Jacobs led the way at RB and cleared a gap for the rest of the field at RB. Fourteen RBs have a BEST index equal to or greater than the number of games played this season. Four of the top fourteen are playing for different teams this season. Not a single rookie RB has qualified for this list. Chase Brown, Alvin Kamara, and Chuba Hubbard are the only RBs on this list with a team with a losing record.

Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson have a clear gap over the rest of the field at WR. Only nine WRs have a BEST index equal to or greater than the number of games played. Rookies Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr have made this list, and second-year player Jaxon Smith Njigba is on the list after a disappointing rookie season.

George Kittle is the undisputed best TE this season in Fake Football and is the only TE with a BEST index equal to or greater than the number of games played. Trey McBride and rookie Brock Bowers are close behind at a BEST of 14. McBride makes this list without a single receiving TD this year. Only five TEs have a BEST in the double digits after week sixteen.

Good luck in your Fantasy Football Superbowl this week.