It’s late July, which means we’re only weeks away from the 2024 NFL season. Rest easy, folks, we’re almost there.
One good way to pass these boring summer days is by getting in on Best Ball action. While we won’t see actual football played for a little while, we’re in the throes of Best Ball season. This format has been around for a few years now, so there’s a decent chance you’ve developed a strategy you think has the potential to pay off in the long run. In recent seasons, it seems like Zero RB strategy has become most popular among Best Ball enthusiasts.
Of course, it can’t hurt to experiment with something new every now and then. If you’ve been in the Best Ball streets for a while, you’ve probably heard of Hero RB strategy, too.
What is the Hero RB strategy? Is it the best way to maximize your Best Ball lineups? Or should you stay away? Let’s find out together.
All the great season-long content and projections from ACTION are now Exclusively Available on FantasyLabs — click here to get access now!
What is the Hero RB Strategy?
The Hero RB strategy – sometimes called “Anchor RB” – involves drafting one elite running back early and then waiting until the middle rounds to select additional running backs. The idea is to secure a dependable cornerstone for your RB1 slot while using the draft capital saved by not drafting multiple early-round running backs to stockpile talent at other positions, particularly wide receiver and tight end.
Let’s use 2023 drafts as an example. Christian McCaffrey was generally regarded as the No. 1 running back in preseason rankings, so he was likely the first player at the position off the board in your drafts. In this scenario, let’s say you were fortunate enough to land McCaffrey after the person ahead of you in the order took Justin Jefferson at 1-1.
If you wanted to try the Hero RB strategy, you’d then use your next several picks to address other positions before circling back and filling out your remaining running back slots.
Remember, you’re passing on most other premium RBs with this strategy. If you waited until the 7th or 8th rounds to grab your next running backs, you likely could’ve gotten your hands on the likes of James Cook, Isiah Pacheco, David Montgomery, or D’Andre Swift.
It’s funny to look back on and easy to forget just how many premium RBs failed to live up to expectations last season. Bijan Robinson, Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, and Austin Ekeler all underwhelmed for one reason or another in 2023. If you nailed your “Hero RB” with your first pick and got lucky with one of those later-round sleepers, you likely had yourself a profitable campaign.
Editor’s note: Use the Underog promo code LABS to get a deposit bonus for your best ball fantasy football drafts.
Why the Hero RB Strategy Works in Best Ball
1. Positional Scarcity and Consistency
Elite running backs are a rare breed. While they ideally provide high floors and high ceilings, it doesn’t always work out that way. By securing one of these top-tier talents, you ensure a steady stream of points from your RB1 position…in theory. This consistent output is crucial in Best Ball, where you can’t make in-season adjustments.
Naturally, the Hero RB strategy makes it all the more important that you actually hit on the Hero. If you were unlucky enough to use a premium pick on Ekeler or Chubb, there’s a decent chance you didn’t get enough overall running back production to survive.
2. Depth at WR and Other Positions
Wide receivers generally also offer more week-to-week variance in performance. By focusing on drafting a plethora of wide receivers after securing your Hero RB, you increase your chances of having multiple wideouts who can explode any given week, thus benefiting from the Best Ball format, which automatically starts your highest scorers.
Wide receiver is easily the deepest fantasy position these days, especially with how pass-happy the NFL has become in recent years. Plus, more and more teams are adopting RB-by-committee approaches, which makes the true bell-cow backs all the more scarce.
Of the 100 highest-scoring players in PPR formats in 2023, 37 were wide receivers. 29 were running backs, though McCaffrey (3), Breece Hall (14), and Travis Etienne (20) were the only RBs to finish in the top 25.
3. Optimizing Value
Middle and late-round running backs often provide substantial value, especially those in committees or with high upside as backups. By waiting to draft your RB2 and beyond, you can scoop up potential league-winners at a fraction of the cost, while your competitors may overpay for RB2s and RB3s.
Football is a brutal game, and injuries, unfortunately, play a major role. We see if every year, and 2023 was no exception. Several RBs with minimal preseason value went on to finish among the highest-scoring PPR players. Jerome Ford and Ezekiel Elliott are 2 examples of players who benefited from injuries to players ahead of them on the depth chart.
While we can do as much preseason research as we want, sometimes we’re just wrong about projecting roles. Kyren Williams, Devin Singletary, and Raheem Mostert all finished the season among the highest-scoring players at the position. Remember Cam Akers, Dameon Pierce, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire? Me neither.
Implementing the Hero RB Strategy
1. Identify Your Hero RB Targets
Your draft position will heavily influence which elite running backs are available to you. Players like Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson, and Breece Hall are alluring targets if you have an early pick.
If you’re drafting later in the first round, you might look at players like Jahmyr Gibbs or Jonathan Taylor.
The issue is the sheer lack of apparent Hero RB candidates this year. McCaffrey is the only player in that group we can have supreme confidence in, while just about everyone else has at least a little uncertainty with regard to their role.
2. Load Up on Wide Receivers Early
After securing your Hero RB, turn your attention to wide receivers. Aim to draft at least three to four wideouts in the next rounds. Players in high-powered offenses or with clear WR1 roles on their teams are prime targets, though the true premium receivers are likely to go in the 1st round.
You’re not getting your hands on CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill, or Justin Jefferson if you go RB with your first pick. Thanks to the depth at the position, though, you can still find elite value.
Davante Adams, Drake London, and Mike Evans are a few players with paths to WR1-type production who will likely be available beyond the first round. It’s never a bad idea to take fliers on players in crowded receiver rooms, either, especially considering injuries will likely shake up depth charts over the course of the season. Will Nico Collins or Stefon Diggs emerge as the WR1 in Houston? Nobody really knows, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid either player entirely.
3. Take Advantage of Value in the Middle Rounds
Once you’ve built a solid wide receiver corps, start targeting running backs with high upside in the middle rounds. Look for backs in timeshares who could emerge as the lead back, or backups to injury-prone starters.
Nobody feels good about drafting Najee Harris, but who’s to say he won’t once again emerge with a high-volume role next season? Tony Pollard’s stock is low, but perhaps the grass is greener in Nashville than it was in Dallas. Austin Ekeler’s ADP is incredibly low coming off a down season with the Chargers, but maybe the Commanders can find a way to resuscitate his career.
4. Don’t Forget Tight Ends and Quarterbacks
While executing the Hero RB strategy, don’t neglect the other positions. If an elite tight end like Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews falls to you at a good value, don’t hesitate to grab them.
Similarly, targeting high-upside quarterbacks in the middle rounds can round out your roster nicely. QB is fairly deep, so there’s a good chance you can find a consistent producer without having to spend a premium pick on Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson. Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, and Kirk Cousins are 3 potentially undervalued QBs who could outperform their ADP.
Hero RB Strategy Conclusion
Part of the appeal of Best Ball is there is no be-all, end-all strategy when it comes to drafting. People may have certain convictions, but there’s an awful lot of luck involved regardless of whatever plans you make heading into draft day.
It’s easy to see why some Best Ballers will swear by the Hero RB approach. There’s a perception of safety involved with taking one of the highest-ranked players at a position with such scarcity. After the first few big names are off the board, though, it’s essentially a crapshoot.
You can also use Hero RB in your season-long leagues, on sites like Sleeper, for example. (Check out our Sleeper promo code to play Sleeper Picks.)
A good way to capitalize on the uncertainty is by waiting until the later rounds to fill out the rest of your RB room. Every year, there are a handful of undervalued and/or backup running backs who wind up stepping into larger roles and winning fantasy leagues as a result.
