Dynasty Draft Strategy: Zero RB (Fantasy Football)

Dynasty is arguably the best form of fantasy football. It’s a year-round game that allows fantasy players so many ways to build their team into a contender. However, which draft strategy is the best?

The honest answer is that there is no answer. You can only screw up your dynasty team by not having a draft strategy. However, having a draft strategy and executing it are two different things.

This dynasty strategy primer won’t cover every possible startup draft strategy, as there are too many strategies to cover. However, I’m going to highlight five of the more popular draft strategies fantasy players use when wanting to compete in the first year. Unfortunately, I won’t get to cover my favorite draft strategy: Tanking the first year.

We’re here to help you prepare for your dynasty draft. Let’s look at our Zero RB dynasty draft strategy. For more dynasty fantasy football content and advice, check out the FantasyPros Dynasty Draft Kit.

Dynasty Draft Strategy

Zero RB Strategy

Overview

For the record, I hate this strategy. However, some find it the best strategy to use if you want to win right away. Running backs are arguably the most injury-prone position in football. Therefore, some believe it’s a mistake to invest high fantasy picks at the position. Furthermore, the running back position is the easiest to replace during the season between injuries and depth charge changes.

This draft strategy requires fantasy players to ignore the running back position until the middle rounds. Ideally, you won’t draft a running back until the sixth or seventh round. Instead, fantasy players want to load up on wide receivers. More importantly, you must land a top-three quarterback and tight end. If you’re going to surrender a weekly advantage at the running back position, you must make up that loss at the quarterback and tight end spots.

Pros:

There is more potential upside in mid to later-round running backs than wide receivers because of the injuries and turnover at the position.
You can build a roster with your top players who still play at a high level once they turn 30, unlike running backs.

Cons:

The number of superstar running backs is extremely limited.
You must hit on the quarterback and tight end positions to contend for the championship but these positions are deeper than ever.

Players to Target:

Josh Allen has been a top fantasy quarterback every year of his career since breaking out in 2020. Meanwhile, CeeDee Lamb and Sam LaPorta were outstanding last year, posting their first career top-three finishes. While Travis Kelce outscored every other tight end by at least four half-PPR fantasy points per game in 2022, he severely regressed last season.