Best Ball Draft Strategy: Week 17 Game Stacks and Best Ball Playoff Schedules To Target

A wise man once said, “Week 17 is all that matters”. While that might be a slight oversimplification of the game of best ball, there is also a lot of truth to it. Making the finals of a best ball tournament is hard enough, but it doesn’t do you much good unless you build a team that is peaking at the right time and capable of putting up a monster score in the week where most of the prize money is won.

This is why experienced best ball drafters pay so much attention to the Week 17 matchups. Year after year, we see Week 17 correlation playing an important role in determining who wins millions and who is left thinking about what could have been. Last year, Sam Sherman's winning lineup in Best Ball Mania featured Brock Purdy and Luther Burden going back and forth in the highest-scoring game of Week 17 to help carry him to victory.

Now that we have the full 2026 schedule, it is time to take a first look at the most important slate of the year for best ball drafters.

NFL Week 17 Matchups For The Best Ball Championship

Ravens @ Bengals

This is the Thursday Night Football game that will kick off the Week 17 slate, and the early game totals have it with the most projected points, with an over/under of 51.5 points. As long as Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson are on the field, this game will have shootout potential, but I wish that it weren't a short week.

Broncos @ Patriots

This matchup may be pivotal for AFC Playoff seeding, which will make it a fun watch, but I don't expect a high-scoring affair. They project as two of the better defenses in the league next year, and although the offenses are capable, I don't think they will be overly aggressive in this rematch from last season's AFC Championship game. I like these offenses, so I will continue drafting pieces from this game, but I don't plan to do big game stacks from this one either.

Chiefs @ Chargers

I'm a little bit surprised this game only has a total of 45.5 points in the early betting line. At first glance, I think this is going to be one of my favorite Week 17 matchups to target. I am in on both of these offenses, and there are lots of stacking options available at different spots throughout the draft, so you could build this as your primary game stack or a secondary game stack through some of the ancillary pieces.

Commanders @ Jaguars

Another really fun matchup, these are two teams I like to target in drafts, so I'm glad to see that they play each other in Week 17. Even better, this game is in Jacksonville, so the odds of good weather are higher.

Bills @ Dolphins

This game has the widest spread of any Week 17 matchup, with the Bills currently favored by 7.5 points. A lot can change between now and then, but it is difficult to see a scenario where that number gets smaller as long as Josh Allen is healthy. Buffalo should be able to do whatever they want in this game, so if you have any of their players in Week 17, you just have to hope it is their week for the big game.

Colts @ Browns

Is it just me, or does it feel like the Browns always play at home in Week 17, and it is always ugly? The 2026 season looks like it will be no different, with this game among the least exciting matchups on the slate. I'll still draft Jonathan Taylor and Harold Fannin, but I am less excited about every other piece on these teams.

Vikings @ Jets

The lowest game total of Week 17 was with an early line of 40.5 points. There isn't much to like about this game, but it won't totally scare me off of drafting the Vikings, but I will be slightly less willing to really stack that offense.

Saints @ Falcons

The NFC South has delivered some big games in the best ball playoffs in recent years, and this could be the latest installment. These are two offenses with plenty of playmakers and two mediocre defenses. Add in a dome, and you've got a recipe that could result in a high-scoring game.

Giants @ Cowboys

Tied for the second-highest early game total of the slate at 49.5 points, this game should be really fun. When healthy, both teams have plenty of offensive talent. On defense, both units boast good units up front, but have questions at the second and third level. If Jaxson Dart takes a step forward and stays healthy, I could easily see this being the game you need to win a top-heavy best ball tournament.

Rams @ Buccaneers

I really like this matchup and plan to have plenty of exposure to both offenses. I am usually wary of West Coast teams traveling East, but the Rams play Seattle on Friday in Week 16, so they will have one or two extra days of rest ahead of this game, which should help a bit and potentially allow them to make the trip out earlier.

Steelers @ Titans

I'm not particularly interested in either of these offenses for best ball, and this matchup further solidifies that. This game has 17-13 written all over it and is not one I am going to go out of my way to prioritize stacking.

Seahawks @ Panthers

This might be my pick for sneaky shootout potential. On paper, this looks like a meh matchup, but we have seen Carolina willing to go extremely pass-heavy when the matchup demands it. As I mentioned with the Rams, I do get a little bit nervous about West Coast teams traveling East, but the extra rest should help.

Raiders @ Cardinals

These two teams are very unlikely to still be in the playoff hunt at this stage of the season, but there is a good chance they are both starting rookie QBs and looking to build momentum for the 2027 season. From a fantasy perspective, the elite TEs will be the focus here with Brock Bowers and Trey McBride both having tremendous upside against below-average defenses. If we're lucky, we'll get them going back and forth with explosive plays. Not a game I'm targeting, but also not one that I'm avoiding.

Lions @ Bears

If this game were in Detroit, it would be my favorite matchup of the entire weekend. Unfortunately, it is in Chicago, so the weather could be an issue. That being said, I don't want to miss out on the explosive potential of this matchup because of the possibility of bad weather. I will be stacking this game aggressively all summer long.

Eagles @ 49ers

On paper, this looks like it could be a fun matchup, but I will probably end up lower on this game than the consensus. These two teams should be in playoff position, and I believe both coaches will be happy to settle for a run-heavy, slower game script that keeps it close heading into the fourth quarter. I hope to be proven wrong, but that is my early read on this matchup.

Texans @ Packers

The Monday Night Football matchup this year is much less likely to produce fireworks the way the Rams-Falcons game did last season. This game will feature two run-heavy offenses in an outdoor game at Lambeau in early January. That doesn't seem like a great recipe for a high-scoring game. There are several players that I like from both teams at their current cost in best ball drafts, but I will be cautious about over-stacking this game.

Teams With Optimal Best Ball Playoff Schedules

Dallas Cowboys

Week 15 @ Rams
Week 16 vs Jaguars
Week 17 vs Giants

This is a really fun schedule for Dallas and could lead to three consecutive shootouts. I already wrote about liking their Week 17 matchups, but on the road against the Rams and home vs the Jaguars are two more games with major fantasy potential. In fact, both of those matchups have game totals over 50 points in the early betting lines. This further strengthens Dallas as one of the best offenses to target in best ball drafts.

Kansas City Chiefs

Week 15 vs Patriots
Week 16 vs 49ers
Week 17 @ Chargers

The Chiefs were one of the biggest disappointments of last season, but I expect them to bounce back in 2026. Patrick Mahomes should be fully healthy by the start of the season, and the team's offseason moves suggest they are trying to compete this year and not rebuild. Best ball playoff matchups against talented offenses led by Drake Maye, Brock Purdy and Justin Herbert create a scenario where the Chiefs offense could be the skeleton key to winning best ball tournaments.

Chicago Bears

Week 15 @ Bills
Week 16 vs Packers
Week 17 vs Lions

The Bears are one of my favorite teams to target in best ball, and this playoff schedule features three fun matchups. The issue is that this schedule is highly weather-dependent, with three outdoor, cold-weather games. Obviously, I can't predict the weather that far out, and there is a chance it is a total non-factor, but it must be acknowledged as a risk.