Some of you might be zero-RB drafters. Others might like snagging two or three RBs in the first four rounds. Which approach is better?
Imagine you're picking #6 overall in a 12-team PPR league, and you decide to adopt a zero-RB strategy, where you wait at least five rounds before selecting your first running back. Is there a way to assemble what appears to be a good fantasy team?
Based on current ADPs, Jaxon Smith-Njigba has an overall-6 ADP, so let's suppose he's your first pick. You have the 19th coming back down. ADPs 19-22 are, in order, A.J. Brown, Drake London, Josh Allen, and Brock Bowers. Would you be happy starting a draft with Smith-Njigba and any combination of those other four non-RBs?
With pick #30, you might get seemingly lucky and
snag Malik Nabers (overall-27 ADP) or Rashee Rice (28). Otherwise, DeVonta Smith (32) should fall into your lap. Coming back down in the fourth round with pick #43, you might be choosing between Tee Higgins (41), Emeka Egbuka (42), or Ladd McConkey (43). With pick #54, you might get Drake Maye (53) or Joe Burrow (54).
So before you grab your first running back, you could sketch out a pretty realistic scenario where you could roster Burrow, Smith-Njigba, Smith, McConkey, and Bowers. That's a reasonably strong start based on ADPs -- assuming the fantasy market doesn't steer you wrong.
What about an RB-heavy approach? Can you find success that way, too? Once again starting at the #6 spot, you could probably get Jonathan Taylor (overall-7 ADP). At pick #19, perhaps you could land Kenneth Walker (18). If not, and if you were committed to taking another RB, there's Kyren Williams (29) and Jeremiyah Love (30). Or you could sidestep RBs in this one round, opting instead for Brown, London, Allen, or Bowers, for example. Then with pick #30, you might get Love or Javonte Williams (31).
D'Andre Swift (44) might be around at pick #43, followed in the fifth round by Bhayshul Tuten (57), Jadarian Price (59), or one of my favorite RB bargains, TreVeyon Henderson (61). This approach could give you Taylor, London, Love, Swift, and Henderson, for example. There would still be plenty of terrific QBs and TEs remaining, as well as top-30-upside WRs to round out your starting lineup.
There are clear paths to successful drafting, regardless of your strategy. To learn more, listen to this recent podcast episode.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Which is a better fantasy draft strategy: zero-RB or RB-heavy?
