Analysts push many different fantasy football draft strategies each year, titling them as ‘the best fantasy football strategy’ for that given season. While certain strategies work better than others, fantasy managers can win a title by deploying a handful of different strategies.
Depending on your draft position, the effectiveness of strategies can differ. Different strategies exist – they allow success from any spot on the board. The Zero RB strategy has been very popular this season, but it’s not the only way to go about your draft.
Here, I’ll detail each major draft strategy, which players fit that strategy, and which one may be the best for you. The rest is up to you. Click it and rip it!
ZIG WHEN THEY ZAG
It’s important to note that strategies often change from your mock draft to your real league. Your league mates are real people and take players earlier or later than is standard.
If your strategy is to take running backs early, but everybody else in your league is, too, it might be time for you to pivot. This is why it is important to be familiar with all the different ways to draft so you don’t find yourself reaching for players just to fit what you researched or practiced. When a great player falls to you, you want to be able to select them rather than pass just because they are not a position you were planning for. Read up to ensure you are ready to build various roster compositions.
ZERO RB
Under the Zero RB strategy, other positions (usually WR) are taken earlier, and running backs are completely avoided until roughly round five. Many drafters go even later than that, but usually, through five rounds, a drafter has gotten three WRs, a TE, and a QB.
As mentioned earlier, this strategy has been very popular as of late. Many analysts often see the top running backs this year as volatile, so going WR early and hoping to find talent later has been big.
This year, the drafting from any spot works, and I’ll show you what players you can pick to get the best bang for your buck. That said, PPR is the most beneficial for this strategy – at least half-PPR.
Due to recent trends and last year’s results, PPR format heavily benefits receivers. Great running backs can conquer the dominance of WRs, but selecting WRs early has shown to be advantageous. Most top finishers are indeed WRs and having them on your team over RBs or TEs is very valuable.
If you select early, you can get a top receiver like Justin Jefferson or Ja’Marr Chase. These guys would be the cornerstone of any team and are projected to put up crazy numbers in their offenses. With a pick more toward the middle, Cooper Kupp or Tyreek Hill have WR1 upside that could make them extremely valuable to your team. Or, at the end of the first round, I love the high floor of Stefon Diggs, who garners a large target share of a powerful Bills’ offense.
After your first pick, check if any stud receivers are on the board from the second, like A.J. Brown, Ceedee Lamb, Garrett Wilson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, or Davante Adams. If they aren’t, there’s no reason to panic. There are different ways to go about it. If you have a pick around the 2-3 turn, you can likely take one of the next-tier WRs like Jaylen Waddle or Chris Olave. Or, if you do not like these WRs, you can grab a top-tier TE like Mark Andrews, who could easily dethrone Travis Kelce as the TE1 this season. Another option could be to be one of the first to take a QB off the board, especially if Patrick Mahomes is still available. In the late second, Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen are also great picks.
As the next few rounds go, players like DeVonta Smith and Tee Higgins hold great value. If you haven’t gotten a QB, former MVP Lamar Jackson is a good pick, or the up-and-coming Konami QB in Justin Fields. Stud tight ends like T.J. Hockenson or George Kittle can round out your Zero RB start, or even Darren Waller, who I love this year at his draft spot.
Now, for the important part. You’ve started your draft with everything but RBs, and it’s time to see what’s on the board in that department. The top guys are gone at this point, but hidden value is the key. These are the guys you should pay attention to:
- Dameon Pierce – Bursting onto the scene last year in his rookie season with over 1,000 rushing yards, Pierce plays in an offense with rookie QB Bryce Young and should see major carries to help lighten the load on the youngster.
- Alvin Kamara – the 28-year-old may not be the easy first-rounder he once was, but his upside is undeniable. He will serve a three-game suspension to begin the season, but his value in the offense year after year should continue far above his current ADP.
- Aaron Jones – Over the last two seasons, analysts have stated how A.J. Dillon is set to take his role, which has dropped his ADP. Yet, he has finished 9th and 11th the last two seasons among RBs, and his high receiving volume should keep him there.
- Miles Sanders – A talented RB in a new offense, Sanders should see RB1-level volume and clearly has a starting role that keeps his floor high.
- D’Andre Swift – After signing with the Eagles, training camp reports say he has gained the respect of his coaching staff and teammates, enough to have a big receiving role in a powerful offense that still maintains one of the best offensive lines in the league.
After these guys are gone, there are still some studs left on the board that you can get. Here are some other guys that could make a big impact in the mid-to-late rounds of your draft:
- James Conner – Conner may be featured in a bad offense, but it has not many other options to give the ball to. He finished as RB10 in 2022 on a points-per-game basis despite the Cardinals having a near bottom-10 offense.
- James Cook – Training camp reports say Cook has separated himself from the pack regarding fellow back-fielders Damien Harris and Latavius Murray. They may vulture some touchdowns from him, but his receiving value in a great offense gives him low-RB1 or high-RB2 upside.
- David Montgomery – Monty finds himself in an offense with rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, a new look from a year ago with Swift and Jamaal Williams. He hopes to take Williams’ role at the goal line, where Jamaal totaled 17 touchdowns last season.
- Antonio Gibson – He might not be the next Christian McCaffrey as I and many others projected him to be years ago. His receiving role in this offense with J.D. Mckissic gone gives him a big ceiling to reach his full potential.
Some guys going very late, like De’Von Achane, Elijah Mitchell, and Tank Bigsby, can pop into a starting role. Because you have not drafted many safe studs under this strategy, it’s important to stock up on high-ceiling RBs later in the draft, hoping one of them becomes a starter for you. All of these guys above have that potential, whether because of injury to a superior, hidden opportunity, or crazy athletic upside.
ROBUST RB
As you can guess from the name, Robust RB is the opposite of Zero RB. In this strategy, you can take advantage of the early rush of WRs and grab yourself some extremely talented RBs. Mirroring Zero RB, you can take receivers later with higher upside to fill out your roster.
This strategy has been thrown to the wayside lately, which may mean it is the perfect time to capitalize. If you pick the right guys, you can show the fantasy community that WRs have not taken the crown just yet, and the old-school RB-first philosophy can still win you games.
In the first round, there are only a few guys worth taking that will get you the value you want. These players are Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, and Bijan Robinson. Luckily enough, they are each going in the early, middle, and late first round respectively, so you can employ this strategy from almost every pick.
After you grab yourself your top rusher, the second round has a few more options. Right now, Tony Pollard is being drafted far too late. He has an entire backfield to himself in what should be a great offense and finished as RB8 in PPR while splitting carries with Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott is now gone, and his near third-round ADP is far below his actual value.
Other guys worth taking include the King himself, Derrick Henry, who may be aging but just surpassed 2,000 yards a couple of years back. Saquon Barkley should be a very solid pick, although Nick Chubb is close behind now that he also should take the majority of the backfield with Kareem Hunt gone.
In the third, guys like Josh Jacobs, who finished as RB1 last season, are a great pick. Jahmyr Gibbs shows high upside as a rookie and should get lots of touches considering the Lions spent a very high draft pick on him in April. Joe Mixon is another player who is going far too low. His legal problems shouldn’t be an issue this season and he plays in a high-power offense. Definitely look for Pollard and Mixon, but any of the other available RBs will not disappoint.
Just like Zero RB, you can also take a QB or TE in these rounds. Any of the previously mentioned players at those positions should serve you well through 2023.
After about five rounds or so, it’s time to get yourself some WRs. There are plenty of options, but here are some guys I think have the chance to be top-level prospects come the end of the season:
- DJ Moore – Camp reports are loving the Fields-Moore connection. Without many other WRs to throw to, Fields should give Moore a lot of volume. His preseason started off with a ‘bang’, something we should expect to see more of in the regular season.
- George Pickens – The hard-nosed Georgia product had a great rookie season and has been very adamant he will make some noise this year. I love his upside with the projected rise of Kenny Pickett in each of their second years.
- Marquise Brown – Without DeAndre Hopkins, Brown began the season as WR6. The loss of Kyler Murray to injury for most of the season will not be easy, but garnering the top receiving role on a team projected to be playing from behind most games is something I don’t want to miss out on.
- Jordan Addison – Out of the rookie receivers, Addison may be in the best situation. With a smart QB, a clear WR1 to take the pressure off, and a high-powered offense under head coach Kevin O’Connell, the USC and Pitt product is a sleeper for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
- Jahan Dotson – Dotson is giving strong Amon-Ra St. Brown memories this year. Just like the Lions’ receiver, he had questionable QB play on a bad team but ended the season on an absolute tear (20th in target share, WR1 in both fantasy playoff games in 2022. With a new play-caller in Eric Bieniemy, I love his upside going into his second year.
- Gabe Davis – Although he disappointed many fantasy owners last year, that was mainly due to his health and his high ADP in the 3rd or 4th round. Now, you can get Gabe Davis for cheap. His floor is likely his performance last season, which would still be a great grab this late.
Any of the other rookie receivers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers, and Quentin Johnston could be great options down the stretch and are going pretty late. They each have their unique opportunity to be the number one option on their teams by the fantasy playoffs.
If you want to grab anybody really late, any of the Chiefs WRs – Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, or Justyn Ross – all have high upside with Patrick Mahomes at QB. Other young players to consider are Rashod Batemon and Jameson Williams, who could end up being big parts of their offenses now that they are back in action.
Similar to Zero RB, just make sure you stock up on WRs. You have your safe bets in RBs, so take some late-round stabs at the WR position. You never know, they may end up like the next league winner.
HERO RB
This strategy is just what it sounds like – take a RB early – your “Hero” – and then wait to take another until later while you stock up at other positions. This is a hybrid between the two previous strategies and, if done well, can create a well-balanced lineup.
This is a great strategy when you are planning on Zero RB, but end up having a great RB fall to you in the first. The best spot to do this is around the 3rd-4th pick if Christian Mccaffrey falls to you; the 6th-7th pick if Austin Ekeler falls to you; or the 9th-10th pick if Bijan Robinson falls to you.
Of course, if you take these players at their normal spots, this strategy still works great. It just works especially well when a top RB ends up in your lap much later than you would expect according to ADP.
In the first round, those players I just noted are great choices. You can pick any one of them at their picks with confidence they will perform for your team.
In the second round, you can shift your focus to other positions. You can look back up to Zero RB for this part, but I’ll quickly re-note some guys to look for in this area:
- WR – A.J. Brown, DeVante Adams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Garrett Wilson, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Tee Higgins
- QB – Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields
- TE – Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, Darren Waller
Now, at the end of the draft, stock up on RBs. Again, some of the best guys to take here I will sort by category:
- Safer – Dameon Pierce, Aaron Jones, Miles Sanders, James Conner
- High-Upside – Alvin Kamara, D’Andre Swift, Cam Akers, James Cook
- Big Risk, Big Potential – Dalvin Cook, Antonio Gibson, J.K. Dobbins, A.J. Dillon
These players fit pretty solidly into these descriptions but take them with a grain of salt. All of these guys could end up with various outcomes, so they are going later. But, given past volume and training camp talk, they generally fit into these categories in what you can expect.
After this draft, you should have a well-rounded lineup with great players at each position, and hopefully, your RB2 and/or FLX position can be filled with one of these later RBs you select popping onto the scene.
MINI STRATEGIES TO CONSIDER
Other draft strategies do not encompass the entire draft but can be combined with your main strategy to get supporting players. These can all be done in one draft and are important to remember when deciding what players you want. All of these are tried and true, so take a deep dive at what options you have:
Stacking
Picking a QB and a pass catcher (WR or TE) from the same team can essentially double up your points when they do well. This can work great when trying to take a QB late – might as well pair them up with your top receiver or tight end. You can read more about the top 10 stacks this year here.
Handcuffing
It’s hard to predict injuries in fantasy, but they are inevitable. Some guys get hurt and their backups steal the show for the lucky owner who picks them up on waivers. Alexander Mattison and Zonovan Knight are great examples of this working in the past. Picking guys up late and stashing them, especially in deep leagues, can give you an unexpected RB1 or RB2 when the middle of the season rolls around.
The Fountain of Youth
Young, unproven players often go later in the draft due to their unknowns. If you can capitalize on this, you can end up with a stud – you just need to know the right guys to look for. Second-year QBs usually see at least one or two stars come out, like Patrick Mahomes in 2018, Lamar Jackson in 2019, or even Trevor Lawrence just this past year. This year, I like players like Kenny Pickett and Sam Howell to be impressive. As for the rookies, any of the rookie WRs are great options, as well as young guns like Breece Hall coming back from injury and Sam LaPorta from TE-University.
It’s great to know one strategy like the back of your hand, but being familiar with many puts you in an amazing position when the draft doesn’t go as expected. There are many ways to build a team. Be aware of many different ways to draft so you’re ready for anything. Good luck and happy drafting!
