Remember when Zero-RB was all the rage? Pass on those volatile RBs early, instead opting for the “safety” at WR or even TE.
It peaked in 2016, when you were a fantasy outcast if you drafted a RB with 1 of your first few picks.
We’ve seen a massive shift in the 4 years since. Check out the numbers of RBs going in the first 4 rounds this year compared to 2016 (according to My Fantasy League ADP):
So don’t expect RB value to drop in your draft. How do we respond?
I’d love to sound like a rebel and tell you to go against the herd; to zig when they zag. But the truth is that your team will be much stronger if you follow suit and load up on RBs early.
It’s all about positional scarcity. Compared to WR, the pool of useable RBs will dry up much more quickly. That means you need to grab them when you can.
Check out this chart, showing our projected PPR points for the top 25 QBs, 50 RBs, 70 WRs and 25 TEs:
See how that green line starts above the yellow -- but then dips beneath it for good near the middle of the chart? That’s showing us that the RBs are projected to out-score the WRs early in fantasy drafts — but then WRs take the lead in the middle and late rounds.
So to maximize the projected fantasy points on your roster, you should be loading up on RBs early and pounding WRs later.
Here’s exactly how you should be attacking the RB position in fantasy drafts this year …
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