The FFPC $200,000 Best Ball Tournament is returning once again for 2023. The game format is identical to the 2022 version (20 round Best Ball Slim without those scary Kickers or Team Defense). The drafts will begin Sunday April 30th, following the NFL draft. Signups are ALREADY underway.

(Note: If you are new to the FFPC you can get $25 off your first team of $35 or more using THIS LINK)

In 2023 the tournament size has increased by about 15% going from 756 leagues (9072 teams) to 864 leagues (10368 teams). The primary implication of that increase is a corresponding 15% increase in number of teams participating in the Week 17 Championship for the $200,000 grand prize. That pool goes from 63 teams to 72 teams.

Prize structure is identical to that of what was offered in 2022, with the exception of payouts to the Championship week finalists. While the top prize remains at $200,000, 2nd place receives a significant bump from $50,000 up to $75,000. The chart below compares the Championship week payouts of 2022 versus the payouts of 2023.

To get to the Championship week and be one of the 72 finalists, you must navigate the High Stakes Best Ball waters as follows:

• • • • Finish within the top 2 teams of your regular season league and you will be placed into a new league of 12 teams for Week 15. (144 of these Week 15 leagues will be created)
      • Finish within the top 2 teams of your Week 15 league and you will be placed into a new league of 12 teams for Week 16. (24 of these Week 16 leagues will be created)
      • Finish within the top 3 teams of your Week 16 league and you will advance into the Final Championship Week 17 league comprised of the Final 72

“Bro, what’s the rake?” The overall prize pool for 2023 is stated to be $1,245,000. With total entry fees (assuming a sell out, which it will) of $1,296,000, the works out to a miniscule rake of 3.93% . The “grey area” here is that teams who are awarded prizes throughout the playoffs have a choice of receiving a cash prize versus credits towards future contests (or some combination of that) which might be slightly higher. For instance if you make it to the Week 15 playoff, but lose that week you have a choice of $300 cash or 3 $125 credits for 2024 ($375 value). The $1,245,000 number assumes all payout using the cash/credit combo formula. If in fact ALL competitors chose the cash only option, the total pool payout would be around $1,089,000, resulting in a 16% rake. If we assume half of the folks go cash only, and half go cash/credit combo (where that is an option), we are looking at a rake of around 10%. Honestly, our gut instinct tells us more people take credit/cash combo for those prizes that you get in an early playoff exit. If you know you will be playing again the following year this is a nice way to defer paying taxes on winnings. Taking a higher payout via credits versus a slightly lower cash prize that you might be taxed on (if you withdraw it), get you more bang for your buck in the long run.

As a subscriber, you are able to access various analyses around the 2022 $200,000 Best Ball tournament that is available  HERE, under the “Best Ball Tourneys” column. Those include

•  Roster Construction Advance Rates
• Player Advance Rates
• Advance Rate By Number Drafted At Position
• Advance Rate By Draft Slot