Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs! You kidding me? Playoffs?

Yup, the fantasy season doesn't end on September 28. Once again, our friends at Underdog Fantasy are running a postseason contest they call The Pennant. It's a low entry, best ball competition.

SPECIFICATIONS

• No. Teams in each League: Six
• No. Players on a Roster: 12
• Active Roster: 3 P, 1 IF, 1 OF, 2 IF/OF
• Entry Fee: $10
• Total Prize Pool: $100,000
• Top Three Breakdown: 1st place $10,000, 2nd place $5250, 3rd place $4000

SCORING

Pitchers

• Win: 5 points
• Quality Start: 5 points
• Strikeout: 3 points
• Out: 1 point
• Earned Run: -3 points

Hitters

• Single: 3 points
• Double: 6 points
• Triple: 8 points
• Home run: 10 points
• Walk: 3 points
• Hit By Pitch: 3 points
• RBI: 2 points
• Run: 2 points
• Stolen Base: 4 points

THE DRAFT

Drafts are filled on a rolling basis. After entering, you are placed in the waiting room. Once six teams enter, the order is randomly determined. There is a one-minute delay, then the draft begins. The rounds reverse for each even round. Teams have 30 seconds to make a pick. They take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

SCORING PERIODS

Round 1: Wild Card and Divisional Series

• 11,232 total entries, a total of 1,872 6-person Groups.
• At the end of Round 1, the top one (1) performing entries in each Group will advance to Round 2 and be awarded a prize.

Round 2 – Conference Series

• 1,872 entries in 312 6-person Groups.
• At the end of Round 2, the top one (1) performing entry from each Group will advance to Round 3 and be awarded a prize.

Round 3 – World Series

• 312 entries in a single 312-person Group.
• At the end of Round 3, the top one (1) performing entry from the Group will be the Grand Prize winner and prizes will be awarded to all entries in Round 3.

PRIMER

A complete review of the rules and specifications for The Pennant can be found HERE.

Focus on Multi-Entries

The relatively low price point ($10) and small rosters are designed to stimulate multiple entries. Don't let that deter you if you prefer not to enter multiple rosters. The nature of the contest yields rosters stacking just two or three teams. The top teams will assuredly focus on one, perhaps both of the World Series combatants. In essence, you're not competing with 11,232 total entries; you're only worried about those concentrating on the same teams you tab to play in the World Series.

However, keep in mind that many of the contest's participants will enter a plethora of rosters, designed to cover as many permutations as they can afford, up to the maximum of 150 entries per person. Again, don't be intimidated. Some will be investing $1500, knowing just a small portion will be alive for the final round. Of course, they have a better chance of identifying the World Series challengers, but if you get the matchup right, your chances are as good as theirs (though they could have multiple rosters stacked with the final two teams, increasing their chances).

Choosing Your Stacks

While it's clearly advantageous to nail the World Series finalists, you need to be the top team in your Round 1 league to move on, and some of the scoring comes from the Wild Card Round. It's fine to focus on two of the teams with a bye, but you'll need some exposure to the eight teams in the Wild Card round.

Ideally, you project at least one of the World Series challengers to emerge from the Wild Card Round. In this instance, there is little reason to draft players from any other team. Maximize your chances to optimize scoring.

Draft position helps frame the composition of your roster. If you're planning on multiple entries and draw the first pick, click Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge and stack the Dodgers or Yankees.

If you want to root for a San Diego versus Boston championship, don't waste the first pick on Fernando Tatis or Garrett Crochet. It's still best to draft Ohtani or Judge, then load up on Friars and BoSox. An advantage of this approach is far fewer entries will be dominated by Padres and Red Sox players, so you'll be competing with a smaller field than if the Dodgers play the Yankees (as an example).

Roster Composition

Best ball is not the platform to "wait on pitching". Three hurlers comprise the active lineup each round. There is less of a chance of losing a guy due to injury, but more than three starters from your two primary teams are recommended, preferably as close to the top of the rotation as possible to maximize outings. If you're projecting two of the bye teams to meet in the finals, consider drafting one starter from the wild card round.

One infielder and one outfielder must make the active roster each scoring period. The other two spots are two remaining highest scoring players. There isn't much strategy involved with choosing hitters, other than not waiting too long to take someone from "the other" spot. It's fine to start with a pair of outfielders or infielders. Rostering three before taking the other position can work but be sure to load up on that spot the rest of the way. For example, let's say you want five pitchers and take three outfielders before drafting any infielders. The other four spots should be at least three infielders. This assumes the three outfielders are all better than the first infielder selected. The outfielders occupy the two flex spots, and multiple infielders vie to fill the infield spot. After drafting the three top available infielders, the final hitting spot should be best available stick, hopefully from one of your targeted lineups.

RANKINGS

To be frank, rankings are much less relevant in this type of contest compared to formats with larger rosters and less of a focus on stacking. They're by no means useless but taking the top players from your targeted lineups override "best player available."

Odds to Win the World Series

Before getting into individual player rankings, knowing the current odds to win the World Series helps determine teams to stack. The teams with the best odds are chalky, but there will be more Pennant entries with these teams. The lower odds represent the contrarian candidates. They're less likely to move on, but if they do, you're competing with fewer entries for overall supremacy.

There are the current (as of September 19) odds from ESPNBet. Different books supply different odds and are subject to change as the season winds down.

• Phillies +450
• Dodgers + 550
• Brewers +700
• Blue Jays +700
• Tigers +900
• Yankees +900
• Mariners +1000
• Cubs +1400
• Padres +1400
• Astros +1600
• Mets +1800
• Red Sox +2000
• Guardians +7500
• Reds +15000
• Diamondbacks +20000
• Giants +20000
• Rangers +20000
• Cardinals +20000

Individual Player Rankings

The projected points per game is calculated from the player's stats through September 19. Using per game helps get a better feel for players coming up after opening day, or missing time due to injury. In cases such as Bo Bichette and Roman Anthony, the chances of being available for the playoffs is not included; it's just an idea of how they rank if healthy and in the lineup. Only players from the 18 teams included above are ranked. They're provided in an overall list, and by position (as defined by Underdog Fantasy eligibility).

Overall

Infield

Outfield

Flex