Fantasy Football Mock Draft: How to Maximize a Zero RB Strategy (2021)

The Zero RB strategy has emerged as one of the most popular fantasy football draft tactics. It rests on the premise that running back is the most injury-prone and unreliable position in fantasy football. Zero RB drafters typically wait to take a running back until the fifth or sixth round, and they’ll scoop up value at wide receiver, tight end, and quarterback beforehand.

While I don’t exactly endorse a Zero RB strategy, I certainly understand the logic behind it. Ultimately, I feel the running back pool is way too thin to wait on for five rounds. However, we have to keep an open mind, right? So below is a mock draft I conducted using a Zero RB strategy in a 12-team, half-PPR league. I was randomly assigned the 10th pick.

If you have a set draft strategy — like Zero RB — in mind entering your draft, you can practice using our free draft simulator. Once you enter a mock draft, you can set your draft strategy to Zero RB, Streaming QB, and more!

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Pick 1.10: Tyreek Hill (WR – KC)
Picking in the back end of Round 1 makes it easier to start my Zero RB strategy. In this case, both Nick Chubb and Jonathan Taylor were on the board, but I opted for Hill, who I’d be happy to get even if I wasn’t going Zero RB.

Pick 2.3: DK Metcalf (WR – SEA)
With Travis Kelce off the board, I opted to take another stud receiver. Metcalf could finish the year as the WR1 and will make for an amazing tandem with Hill.

Pick 3.10: Kyler Murray (QB – ARI) 
If you’re going with a Zero RB strategy, you better make sure to come out of your draft with an advantage at quarterback and tight end. The top three tight ends were off the board here, so I may opt to wait on the position. However, I couldn’t resist Murray, who has an incredibly high ceiling.

Pick 4.3: Chris Godwin (WR -TB)
My quarterback is squared away, and I feel squeamish about reaching for Mark Andrews or T.J. Hockenson this high. Instead, I’ll gladly nab another receiver. Godwin was an enormous disappointment last year, but he has a defined role when healthy and should have the safest floor of Tampa Bay’s top-three wideouts.

Pick 5.10: Gus Edwards (RB – BAL)
At the end of Round 5, it’s time to get my first running back. Conveniently, Gus Edwards was available here, and I took him over Mike Davis. Edwards should be the lead back in Baltimore now that J.K. Dobbins is out for the season with a torn ACL. I’m on the lookout for high-upside backs, and Edwards could finish as a top-15 tailback if he gets the majority of the workload.

Pick 6.3: Mike Davis (RB – ATL) 
Surprisingly, Davis remained on the board in Round 6, so I nabbed him here. Davis appears to be in line for a big workload in Atlanta. He is a solid running back who does just about everything well. He offers a secure floor that I’ll need at RB2.

Pick 7.10: Ronald Jones II (RB – TB) 
Did you know Ronald Jones finished 16th among tailbacks in half-PPR leagues last year? Neither did I until I looked it up. It’s always tough to trust Jones because of Bruce Arians’ fickleness with his running backs, but assuming Jones remains the lead guy, he has the potential to deliver some strong weeks.

Pick 8.3: A.J. Dillon (RB – GB) 
I was torn between Dillon and Zack Moss, but I opted for Dillon because he is the better player with what should be a more defined role. Aaron Jones is still the lead guy in Green Bay, but the Packers haven’t shied away from spelling him in the past. At the very least, Dillon should be a goal-line vulture. He could also be a top-12 back should anything happen to Jones.

Pick 9.10: Logan Thomas (TE – WAS) 
While I considered another tailback here, Thomas is a tight end I’m really high on late in drafts. The converted quarterback finished as a top-10 tight end last year, yet he seems to be getting no love.

Pick 10.3: Phillip Lindsay (RB – HOU)
I know, I know, taking Houston players is gross. But hear me out. Lindsay could be this team’s starter after his productive preseason. Something tells me that David Johnson could be a surprise cut, which would leave a solid player like Lindsay with plenty of work, even on a bad team.

Pick 11.10: Sony Michel (RB – LAR) 
Michel is now fantasy relevant again after the Patriots shipped him off to Los Angeles. I still expect Darrell Henderson to start, but Michel could factor in early. Plus, Henderson isn’t exactly durable. When you go Zero RB, you have to find some running backs to stash and speculate on.

Pick 12.3: Jakobi Meyers (WR – NE)
No, I didn’t forget about wide receivers. Meyers is having a strong camp and could make a push to be New England’s top receiver. The quarterback situation is suboptimal, but I’ll only need Meyers in a pinch.

Pick 13.10: Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL)
Bateman is someone I’m happy to draft and stash while he recovers from groin surgery. He is an outstanding talent who could see plenty of targets as a rookie — let’s just hope that he returns in September.

Pick 14.3: Chuba Hubbard (RB – CAR) 
For my last pick, I’m going with Hubbard, who would be the most sought-after handcuff should Christian McCaffrey go down with an injury. As we saw last season, CMC isn’t invincible.

Final Draft Grade: 87/100 

Hey! Maybe the Zero RB strategy isn’t so bad after all. While I’m definitely not thrilled with my backfield bunch, I admit it wasn’t as bad as I feared going into this draft. And given my advantages at quarterback and receiver, this team should be competitive despite the fact I didn’t take my first running back until late in the fifth round.

What’d you think of this Zero RB mock draft? Let me know on Twitter!