It’s the end of July, which means we’re just a few weeks away from the 2024 NFL season. Rest assured, folks, we’re almost there.

A great way to pass the time during these dull summer days is to get involved in some Best Ball action. While we won’t be seeing any real football for a while, we’re in the middle of the Best Ball season. This format has been around for a few years now, so chances are you’ve developed a strategy that you think will pay off in the long run. In recent seasons, it seems that the Zero RB strategy has become the most popular among Best Ball enthusiasts.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to experiment with something new every now and then. If you’ve been around the Best Ball streets for a while, you’ve probably heard of Hero RB strategy.

What is the Hero RB strategy? Is this the best way to maximize your Best Ball lineups? Or should you stay away from it? Let’s find out together.

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What is the Hero RB strategy?

The Hero RB strategy – sometimes referred to as the “Anchor RB” – involves selecting an elite running back early and then waiting until the middle rounds to select additional running backs. The idea is to secure a reliable cornerstone at your RB1 position, while using the draft capital you save by not drafting multiple running backs in the early rounds to acquire talent at other positions, particularly wide receiver and tight end.

Let’s take the 2023 draft as an example. Christian McCaffrey was generally considered the No. 1 running back in the preseason rankings, so he was likely the first player at that position to go off the board in your drafts. In this scenario, let’s say you were lucky enough to land McCaffrey after the guy ahead of you in the draft picked Justin Jefferson 1-1.

If you want to try out the Hero RB strategy, you can use the next few picks to address other positions before going back and filling in the remaining running back positions.

Keep in mind that with this strategy you will be skipping most of the other premium RBs. If you had waited until the 7th or 8th round to grab your next running backs, you could have probably gotten James Cook, Isiah Pacheco, David Montgomery or D’Andre Swift.

It’s funny how you look back and forget 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 were all disappointing in 2023 for one reason or another. If you got your “Hero RB” with your first pick and got lucky with one of those late-round sleepers, you were likely in for a profitable campaign.

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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 ceilings, it doesn’t always work out that way. By signing one of these top prospects, you’re ensuring a steady stream of points from your RB1 position… in theory. That consistent output is crucial in Best Ball, where you can’t make adjustments mid-season.

Of course, the Hero RB strategy makes it all the more important that you actually hit the Hero. If you were unlucky enough to use a premium pick on Ekeler or Chubb, chances are you won’t have enough overall running back production to survive.

2. Depth at WR and other positions

Wide receivers also tend to offer more week-to-week variation 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 each week, thereby taking advantage of 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. Additionally, more and more teams are adopting RB-by-committee approaches, making true bell-cow backs increasingly scarce.

Of the top 100 players drafted 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. Optimize value

Mid- and late-round running backs often offer substantial value, especially those in committee or with high potential as backups. By waiting to draft your RB2 and beyond, you can land potential league winners for a fraction of the cost while your competitors may be overpaying for RB2s and RB3s.

Football is a brutal sport and injuries unfortunately play a huge role. We see it every year and 2023 was no exception. Several RBs with minimal pre-season value ended up being 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 just plain get it wrong when it comes to predicting roles. Kyren Williams, Devin Singletary, and Raheem Mostert all finished the season as the highest-rated players at the position. Remember Cam Akers, Dameon Pierce, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire? Me neither.

Implementation of the Hero RB strategy

1. Identify your Hero RB goals

Your draft position has a huge impact on which elite running backs are available to you. Players like Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall are attractive targets if you get in early.

If you draft later in the first round, you can look at players like Jahmyr Gibbs or Jonathan Taylor.

The problem is the lack of clear Hero RB candidates this year. McCaffrey is the only player in that group we can have complete confidence in, while almost everyone else is at least a little unsure about their role.

2. Get wide receivers early

After you’ve secured your Hero RB, turn your attention to wide receivers. Try to draft at least three to four wideouts in the following rounds. Players in high-powered offenses or with clear WR1 roles on their teams are prime targets, though the true premium receivers will likely be picked in the first round.

You won’t get CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill or Justin Jefferson if you go with your first pick at RB, but thanks to the depth at the position, you can still find elite value.

Davante Adams, Drake London and Mike Evans are a few players with potential for WR1 performance and who will likely be available after the first round. It’s also never a bad idea to reward players in crowded receiver rooms, especially considering injuries are likely to shake up the depth charts as the season progresses. Will Nico Collins or Stefon Diggs become Houston’s WR1? No one really knows, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid either player altogether.

3. Take advantage of the value in the middle rounds

Once you’ve built a solid wide receiver corps, start targeting high-potential running backs in the middle rounds. Look for timeshare backs who could develop into lead backs, or backups for injury-prone starters.

No one feels good about drafting Najee Harris, but who’s to say he won’t play a big role again next season? Tony Pollard’s stock is low, but maybe the grass is greener in Nashville than Dallas. Austin Ekeler’s ADP is incredibly low after a dismal season with the Chargers, but maybe the Commanders can find a way to resurrect his career.

4. Don’t forget the tight ends and quarterbacks

Don’t neglect the other positions while executing the Hero RB strategy. If an elite tight end like Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews comes to you for a good price, don’t hesitate to grab them.

Likewise, targeting high-upside quarterbacks in the middle rounds can round out your selection nicely. The 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 underrated QBs who could outperform their ADP.

Conclusion Hero RB strategy

Part of the appeal of Best Ball is that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy when it comes to drafting. People can have certain beliefs, but there is a lot of luck involved, no matter what plans you make for draft day.

It’s easy to see why some Best Ballers swear by the Hero RB approach. There’s a sense of security in taking one of the highest-ranked players at a position with such scarcity. However, after the first few big names are off the board, it’s essentially a gamble.

You can also use Hero RB in your season-long competitions, for example on sites like Sleeper. (Check out our Sleeper promo code to play Sleeper Picks.)

A good way to take advantage of the uncertainty is to wait until the later rounds to fill out the rest of your RB room. Every year, there are a handful of underrated and/or reserve running backs who end up taking on bigger roles and winning fantasy leagues as a result.

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