How to divide your roster in best-ball formats

In best-ball formats, also known as "set-and-forget" leagues, you draft 20 players before the season starts - but there's a catch: there are no transactions. The players you pick in August are the players you'll have in December, so you had better do your homework prior to draft day.

Also, there aren't any lineup changes to be made. Instead, if you drafted two quarterbacks, for example, the QB with the highest fantasy point total in a given week will be the QB of record.

Let's take a look at the five archetypal rosters in terms of the distribution of players by position, but first, some quick notes to remember:

• Each week, your starting lineup will include your top-scoring QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one Flex (RB/WR/TE) and one Defense. There are no kickers in best-ball formats.

• The existence of bye weeks means at least two players should be selected at each position to remain competitive.

• The most common best-ball formats are 12-team leagues, but typically, only the top finisher gets paid out at the end of season. If it costs 10 dollars to play, first place may win 100 dollars, while second place receives free entry to a contest next season.

• No roster should ever have more than two DEFs. Don't even think about it. For one, an entire DEF will never hit the injury list, negating the need for depth. Second, the fantasy value of DEFs hinge on turnovers, which are largely unpredictable. Third, their week-to-week ceiling isn't as high as that of a position player.

Now, without further ado...

The Balanced Roster: 3 QB, 6 RB, 6 WR, 3 TE, 2 DEF

This is essentially the default roster set-up. You have a third QB as insurance in case either your QB1 or QB2 suffers an injury or has an unforeseen off-year. There's similar balance between RB, WR and TE. If you were to enter a best-ball draft without a distinct strategy, this is probably what you'd end up with.

This is a safe distribution of players. The depth at each position creates a relatively high floor, and the lack of overload at any position means that you will often be able to select the best player (in terms of average draft position at least) on the board in the early rounds.

But safety can come with a downside. Remember: simply finishing with a winning record isn't going to cut it. Anything less than second place is a loss, so the goal needs to be outright victory.

To that end, stockpiling at some positions might actually limit the ceiling. To balance distribution between RB and WR ignores that these are fundamentally different positions that have different concerns from a fantasy perspective. That's why I propose an alternate roster distribution.

The Premium WR Roster: 3 QB, 8 RB, 4 WR, 3 TE, 2 DEF

This lineup keeps the same distribution at QB, TE and DEF, but shifts the emphasis from WR to RB. Why does an RB-heavy approach make sense? Because being a running back in the NFL is like suffering a constant stream of small car crashes.

In regular season-long leagues, losing a highly-drafted RB can sink a season, but at least you're able to sift through the waiver wire for replacements. You don't have that luxury in best-ball formats, however, so you better have a back-up plan (or six).

When the volume of RBs increases, the importance of the WR position also increases significantly. There is less margin for error at the position, so you will want to use the majority of your early-round draft picks on premier high-floor WR talent, decreasing the need for depth.

For example, a player drafting with the third pick in a 12-team league could conceivably draft Julio Jones, T.Y. Hilton and Demaryius Thomas with his or her first three picks. Each is young without an extensive history of injuries, so there's less need to stock up on lesser WR talent deep in the draft.

By passing on highly-touted RBs in the first three rounds, you will lessen the crippling blow of injury. But in doing so, you will have to draft a larger number of backups and committee-bound RBs. Increasing the number of RBs on the roster increases the probability of finding a breakout star.

Jerick McKinnon, Devontae Booker and Darren McFadden can be found later in the draft, and each could conceivably have an extended stretch as a top RB option, just as Thomas Rawls, Charcandrick West and Jeremy Langford enjoyed in 2015.

By placing less early-round emphasis on RB - the most volatile position in football - you're making a smart bet that few bell-cow backs will make it through the regular season unscathed.

The Premium RB Roster: 3 QB, 4 RB, 8 WR, 3 TE, 2 DEF

This is a variation of the previous lineup, where the emphasis is shifted to drafting RBs early and filling out the bulk of your WR depth in the mid-to-late rounds.

There are only a few circumstances where I would be inclined to roll out this roster distribution - mainly, if I can draft two young, low-mileage blue-chip RBs in the first two rounds of the draft. That basically means I need to be in a position to take two of Todd Gurley, Lamar Miller, Ezekiel Elliott or Devonta Freeman at the end of the first round and the beginning of the second.

The premium RB distribution doesn't work if you end up with Adrian Peterson or Jamaal Charles who, despite their high ceilings, are close to or past the dreaded 30-year-old mark and carry injury baggage. You cannot afford to draft the minimum number of RBs if one of them has a higher probability of being taken off the field in a stretcher at some point.

The Threadbare Roster: 2 QB, 7 RB, 7 WR, 2 TE, 2 DEF

This lineup increases the volume and maintains balance between RBs and WRs at the expense of having just two QBs and two TEs. You will often be able to pick the best RB or WR available, but you'll need to draft your QB1 and TE1 early. Between rounds five and eight is a viable range for both.

If you go into the draft intending to go lean at QB and TE but wait too long, you risk being stuck with an uninspiring duo like Brock Osweiler and Jay Cutler, potentially ending your season before it even starts.

Make sure you pair a top-tier QB like Russell Wilson with a high-end QB2 like Ben Roethlisberger or Philip Rivers. Between the two, you should at least be competitive most weeks, assuming good health.

The Threadbare Premium WR Roster: 2 QB, 9 RB, 5 WR, 2 TE, 2 DEF

The final configuration is what I consider to be the strongest distribution of positions for optimizing the chance of winning a best-ball league.

You will want to draft the bulk of your WR talent early, perhaps targeting a mid-tier RB in the fourth round like Rawls or Latavius Murray, then ensuring that you select your QBs and TEs within the first 10 rounds. Spend the rest of the draft loading up on young, healthy RBs - especially backups to players like Peterson and Charles, who carry a higher risk of injury or decline in ability.

Just remember that much of your overall draft strategy will be based on who you land with your top draft picks, which won't become clear until the draft begins. Be prepared to change your strategy on the fly but never forget the unique characteristics of each position, and recognize that you'll have to succeed on hitting on some long-shots to come out on top.