Breaking down two of the most popular draft day fantasy strategies: zero RB and hero RB.

Zero RB and Hero RB are two of the most effective draft strategies in fantasy football. As a new season nears and you prepare for your drafts, let’s go over the two plans and outline how to execute both of them effectively, along with players to target and sample drafts through 12 rounds under each circumstance. 

What is Zero RB? 

Originally the brainchild of Shawn Siegele, Zero RB is a way to take advantage of ambiguous situations, role fragility and high injury rates at the running back position by not drafting RBs until the later rounds of the draft. 

Early in fantasy drafts, those implementing the Zero RB strategy will load up on high-upside wide receivers, along with an elite quarterback and tight end. From there, at least half a dozen picks will then be used in later rounds on RBs. 

Ambiguous Situations 

Think of ambiguous situations like the 2023 Miami Dolphins’ RB room. On Sleeper, rookie De’Von Achane’s ADP was 134, while veteran Raheem Mostert’s ADP was 142. Drafters had no idea who the starter was, and many were nervous to guess incorrectly and waste a fantasy pick. In the end, both players finished within the top five for fantasy points per game. 

Role Fragility

Miles Sanders is a good example of role fragility from last season. He was drafted at a Sleeper ADP of 54, while backup Chuba Hubbard went much later at No. 206. Hubbard ended up outplaying Sanders and finished with 277 total RB touches. 

Direct Backup Due to Injury 

Raiders rookie Zamir White was undrafted in most formats last year. When Josh Jacobs went down due to injury in December, White started the final four games of the season, finishing as the weekly RB12, RB12, RB22 and RB16 during that span. 

When Zero RB Goes Right 

Successful Zero RB teams get better as the fantasy season moves along. Early on, teams will get top-five fantasy play at the QB and TE positions. The WR room will start top-15 fantasy options in all the receiver slots, along with the flex spot. The two RB slots will provide fringe top-36 production for the first month of the season. 

Via the waiver wire, trades and the fantasy bench, top-24 or better fantasy production can be achieved in the RB room. When coupled with strength at the other fantasy positions, these Zero RB teams become fantasy juggernauts by midseason. 

When Zero RB Goes Wrong 

When too much of an emphasis is placed on direct backup RBs and no injuries occur, Zero RB teams can yield very mixed results. It’s important to draft a variety of RBs onto a Zero RB team to give yourself the best chance of capitalizing on ambiguous situations, role fragility and injuries at the position.

Zero RB is best executed in PPR formats, where scoring shifts in favor of the WRs. In standard scoring formats, it’s much more difficult to win a fantasy league by fading all the early round RBs. 

Zero RB Targets 

Bengals RBs: It’s unclear how the touch split will go between Zack Moss (Sleeper PPR ADP 92.8) and Chase Brown (ADP 118.4), but there’s likely going to be fantasy points from this backfield. 

Raheem Mostert: De’Von Achane looked more explosive last year, but Mostert (ADP 81.9) just led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (18). Early in the season, Mostert should compile usable fantasy weeks for Zero RB rosters. 

Blake Corum: Corum (ADP 120.1) would benefit from an injury to Kyren Williams, as the rookie would immediately receive 20 touches per game. Additionally, the Rams having spent third-round draft capital on Corum hints at potential role fragility for Williams. 

Zach Charbonnet: If the oft-injured Kenneth Walker III goes down, Charbonnet (ADP 150.6) is the clear-cut workhorse in Seattle. 

Zero RB Sample Start Through 12 Rounds 

  • Round 1: WR Ja’Marr Chase 
  • Round 2: WR Drake London 
  • Round 3: WR Nico Collins 
  • Round 4: TE Trey McBride 
  • Round 5: QB Anthony Richardson 
  • Round 6: WR Rashee Rice 
  • Round 7: RB Raheem Mostert 
  • Round 8: RB Zack Moss 
  • Round 9: RB Tyjae Spears 
  • Round 10: RB Blake Corum 
  • Round 11: RB Zach Charbonnet 
  • Round 12: RB Chuba Hubbard 

What is Hero RB? 

Hero RB is a draft strategy centering around selecting only one RB in the early rounds. 

Think of this lone running back as your “hero,” where his assignment is delivering top-three fantasy point output throughout the season. Generally, this Hero RB will be selected in the first two rounds of your draft. 

Similar to Zero RB? 

Hero RB is strikingly similar to the Zero RB strategy, aside from the solo RB pick early on. There is no way to guarantee health for any NFL players, especially at RB. However, your Hero RB will ideally not have any issues with role fragility or be in an ambiguous situation. 

Along with your Hero RB, aim for an elite fantasy QB and TE, along with multiple top-15 options at WR. Because one of your early picks will be spent on a RB, one of your other starting roster slots for QB, WR or TE will understandably be weaker than a Zero RB lineup. 

Successful Hero RB teams will begin the season with elite fantasy production in the RB1 slot and quickly find one or two top-24 options to rotate into the RB2 hole by Week 3 or 4. 

Most frequently, Hero RB teams will fail if the Hero RB suffers through injuries. Last year, Hero RB teams centered around Nick Chubb were most likely cooked because of his Week 2 knee injury. Additionally, Hero RB teams can struggle when too much of a sacrifice was made at one of the starting WR slots, the QB spot or at TE. 

Hero RB Targets 

Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall: Both Robinson (ADP 6.5) and Hall (ADP 8.8) are projected by Sleeper to handle top-seven marks in both carries and receptions among RBs. The Falcons and Jets look like top-10 offenses on paper, and both have solid, veteran QBs coming off Achilles tears. When under pressure, Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers are likely to check the ball down frequently. 

Travis Etienne: Etienne (ADP 18.4) had the third-most total touches (325) among RBs last year, and the Jaguars depth chart looks identical to 2023. Even with the offense’s struggles, Jacksonville still scored the 13th-most points on offense last season, and Etienne has the volume, yardage and touchdown upside without much competition on his own team. 

Isiah Pacheco: Pacheco (ADP 27.6) has cemented himself as the Chiefs’ best RB the past two seasons. With the team losing Jerick McKinnon in free agency, Pacheco is now in line for a much heavier receiving role in 2024. There’s potential for fantasy managers to snag a bell-cow back on a prolific offense in the third round of their drafts. 

Hero RB Sample Start Through 12 Rounds 

  • Round 1: RB Breece Hall 
  • Round 2: WR Puka Nacua 
  • Round 3: WR Mike Evans 
  • Round 4: QB Jalen Hurts 
  • Round 5: WR Tank Dell 
  • Round 6: TE Evan Engram 
  • Round 7: WR Jayden Reed 
  • Round 8: RB Zamir White 
  • Round 9: RB Jonathon Brooks 
  • Round 10: WR Jameson Williams 
  • Round 11: RB Rico Dowdle 
  • Round 12: RB Jaylen Wright 

Are You a Zero or a Hero?

Now that you know how to successfully create a Zero RB or Hero RB team, practice what you’ve learned with a mock draft on Sleeper. The more reps you have with these more advanced strategies, the more prepared you’ll be on draft day. 

Sign up for Sleeper online or with the mobile app. It’s the best place to host free, customizable fantasy leagues, and the mock draft engine is an industry leader.

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