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Opening statement
One of the most satisfying moments in fantasy football is when everything goes your way during a draft. Once it’s over, sit back to admire your masterpiece. Maybe even take a screenshot of the roster and send it to your fellow competitors, telling them to give you the championship money right now. What an incredible feeling, right?
Personally, there’s nothing I like more than going all out from the start and drafting a number of top-tier wide receivers (maybe an elite tight end or two) in a row. That kind of selection is a beautiful thing. But once the season is over, I often find myself raising my fists to the heavens and cursing myself for not drafting a running back sooner. Who has been there?
Over the past few seasons, “Zero RB” has become one of, if not, one of the most popular draft strategies in fantasy football the most popular. I understand why; it’s fun and allows you to build a good roster. But herein lies the question: is it really so effective that you have to give up all other strategies?
Welcome to our offseason fantasy football courtroom. This offseason, I will be presenting arguments and advocating for some of the most important issues of our generation. Okay, maybe “generation” is a bit dramatic, but come on, we’re in a courtroom! It must be a bit dramatic. So, on behalf of all the workhorses and whistleblowers out there, join me as I present to you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the evidence for drafting a running back early.
Exhibit A: The numbers
Fun fact about lawyers: we hate numbers. Really and truly. That’s why most of us went to law school in the first place—to avoid ever having to do math again. The joke is in jest though, because sometimes numbers every now and then can actually help prove your case.
Christian McCaffrey this season 🔥 @Visa
• 1st in carries (217)
• 1st in receptions (81)
• 1st in total yards (1,581) pic.twitter.com/eKczty3TC4—NFL (@NFL) November 25, 2025
Let’s analyze the top fantasy producers from recent seasons in points per reception (PPR). More running backs were selected in both the first and second rounds of the 2024 and 2025 drafts than in 2023. During that period, running backs had drafted the most players in those rounds. In 2023, fewer running backs were selected in the preliminaries. The distribution is as follows:
2025:
- 12 running backs
- 10 wide receivers
- 1 tight end
- 1 quarterback
2024:
- 12 running backs
- 11 wide receivers
- 1 quarterback
2023:
- 8 running backs
- 12 wide receivers
- 1 tight end
- 3 quarterbacks
Has the return on investment in that position been worth it? To answer your question: yes. How do you measure that? For our purposes, these are the total fantasy points scored over the entire season. In both 2025 and 2024, there were 12 and 11 players in the top 20 for fantasy production at the running back position, respectively. I removed quarterbacks because they generally score more points than other positions, and drafting a quarterback in the first or second round is a move from the 1900s.
You have to go back to 2023 to find a season where only seven of the top producing players were running backs, and only one of those was drafted in the early rounds. I’m looking at you, Christian McCaffrey.
Exhibit B: All signs point to…
Paranormal Readers Network with Ms. Cleo pic.twitter.com/URgRRFpsVT
— Nostalgia TV 4 Ever (@Nostalgia__TV) February 13, 2026
Who remembers a time long ago, when you fell asleep on the couch after watching late night TV, only to wake up in the fog and hear a Jamaican accent say “call me now” while promising to tell you what your future holds if you just give up your credit card number? Sadly, we don’t have Miss Cleo – just a toll-free phone call away from predicting the future for our rosters. Predictions are a tricky business, and getting Zero RB right almost always requires you to channel spirits from the underworld to consistently have a chance.
The year 2023 will serve as our guide to the fantasy spirit world. Who would have predicted that Rachaad White (RB23), Raheem Mostert (RB47) and Kyren Williams (RB69 and undrafted in most drafts) would finish the season among the top 20 highest-scoring fantasy players? Remember, we’re still not counting quarterbacks. They already get enough attention. White and Mostert finished 13the and 14e highest overall, and Williams just reached the mark at 19e general.
Will your team win the big game today? Without a doubt.
— Magic 8 Ball (@Magic8Ball) February 13, 2022
At the running back position, only McCaffrey had an early average draft position (ADP) and he cashed out his draft capital that season. He finished just behind CeeDee Lamb as the second-highest scoring fantasy player of the year. It’s a wonder why 24 wide receivers weren’t taken in the first and second rounds in 2024 after that! Zero RB requires near-perfect conditions and a lot of luck to lead teams to victory. Relying on accurately predicting a player’s usage throughout the season, especially when someone further down the depth chart has more questions than answers, is no way to live.
Appendix C: Flexibility
Fantasy football is a hobby and hobbies are meant to be fun. So why try to get the hottest, shiniest running back available on waivers every week? And then you paid way too much for a player who might only help your team for one or two weeks. The choice between Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jeremy McNichols and Bam Knight versus Michael Carter literally stole years from my life.
Drafting a running back with an early pick prevents the bench from looking like the land of broken toys. Instead of stocking up on dozens of insurance policies, fill those spots with guys who are likely to be active and contribute significantly to your weekly points.
Once you’ve checked that off, you can move on to aggressively drafting the other positions and deferring to the least important position in fantasy: the RB2. Securing a high-producing running back will ensure consistent production, give you a solid foundation, and allow you to experiment with high upside players at other positions.
Closing argument
The Zero RB build reminds me of the ‘crazy/hot scale’ video from YouTube. Drafting multiple elite wide receivers in a row is incredibly exciting. You feel good about your schedule after your draft. But if your build gets too hot, as level ten is known to do, that madness starts to creep in quickly. Suddenly you’re spending every night bleary-eyed crunching the waiver wire, deciphering coaches’ statements from every press conference and stalking Twitter just to see if there’s a crumb of information that can give you an edge. Enter the early lap and walk back. Stable, high volume, a defined role; they show up, do their job and do it well.
A roster built entirely on these sexy wide receivers may look absolutely fantastic on your screen, ladies and gentlemen of the judges, but it comes at a cost. Who wants to manage chaos every week? Get that top running back who brings stability and balance. Drafting a running back early doesn’t necessarily mean giving up the edge. It gives you an anchor so you can chase that ceiling with other positions without losing control.
Hot is nice, but consistency wins competitions.
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