Zero-RB strategy for 2025 fantasy football drafts

There are plenty of ways to attack a fantasy football draft, but one of the safest is using a Zero-RB strategy in PPR leagues. The quick and dirty explanation of this strategy goes like this: You draft stud wide receivers early, as they are safer year in and year out to put up great fantasy numbers, while also not getting hurt as often as running backs. It’s really just playing to the tendency that players who get tackled by abnormally fast and huge linemen and linebackers over and over get hurt more often. Play those odds and stack up their backups for cheap.

Take wide receivers early

This can look a few different ways of course, but two top receivers to start is my favorite strategy. Then you can look at quarterbacks and tight ends as well. If you can get one of the Top 4 QBs (Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts) or Top 2 tight ends (Brock Bowers, Trey McBride), it’s okay as long as you have those key receivers up top. But, if you miss those guys, I would wait on both positions until the middle to late rounds.

When to start drafting running backs?

The answer to this question depends on if you draft a QB or TE with your third round pick. If you end up going with three wide receivers, then grabbing a running back in round four makes sense, as you are now waiting on QB and TE.

Running backs to target in Zero-RB

We want to pick as many running backs as we can late in drafts since we are banking on injuries and rostering backs who have great upside if the back ahead of them on the depth chart were to miss time. Below is a list of backs I like and what round their ADP puts them in for 12-team leagues. I’ve bolded the players I’m especially interested in drafting.

Round 4

Kenneth Walker, James Conner, TreVeyon Henderson

Round 5

RJ Harvey

Round 6

D’Andre Swift, Tony Pollard

Round 7

Tyrone Tracy, Jaylen Warren

Round 8

Jordan Mason, Zach Charbonnet

Round 9

Brian Robinson

Round 10

Rhamondre Stevenson

Round 11 and below

Jaydon Blue, Bhayshul Tuten, Jerome Ford, Trey Benson, Nick Chubb, Braelon Allen, Ray Davis, Tyler Allgeier, Dylan Sampson, Jacoby Croskey-Merritt, Ollie Gordon, Will Shipley, DJ Giddens, Woody Marks, Keaton Mitchell

How many running backs do I have to draft!?

You won’t get a running back in every one of these rounds, but you do want to get your Week 1 RB starters off the board, a few backup wide receivers, and a starting tight end/quarterback (depending on need) before going all in on late round running backs. As you can see, from the eleventh round down, there are a bunch of useful running backs to stash on your bench in anticipation their value will increase as the season moves forward.

Waiver wiring

Since you do have a bunch of backup running backs and no backs from the first 3-4 rounds, you will need to stay vigilant on waivers. Try to keep your eye on depth charts and injuries behind the starters. If you’ve stashed a back you like, but he still needs an injury to become a starter, be ready to drop him for a back who is getting to start because of an injury.

Overall, your team might look weak due to the lack of top tier running backs, but, you’ve made some strong selections in rounds 4-6 to anchor your backs and then picked off high-upside plays throughout, all while you are set with consistent, high-end wide receivers as your base.