Does the Zero RB draft strategy work? Fantasy football players have argued about it for years. The truth is it can work if executed correctly and if Lady Luck is on your side.
How does the strategy work? You don’t avoid running backs during the entire draft, just the first handful of hands. Typically, you wait until the sixth round to draft your first running back using this strategy. Instead of targeting running backs early in your draft, you want to load up at other positions. Ideally, you want to secure a stud wide receiver, an elite tight end, and a top-tier quarterback. The point of this strategy is to sacrifice at running back to have a star-studded lineup at other positions.
While the Zero RB strategy works in all scoring leagues, it is the easiest to execute in PPR leagues. The reason why this strategy works best in PPR scoring leagues is because pass-catching running backs can offer top-20 performances some weeks. It is also a more appealing strategy in Superflex leagues as teams will let running backs slide as they load up on quarterbacks early in the draft.
This draft strategy isn’t ideal if you have a top 3-4 draft slot. You don’t want to pass on the elite running backs like Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, and Derrick Henry. Instead, you want to use the Hero RB strategy. Draft the stud running back in the first round, then wait until the middle rounds to load up on running backs.
Potential Targets
ADP from Fantasy Football Calculator on mock drafts from May 19 through May 29.
- Round 6: Rashaad Penny, Miles Sanders
- Round 7: Kareem Hunt, Melvin Gordon
- Round 8: Tony Pollard, Sony Michel
- Round 9: Darrell Henderson, Alexander Mattison
- Round 10: J.D. McKissic, Rhamondre Stevenson
- Round 11: Nyheim Hines, Dameon Pierce
- Round 12: Kenneth Gainwell, James Cook
- Round 13: Marlon Mack, Mark Ingram
- Round 14: Kenyan Drake, Mike Davis
Miles Sanders (RB – PHI)
Miles Sanders opened the year playing 60-83% of snaps in the first six games but only averaging 9.5 rushing attempts per game. He did see 3.8 targets per game. He then sustained an ankle injury that landed him on the injured reserve. When he returned from the ankle injury, he was the Eagles’ clear lead back (Weeks 11-15), averaging 16.8 carries per game, although his pass game usage dried up (1.8 targets per game). Despite seeing 23 touches inside the 20, he failed to get into the endzone in 2021. While Sanders will see touchdown regression this season, he will still have to deal with Jalen Hurts near the goal line and the looming specters of Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell. He could return RB2 production this season, but there’s the risk with his injury history and how high-value touches could be divided up in 2022.
– Derek Brown
5️⃣ Players I’m ⬆️ on than ECR:
1. _________
2. Miles Sanders
3. Rashod Bateman
4…..5️⃣ Players I’m ⬇️ on than ECR:
1. Austin Ekeler 👀
2._________
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown
4….👇https://t.co/NtgJQauvDq— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) May 10, 2022
Kareem Hunt (RB – CLE)
Kareem Hunt’s been rumored to be on the trade block this offseason. His contract expires in 2023, and the Browns have a mighty stable of backs behind Nick Chubb including D’Ernest Johnson, Jerome Ford and Demetric Felton.
If no deal is reached by the time the season starts, it would be much less likely that Hunt stays in Cleveland, making him a primed trade target for any team that suffers an injury at running back through training camp/preseason. .
Last year Hunt was limited to just eight games due to a calf injury – but he maintained his effectiveness when healthy through the first six weeks of the season. He was a top-10 running back in PPR averaging 17 fantasy points per game averaging just south of 15 touches per game.
Hunt’s true upside will always be capped in a backfield as the Robin to Chubb’s Batman. But should an injury occur to Chubb or another star running back, Hunt would easily flirt with league-winning upside if he is awarded the requisite volume to do so.
His 6th-ranked yards after contact per attempt (3.54), 6th-ranked yards per route run (1.81) and 26% target rate suggest he’s not slowing down entering age 27-season. All he needs his a change of scenery to recapture his rookie year accolades when he lead the NFL in rushing yards.
– Andrew Erickson
Melvin Gordon, Kareem Hunt and Rashaad Penny remain screaming values.
Gordon was a top-36 running back in 80% of his games last season while in a timeshare. His current average draft position (ADP) is RB32.
— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) June 27, 2022
Alexander Mattison (RB – MIN)
Mattison is perhaps my favorite Zero RB target for 2022. The clear backup behind Dalvin Cook Mattison only faces competition from Kene Nwangwu, who is more of a special teams player than a real threat for touches, seeing only 17 touches in total last year. Ahead of Mattison, Cook is by no means a lousy prospect for 2022, but he has failed to play more than 14 games in a season, and if he were to get injured, then Mattison would become a top fifteen running back overnight. In 2021 Mattison played more than 50% of snaps on four occasions and finished as the RB 8.5 on average those weeks.
The Vikings make zero adjustments when Mattison is replacing Cook, and there aren’t many back-ups running backs in the league who can be relied on so heavily. Mattison is also a player that may draw trade interest for any team hit by injuries. With his contract expiring at the end of this coming season, the Vikings could be tempted to move him if picks were on the table. We all saw how new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah liked picks in the recent draft.
– Tom Strachan
Never gone over 18 in a game (2x) or 170 in one season.
Why draft Pollard, when you get A. Mattison (RB40 ADP)? Guy smashes every time Cook misses games which happens every year. Mattison has 5 games with at least 23 touches the past 2 seasons, including 2 gms with 32 touches
— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) May 31, 2022
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