Tips for Playing 2023 NFFC Cutline Best Ball

The NFFC Cutline Championship is a unique fantasy football contest with an overall prize of $75,000 and an entry fee of $175. You won’t have to set your lineup as the automated scoring system will generate the optimal lineup for you, just like any other best ball competition you’re used to. However, you set your lineup(s) if you’re fortunate enough to make the cut. (More on that to come.) I recently tweeted my elevator thoughts on the Cutline Championship, tweeting, “This contest is a unique hybrid with best ball, FAAB and their Cutline threshold being concocted into one badass format.”

What makes the Cutline different from your average best ball contest is the cutline rounds/threshold, the allotted FAAB (free agent bidding process) periods and the management ability to set your lineup after Week 10 — all of which will be explained in further detail later on. This Cutline primer is curated for beginners and veterans, explaining the ins and outs along with tips and tricks to help give you edge towards advancing all the way to the final cut, the overall. I finished third overall in 2017, which was my first season playing the format, winning a cool $15,000. I’m not the only one that has had success in their first season either, so don’t be skittish if you’re new to this format. 

Herm Edwards once said, “You play to win the game.” That statement holds true if you’re signing up to play in the NFFC Cutline Championship. You’re competing to win the overall prize ($75,000). Winning the league is a small consolation when compared to the overall, as the prize for winning the league is $350. Understanding and knowing the league rules, scoring, FAAB stipulations and lineup requirements is essential to surviving and advancing each round. All of that starts by reading NFFC’s Cutline Championship overview.

Overview

“The NFFC Cutline Championship will consist of multiple leagues each comprised of 10 teams/managers. This is an optimal scoring format, where a manager’s best lineup will be used from Week 1 to Week 10. Owners will not have to choose who to start or bench on their rosters during this time and teams can pick up free agents before Weeks 2, 6 and 10. After Week 10, the Top 2 teams from each league advance to the Championship Round and the three next teams in each league advance to the Wild Card Tier. The other five teams are eliminated from the competition.

“Starting in Week 11, there is no optimal scoring and team owners will set their starting lineups to compete for prizes in the applicable bracket. Teams are eliminated from the competition in a ‘survivor format’ with cuts being made after Week 12, after Week 14 and after Weeks 15 and 16. Teams from the Wild Card Tier can still move up into the Championship Round during those time periods. Only 12 teams will survive into the Championship Round in Week 17 and one of those teams will win the $75,000 grand prize.” – NFFC

Prizes

The NFFC Cutline website has a full breakdown of the prize structure and the playoff format. You can read the full breakdown here.

Scoring

Check the NFFC Cutline website for the full scoring breakdown.

Starting lineup requirements

• Quarterback (1)
• Running Back (2)
• Wide Receiver (3)
• Tight End (1)
• Flex — RB/WR/TE (1)
• Team Kicker (1)
• DST (1)

Benches will consist of 16 players. 

Lineup Submission 

I briefly mentioned in the intro that Weeks 1 through 10 are a best ball format with lineup submissions beginning in Week 11. Listed below is the lineup submission quote from the NFFC website. 

“Leagues have an optimal scoring format for Weeks 1 through 10 where your highest scoring player from each of the 10 starting positions is scored at the end of each week. Then in the Championship Round and Wild Card Tiers of Weeks 11 through 17, all owners must set their starting lineup each week. That is different from the regular season.” — NFFC

Roster Construction 

Being able to contend for the overall prize begins by putting together an optimal roster construction during your draft. Understanding the optimal number of players at each position is crucial when it comes to constructing a successful NFFC Cutline team. This means drafting two kickers and two defense/special teams. You’ll need multiple players available at every position due to injuries, bye weeks, suspensions and whatever else gets thrown your way. After your final FAAB period (Week 10) there are still a lot of weeks remaining in the season. In this format you cannot afford to not accrue points at every position each and every week. Do not render yourself useless with one kicker, potentially leaving your team with a zero down the stretch, so you’ll need to exit your draft with two kickers. DSTs are a supplemented position as they are always guaranteed to take the field (excluding bye week), but DSTs carry a lot of variance and at times generate more points than you’re anticipating. With the Cutline being best ball, there is an edge to be had when rostering multiple DSTs each week due to their weekly boom or bust potential. You’re increasing your range of outcomes without investing a small amount of draft capital at a position. 

QB Market

In previous seasons I used to target six flex (2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE,) picks prior to selecting a quarterback. Times have changed and I’m much more open and willing to draft an early quarterback. The QB market has also changed as we are now seeing the top tier go in Rounds 2 and 3, whereas in previous seasons the draft capital was less with the top tier of QBs going in Rounds 3 and 4. There are less than a handful of quarterbacks each season who score more than 500 points a season or average 30 or more points per game. Scoring north of 500 points or an average of 30-plus PPG requires those coveted ceiling games we strive for, especially the last three weeks of the season. Last year, it was Patrick Mahomes (551.90) and Josh Allen (513.35) going above 500, which takes an average of 30 or more points a game to achieve that threshold. Jalen Hurts only played in 15 games, so his season total was only 461.05, but his PPG was 30.74, making him the third QB to make the threshold. You don’t need one of those three to win the overall, but I wanted to mention the landscape and draft capital at the position has changed as well as my perception. There are eight quarterbacks this season I think could get to 500 points or 30 PPG, listed below with their NFFC Cutline ADP from the most recent week. Listed below are those quarterbacks. You can also view my rankings for each position at the bottom of the article. 

• Patrick Mahomes (14)
• Jalen Hurts (23)
• Josh Allen (22)
• Lamar Jackson (38)
• Trevor Lawrence (58)
• Joe Burrow (39)
• Justin Herbert (44)
• Justin Fields (51) 

If you’re not comfortable spending a second- or third-round draft pick on a quarterback, you can target Lamar Jackson down to Justin Fields from the QBs above. 

Quarterback is a position that warrants three when putting together your build. You’ll need the depth, but you don’t want to overspend too much of a premium at the position once you draft your QB1 unless you miss out on the top eight that are mentioned in the bullet points above. If you do miss out on those QBs or don’t want to invest that early in the position, listed below are the quarterbacks I would target while doubling down, looking to draft two of them. 

• Deshaun Watson (77)
• Tua Tagovailoa (98) 
• Dak Prescott (99)
• Daniel Jones (120)
• Jared Goff (119)
• Kirk Cousins (89)

Your third quarterback should be somebody with upside given their rushing abilities or the players surrounding them. The two that come to mind are Anthony Richardson (106 ADP) for his talent and rushing upside and Brock Purdy (166) for having the elite team context surrounding him — Christian McCaffrey (3), Deebo Samuel (33), Brandon Aiyuk (56), George Kittle (66). 

The boring old veterans are going to have their weeks too, and that matters, as the first 10 weeks are best ball format. Listed below are the vets I’m targeting as solid depth. 

• Aaron Rodgers (107)
• Geno Smith (108)
• Derek Carr (139)
• Russell Wilson (126)

If you’re tired of the vets listed above and skip out on that tier, your Hail Mary throw for your last quarterback should have the job along with some sort of ceiling in their profile. Listed below are QBs I’m willing to throw that Hail Mary draft pick on. 

• Ryan Tannehill (233)
• Jordan Love (153)
• Bryce Young (175) 
• Sam Howell (224)

Preferred Roster Construction: 3 QB, 7 RB, 9 WR, 3 TE, 2 TK, 2 DST

Correlations & Stacking

The NFFC Cutline Championship isn’t DFS, but there are still positive correlations and stacks that can benefit you in this format. Stacking a QB along with one of his pass-catchers can put you on the fast track. In redraft leagues you’ll tend to avoid the WR2 or WR3 from a team if you already drafted his WR1 teammate, but that isn’t necessarily the case in the Cutline. Multiple receivers might not be optimal every week, but you can hit a home run each week with one or multiple players from the same team. Correlating receivers with their quarterback as a stack provides a positive correlation and potentially a massive boost if the QB and receiver(s) all go off. Yes, stacking/correlating is becoming more common year after year, but it’s still warranted due to the ceiling it provides and the trickle-down effect of correlation. 

Last year the example I used was a bad one — Russell Wilson with Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. I’m going to use the Jaguars as my example this year, as it is the offense I have the most exposure to as of writing this. Stacks become easier when the draft capital isn’t extreme, so being able to draft Trevor Lawrence (58) with Calvin Ridley (33), Christian Kirk (51) and Evan Engram (90) is possible and from a draft capital standpoint and won’t cost as much as the Chiefs, Bills or Eagles. You can even add Travis Etienne (48) to the stack if you’re willing to draft four Jaguars in a row. As a matter of fact, I love doing this. Running backs become viable in stacking/correlating when they have a projected floor of 50 or more targets. Last season Etienne had 45 targets, so projecting an increase in targets another year involved in this budding offense is feasible. If you’re going all-in on an offense like the Jaguars, it’s okay to take a deep shot on the “other guy” as well, which would be Zay Jones (146) in this example. The Jaguars would be considered close to a top tier stack when it comes to draft capital, which matters when constructing your stack, so be conscious of your entire build and the cost of the stack. I’ll use the 49ers as an example, having four flex players going inside the top 70, making it the most expensive stack, although I don’t believe it’s near the highest when it comes to ceiling/scoring output. 

Yes, the Chiefs, Bills and Eagles are the poster for stacking and correlating as mentioned above. If you can pull it off, go for it as I want those stacks too, but those are the most obvious ones. This article isn’t useful to you if I’m suggesting to correlate/stack those offenses, so let’s look at other offenses I’m high stacking that come with a digestible ADP. 

RBBC Not Handcuffing

Focusing on the teams with a running back by committee provides the opportunity to own the lion’s share of the team’s backfield. Targeting multiple backs on one team is a way to capitalize a specific team’s usage and depth in this format. Not all committees are equally distributed on the ground, but there are backs that get enough targets to garner themselves part of a committee. This isn’t a handcuff scenario where you’re drafting the backup as insurance if an injury were to occur to a workhorse back. I’ll use Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley as an example. Kelley is basically useless in the Cutline format if Ekeler is healthy and playing. Also, if you’re handcuffing the RB from the same team, you’re minimizing your team’s total amount of opportunities. If you draft a handcuff from another team, you’re increasing your ceiling for opportunities. 

The same can’t be said for a tandem, like Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Below are RB tandems I’m interested in stacking for the Cutline with their roles and usage potentially providing enough for both to be useful in a given week. Listed below are running backs I’m comfortable drafting on the same team while considering the total cost in draft capital. 

(If a player is mentioned with an ADP of 200-plus, they can be looked at as cheap insurance with upside if the opportunity arises. The draft capital is so cheap you can cut and move on if need be.)

If the low man on the depth chart isn’t performing, doesn’t get enough volume or gets hurt, you can simply cut and move on. That is a huge bonus when it comes to this contest as there is a divorce option compared to other best ball leagues that force a season long marriage no matter what. The three FAAB periods are a major blessing that will provide leverages for you if you can optimize each period. 

Free Agent Acquisition Budget

Three times a year in the NFFC Cutline, you can bid on available free agents, with the highest bid landing the player. This provides you the opportunity to cleanse your roster while potentially gaining an edge on your competition as others become lazy or complacent as the season goes on. Believe it or not, some of your competition will lose interest if their team isn’t performing to their liking as the season goes on. 

The three FAAB periods will be on:

• FAAB 1: Week 2 
• FAAB 2: Week 6
• FAAB 3: Week 10 

I’m adamant on this next part. Quite possibly the most worthy piece of advice in this entire article. There is major leverage to be had with only three FAAB periods. To exploit that, you must spend big the first FAAB period. Just be sure you’re confident on the player’s role, volume, ROS projections etc. While doing so you also need to be conscious of your remaining budget along the way. Leaving X dollars for the next two FAAB periods is crucial regardless of current or future projected success. Things happen. The second FAAB period is all about balancing roster needs with your low remaining budget. This is obtainable as some managers will have already abandoned their team or forgot there was a FAAB on a random day during the week. The third and final period is where you make every dollar count. It’s important to be honest with your roster’s health at this stage as you need as many healthy and active bodies as possible to accumulate your optimal scoring output. 

Final Thoughts

You need to enter Week 11 with a roster filled with health and roles amassing enough volume to keep you in contention towards advancing to the final round. If you make it that far you’ll then be setting your lineups, so playing matchups with good depth is a necessity to put together your best starting lineup possible. Stacking is great, but don’t be too aggressive in forcing the stack. Let it come to you as the draft unfolds. You don’t want to be passing up or not seeing a much better player available if your stacking goggles are on. 

I’ve had the fortune of finishing in the final round of the NFFC Cutline and NFBC Cutline. There aren’t other season long contests that provide the end of the season sweat like the NFFC Cutline Championship. If you have any questions about this format feel free to contact me in the FTN Discord or on Twitter @mattywood. 

Click here to sign up for the NFFC Cutline Championship.

Rankings