As we head into the 2024 fantasy football draft season, you may have noticed some alternative draft approaches are becoming more common. You may be asking, “Why do I keep seeing all this hype around Zero-RB/Hero-RB draft strategies? Why don’t I just do what I always do, which is draft running backs early and often?” – the answer is quite simple. The NFL is changing; therefore, the fantasy community must change with it.
Historically, injuries occur to running backs more often than the other offensive skill positions. For that reason, it is becoming more common across the NFL to utilize split backfields and running backs by committee. The era of a true workhorse, 3-down back is asymptotically coming to an end, and the number of running backs that still fit into this category is scarce. The more common split in current NFL offenses typically follows a 1A/1B running back committee: a two-down back, and a reliable third-down back. This personnel usage makes sense from a practical standpoint – keep the players healthy by reducing the number of snaps they see, and each player is better rested for their turn on the field. For fantasy purposes, this pool of split backfields creates a situation where there’s a smaller drop-off in fantasy output from running backs in committees across the league while simultaneously increasing the number of running backs to choose from.
View it as supply & demand: the demand (league/roster size) remains the same, and the supply has increased, therefore the value decreases. Additionally, modern offenses are becoming more pass-oriented so WRs and TEs have become more valuable, especially in PPR leagues. The first half of your fantasy draft sets the foundation of your team for the fantasy season, so this strategy aims to maximize returns for the draft capital you spend.
In this Hero-RB approach, you will select your first running back early (within the first two rounds), and then wait to draft your second RB until at least Rounds 7-8. This means you will have avoided the running back position for at least five picks. These selections will provide you with:
- a Top 4 QB,
- a Top 4 TE, and
- 3-4 WRs
The premise of Hero-RB is that you aim to cover and exceed the potential losses incurred by waiting to draft your RB2 by obtaining top-tier players in the other positions. And these so-called losses are only theoretical – let’s not forget that last season you could have spent a 7th-round pick on Breece Hall last season. Some may venture to abandon the RB2 position until Round 10 or later, but this article will be geared toward the “less committed” approach to set a baseline.
1. Create Your RB2 Tier with Low Expectations
This step often goes overlooked but is crucial to avoid getting cold feet and abandoning the strategy. The goal is to have a general sense of players you are willing to draft as your RB2. Allow yourself to come to terms with that before the draft. You won’t necessarily be excited to have them, but you accept them knowing you’ll be well-supported by the rest of your roster. As previously mentioned, you would be waiting to draft a second running back until Rounds 7-8. The truer form of this build is when you draft your RB2 in Round 8 or later because by then, you will have filled out every other starting position on your roster and at least one bench spot.
It won’t be fun, but look at your platform’s ADPs and create a short list of players you are willing to “settle for” around Round 8. An example of players that I would consider drafting here: Devin Singletary, Jaylen Warren, Brian Robinson. Your list may look different; we all have our preferences and rationale for ranking players in this range. Maybe someone you’d prefer over this tier falls that far in the draft and you can walk away feeling that much better. But allow yourself to set a low bar for your expectations so that you can focus your draft on other positions worry-free.
2. The First Two Rounds: A Hero and a Receiver
This is the obvious crux of this strategy, but there is some nuance here. Our lead analyst, Macro Enriquez, released his updated Top 300 Players Overall today, and he has eight running backs listed in his top 24 overall (first two rounds in most drafts), with the running backs listed across three tiers. Here are Marco’s top eight running backs from the first three tiers and their respective Average Draft Positions (ADPs) across common platforms1:
| Tier | Running Back | ESPN | Sleeper | Yahoo |
| 1 | Breece Hall (NYJ) | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Christian McCaffrey (SF) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Bijan Robinson (ATL) | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| 2 | Saquon Barkley (PHI) | 11 | 11 | 14 |
| Travis Etienne (JAC) | 18 | 17 | 21 | |
| Jahmyr Gibbs (DET) | 14 | 13 | 15 | |
| Isiah Pacheco (KC) | 17 | 21 | 18 | |
| 3 | Jonathan Taylor (IND) | 10 | 9 | 10 |
1 ADPs shown are as of 8/20/2024.
The Hero-RB strategy hinges upon drafting one of these players as your RB1. Some may say only Tier 1 are considered real Heroes, but let’s include any player that you’re confident will provide RB1 production. This way we can see how this strategy can work from any draft position:
- Early Positions (1-3): Draft a Tier 1 player in Round 1 due to the unlikelihood that a Tier 3 player is available in Round 2.
- Middle Positions (4-7): A Tier 1 player could be available in Round 1. Alternatively, a Tier 3 player may be available in Round 2.
- Late Positions (8+): A Tier 2 player may be available but expect only Tier 3 players to be available. Tier 3 players should also be available in Round 2.
The goal is to walk away with your Hero-RB and a WR after the first two rounds. Some managers with early or middle draft positions may feel the desire to draft their #1 ranked QB or TE in the second round. Doing so is not recommended in combination with Hero-RB because your roster will start to look more like a Zero-WR build by waiting to draft your WR1 until Round 3 or later. RB and WR are the core positions, get one of each in the first two rounds.
3. The Middle Rounds (Part 1): Attack QB & TE
Outside of drafting your Hero-RB, this may be the most important step of this strategy. These positions earn you a leg up on your league-mates by acquiring true difference-makers. Target players with the highest likelihood of finishing in the Top 4 in their respective positions by the end of the season.
After drafting your anchors at RB and WR, and knowing you have until at least the 7th Round to get another RB, you are left with Rounds 3-6 to go after these positions. A variation of this step would be to wait on one of these positions until Round 8 or later, however, that adds risk to a strategy predicated on a pre-established sacrifice. Are you a believer that players such as Jayden Daniels or Jake Ferguson are values at their current ADPs? You’re not alone. Some fantasy managers elect to double up on these positions early to guarantee depth. If you try this variation, you risk getting undercut somewhere along the lines. Best to be prudent and a part of the early wave for both positions.
With a scope narrowed to these few rounds and two positions, it becomes easier to find your preferred combination of your QB1 and TE1. Create a chart of the players in each of these positions that should be available in Rounds 3-6 (customize this chart for your platform’s ADPs):
| Round | QB | TE |
| 3 | Patrick Mahomes
Jalen Hurts Lamar Jackson |
Sam Laporta
Travis Kelce
|
| 4 | C.J. Stroud
Anthony Richardson |
Trey McBride
Mark Andrews |
| 5 | Jordan Love
Joe Burrow |
Dalton Kincaid
Kyle Pitts |
| 6 | Kyler Murray
Dak Prescott |
George Kittle
Evan Engram |
QB: To improve your chances of acquiring a top-tier QB, draft a mobile Quarterback. Three of the Top 4 QBs in each of the last two seasons also ranked in the Top 4 of rushing yards from QBs. Last year’s Top 2 QBs (Allen, Hurts) tied for the most rushing TDs.
TE: This year presents the resurgence of a competitive TE draft class. The past few years used to be “Get one of the Top 3-4 guys, otherwise you might as well wait until the late rounds”. Each of the 8 TEs shown has reasonable claims for having the opportunity to produce as the TE4 or better.
Some Do’s and Don’ts:
- DO Keep in mind the team your Hero RB plays for when selecting your QB and TE to avoid “awkward stacks”. Having a stack of Saquon/Hurts or Gibbs/Laporta limits the probability of your roster to boom across both positions.
- DO Consider a QB that plays for the same team as your WR or TE.
- DON’T Draft both QB & TE back-to-back in Rounds 3 & 4. Waiting until Round 5 to draft your WR2 will likely leave your roster top-heavy and thin at both WR and RB. You should end up drafting one of these permutations:
- QB/TE (3) – WR2 (4) – QB/TE (5) – WR3 (6)
- QB/TE (3) – WR2 (4) – WR3 (5) – QB/TE (6)
- WR2 (3) – QB/TE (4) – QB/TE (5) – WR3 (6)
- WR2 (3) – QB/TE (4) – WR3 (5) – QB/TE (6)
- WR2 (3) – WR3 (4) – QB/TE (5) – QB/TE (6)
- DON’T Be afraid to reach for your WR2 and WR3. You will likely have two rounds between drafting your WR2-WR3 and/or WR3-WR4. Filter the available players by WRs and draft your favorite of that two-round segment.
- DON’T Lock yourself into a single option at QB and TE. Prepare for your first option to be taken and have a contingency plan.
4. The Middle Rounds (Part 2): Fill Up on WR and Fill Up Some More
Free agency signings, trades, and rookie draft picks that occurred this past off-season present both difficulty and opportunity in the form of nebulous WR rooms with unestablished WR1’s. Teams like Chicago, Buffalo, Kansas City, and Jacksonville all have vastly different receiving corps than last season. This uncertainty of each team’s leading target has tempered the ADP of many talented receivers, providing fantasy managers the opportunity to collect multiple studs at a discount.
Working around your QB1 and TE1 plan, fill out your roster with WRs. Most modern NFL offenses lean on the passing game, and many of these teams are some of the highest-producing offenses in the league. Collect as many WRs as possible and spread your selections across different teams. Your roster should have a committee of WRs with a high upside. These players have a legitimate chance of walking away as their team’s leading target or will see a huge uptick in volume should a teammate suffer an injury. If your list of acceptable RB2s has players whose ADPs spill into the 9th Round, go ahead and fill your first bench spot or two with more WRs. Continuing the metaphor to economics, this approach is analogous to investing in a wider portfolio to improve the probability of one or more yielding major returns.
Recommendation: Try a mock draft or two drafting only WRs between Rounds 3-9. Get comfortable knowing which WRs are available in each round, and ignore the impact it has on the rest of your roster. This will also help you identify parts of the draft you may consider a dead zone. You can adjust your plan for attacking QB & TE accordingly. Again, try to avoid those “awkward stacks” with your Hero-RB.
5. The Late Rounds: RB Depth with Upside
After you’ve drafted your RB2, you’ve filled your starting roster and one or two bench spots. Now it’s time to positionally rebalance your roster: draft 2 more RBs to your bench. I like to group the RBs going in the late rounds into two categories:
- Type I – Handcuff RBs: These are the aforementioned 1B-backs, granted the 1A-back is off the board. These RBs provide a safer floor because of their guaranteed, albeit limited, snap share. They also have an opportunity to earn the 1A role as the season progresses, or potentially take on an even larger role in the event of injury to the 1A-back. These RBs typically have ADPs around Rounds 10-11. Examples: Zach Charbonnet, Tyler Allgeier, Rico Dowdle.
- Type II – The Robin to your Batman. Often drafted as a final-round flier, these RBs are the clear-cut second string behind the few bell-cow RBs. One of these bell-cows may be your Hero; therefore, you could have a guaranteed succession plan should your Hero miss any time. Examples: Braelon Allen, Tank Bigsby, Jordan Mason.
Depending on the size of your bench and the number of WRs you’ve drafted, the safest approach is to target Type I RBs immediately after drafting your RB2. Drafting a Type I RB to your bench is intended to establish a floor for your RB room. You may even be able to draft a second player from your list of acceptable RB2s. You can then return to adding depth at other positions as you see fit (QB2, TE2, flier WRs), until your final draft selection of a flier Type II RB. “Why not draft more RBs in these later rounds instead of a flier WR?” you might ask. Referring back to the ‘diverse portfolio’, the Hero-RB build aims to all but guarantee a functionally deep receiving room and lets your RB1 carry the output from your RBs. In this build, you will end the draft with only 4 RBs and ~6 WRs.
Type II RBs often get dropped to waivers after the first week or two, typically because they are owned by a manager who doesn’t own the Hero starter. These players are fine to hang on to if they are the direct backup to your Hero-RB because that means your Hero is healthy, and should be performing well enough to carry your RB2. For waiver pickups, you’ll have an abundance of WRs to drop the weakest link. After even the first week, you’ll have seen their roles in their respective offenses and should be well enough informed to identify a lost cause. It takes some misfortune for Type II RBs to become fantasy-relevant, but you’ll be happy you stashed them if that situation comes to light.
CONCLUSION
The Hero-RB draft strategy is a serviceable approach to maximize your chances of gaining an edge on your league mates by taking advantage of the landscape laid before us. Running backs outside the upper echelon are less predictable fantasy assets, and there is a clearer path for middle-round receivers to have a championship-winning level impact. It is also important to emphasize that fantasy drafts are always unpredictable, and it is not recommended to plan your draft down to the detail of “I’m taking Player X in Round Y”. Make a mental note of players you consider in certain tiers and be flexible. There are many acceptable and effective ways to employ this strategy – start with your Plan A, but don’t panic if you need to pivot to Plans B or C.
Here are a few examples of three separate mock drafts I completed (on Sleeper) utilizing the Hero-RB build at early, middle, and late draft positions (3, 6, 10). I did not draft a second QB or TE to allow you to see the opportunity cost of taking those depth pieces at any point in the draft. These were 13-round drafts, without roster spots for K and D/ST to focus on the primary positions.
12-team, 0.5-PPR, 1QB/2RB/2WR/1TE/1FLX/6BE
| Pos. | Early (3) | Middle (6) | Late (10) |
| QB | Kyler Murray (6.10) | Jalen Hurts (3.06) | Lamar Jackson (3.10) |
| RB1 | Breece Hall (1.03) | Isiah Pacheco (2.07) | Jahmyr Gibbs (1.10) |
| RB2 | Devin Singletary (8.10) | Jaylen Warren (9.06) | Brian Robinson (9.10) |
| WR1 | Brandon Aiyuk (2.10) | Amon-Ra St. Brown (1.06) | Puka Nacua (2.03) |
| WR2 | Jaylen Waddle (3.03) | Devonta Smith (4.07) | Malik Nabers (4.03) |
| TE | Mark Andrews (4.10) | George Kittle (5.06) | Kyle Pitts (6.03) |
| FLX | George Pickens (5.03) | Christian Kirk (6.07) | Keenan Allen (5.10) |
| BE1 | Calvin Ridley (7.03) | Keon Coleman (7.06) | Calvin Ridley (7.10) |
| BE2 | Christian Watson (9.03) | Dionte Johnson (8.07) | Brian Thomas Jr. (8.03) |
| BE3 | Curtis Samuel (10.10) | Jerome Ford (10.07) | Blake Corum (10.03) |
| BE4 | Rico Dowdle (11.03) | Joshua Palmer (11.06) | Adonai Mitchell (11.10) |
| BE5 | Ja’Lynn Polk (12.10) | Tyler Allgeier (12.07) | Xavier Leggette (12.03) |
| BE6 | Braelon Allen (13.03) | Dontavion Wicks (13.06) | Bucky Irving (13.10) |
I tried to avoid drafting the same player in multiple mocks, but the third mock took Ridley at 7.10 because I already showed a willingness to take him at 7.03 in the first mock. The main takeaway: Hero-RB allows you to solidify your receiver room with high-ceiling depth, combined with the opportunity to take at least Top-half, if not Top 4, players for your QB and TE. If all goes to plan, 6 of your 7 starters will be positionally competitive or better relative to those of your league-mates.
Photos by Icon Sportswire, Asset by Freepik | Feature Image by Justin Redler (@reldernitsuj on Twitter)