It’s the 2023 installment of the Pros vs Joes Best Ball Draft Challenge!!! OUR 15TH YEAR!!!

As in the past, the competition pits the high stakes players (Joes) of the FFPC (Fantasy Football Players Championship) against a slew of fantasy industry experts (the Pros). In 2023 we continue to draft using the FFPC’s 20 round Best Ball Slim league format. 20 rounds of TE premium Best Ball drafting with NO KICKERS OR DEFENSES. These drafts are a lean and mean 20 rounds of high intensity drafting against the best minds in the industry (analysts and players alike). Your weekly starting lineup will consist of 1 QB – 2 RB – 2 WR – 1 TE – 2 Flex (RB,WR,TE). The compressed format also means your live draft will be much shorter as well.

These drafts are conducted at the end of July before training camps open. Draft your skill players and go to war. With “groupthink” often seeped in to the fantasy community around certain players, you may need to reach early and get your guy. Last year’s overall winners “The Goat District” took a flier on Isiah Pacheco which helped immensely.

To get into this event, you must have been invited as an industry “Pro”, or won a spot via lottery as an early bird entrant into the 2023 FFPC Main Event. This is about bragging rights, showing who the best drafters are, and who wants the FREE entry into a 2024 FFPC Main Event (valued at $2,000) which is awarded to each winner of the seven 12 team leagues. There is no prize for any finish except first in your league. You must draft with that mindset. None of that “multiple teams advance to the next round” applies here. Go big or go home. Play it safe with your picks, and you will likely be mired in mediocrity.

Seven individual 20 round Slim Best Ball drafts are conducted to see who the best fantasy prognosticators are, as they draft BEFORE the preseason games of the NFL begin.

Six of these drafts are BROADCAST LIVE on the FFPC You Tube Channel. We have added one additional league which will be a SLOW draft, likely kicking off shortly before the first live one.

Prizes for the league winners in 2022 once again consist of FREE entries into the 2024 FFPC Main Event valued at $2,000 per entry. That’s a 1 in 12 shot at a huge prize for each participant, so this continues to be a highly coveted, limited, and exclusive contest.

The 2023 Draft dates (unconfirmed) but likely:

Sunday July 23- 8:00 PM EST
Monday July 24- 9:00 PM EST
Tuesday July 25- 10:00 PM EST

Sunday July 30 – 8:00 PM EST
Monday July 31 – 9:00 PM EST
Tuesday August 1 – 10:00 PM EST

Slow Draft starting TBD (but before the first live draft starts).

So how does one get an invitation to participate?

The “Joes” consist of players from the Fantasy Football Players Championship. A lottery system is used to determine who will participate, and the candidates for selection are pulled from the players who register early for the 2023 FFPC Main Event. Registration by Wednesday May 31st, 2023 makes you eligible for the drawing. In addition, you will receive $100 off the regular price for the first team, and $400 off the regular price for each additional team. Each team purchased counts toward one (virtual) ping pong ball in the selection lottery.

The “Pros” consist of industry experts/analysts, and are included via an invite-only basis after consideration by the FantasyMojo/FFPC selection committee.

The Pros: Currently Confirmed. More to come…..

Pat Kerrane – LegendaryUpside.com – @PatKerrane
Dan Williamson / Theo Gremminger / Goat District Crew – @Goat District Podcast – @OverHypedSleepr – @TheOGfantasy
Brian Drake / Dwain McFarland – FantasyPoints.com – @DrakeFantasy – FantasyLife.com – @DwainMcFarland
Billy Muzio – PlayerProfiler.com – @FFMuzio
Tod Burros – SharpFootballAnalysis.com – @BestBallNFL
Peter Overzet – FantasyLife.com – @PeterOverzet
Curtis Patrick / Ryan McDowell- Rotoviz – @CPatrickNFL – DynastyLeagueFootball.com – @RyanMc23
J.J. Zachariason – LateRound.com – @LateRoundQB
Michael Leone – EstablishTheRun.com – @2Hats1Mike
Sigmund Bloom – FootballGuys.com – @sigmundbloom
Bob Lung – BigGuyFantasySports.com – @bob_lung
Shane Hallam – DraftCountdown.com – @ShanePHallam
Mauricio Gutierrez – EstadioFantasy.com – @MGutierrezNFL
Scott Connor – Dynasty and Chill LLC – @CharlesChillFFB
Josh Larky / Ryan Reynolds – The33rdTeam.com – @jlarkytweets – @ryanreynoldsnfl
Matt Schauf – DraftSharks.com – @SchaufDS
Jared Smola – DraftSharks.com – @SmolaDS
Howard Bender – FantasyAlarm.com – @rotobuzzguy
Jeff Mans – EliteFantasy.com – @Jeff_Mans
John Daigle – 4for4.com – @notJDaigle
Jason Petropoulos – BRotoFantasy.com – @BrotoFantasy
Bob Harris – FootballDiehards.com – @footballdiehard
Darren Armani – FantasyMojo.com – @fantasymojo
Kevin Tompkins / Britt Flinn / Andrew Cooper – FantasyAlarm.com “Lightning Round Podcast” – @CoopAFiasco – @ktompkinsii– @Britt_Flinn
Ben Gretch / Shawn Siegele – Rotoviz Stealing Bananas Podcast – @YardsPerGretch
Evan Silva – EstablishTheRun.com – @evansilva
Doug Orth – FFToday.com – @DougOrth
Scott Engel – RotoBaller.com – @scotteTheKing
Gary Davenport – BleacherReport.com – @IDPSharks
Davis Mattek – SportsGrid.com – @DavisMattek
Michael Nazarek – FFMastermind.com – @FFMasterMind
Nelson Verbit – DynastyDepot.com – @thedynastydepot
Jim Coventry – RotoWire.com – @JimCoventryNFL
John Hansen – FantasyPoints.com – @Fantasy_Guru
Mike Schopp / Adam Krautwurst The Deep End Fantasy Football Podcast – @Schopptalk – @Adam_Krautwurst
Tom Strachan – FantasyPros.com – @NFL_TStrack
Ryan Kramer / Sean Green- SportsGamblingPodcast.com – @GamblingPodcast
Alex Dunlap – RosterWatch.com – @AlexDunlapNFL
Josh Hayes – RotoBaller.com – @JoshHayesFS
John Paulsen – 4for4.com – @4for4_John
Derek Brown – FantasyPros.com – @DBro_FFB
Bradley Stalder – BestBellFantasy.com – @FFStalder

The Joes : Selected randomly From Early Bird entrants into the 2023 FFPC Main Event

Albert Leach
Brad Petri / Darren Larson
Brian Covert
Chad Schroeder
Christopher Hart / Tobin Biolchini
Craig Magnuson / Tim Marks
Daniel Cupps
Danny Mueller
David Hubbard
Dom Baranyi / Sean Stutzman
Gary Kuhr
Gary Knight
Jason Barr / Joe Jackson
Jay Cohen
Jeff Howle
Jeff Jamieson
Jeff Tirabassi
Jeffrey Eidelman
Jihoon Kim
John Bragg
John Rozek
John Terry
Jon Friedman
Josh Latz
Joshua Durm / Laura Beth Durm
Justin Bacon
Kevin Gentner
Kevin Williamson
Michael Mallow / Carmine Rossetti
Peter Puzzo / Paul T
Peter St.Pierre
Raymond Mencio / Mike Luchene
Rick Ramaker
Rob Vieyra
Roy Parenzuela / Cory Hanstein
Scott Keikoan
Shelly Fossum
Tony Windis
Troy Wells
Tyler Holder
Vincent Staffilino
William Querbes / Brandon Querbes