Zero Wide Receiver Strategy (Fantasy Football)

Before we get into the “Zero Wide Receiver” strategy, I think it’s necessary to call out one thing. I am not a big believer in sticking to one particular strategy in all of my drafts. The reason we all come up with different strategies is that we find ourselves drafting a certain way on a consistent basis that leaves us loving the look of our teams. This is evident for me when I wait on wide receivers until the later rounds in most scenarios.

I have learned that you shouldn’t go into every draft with tunnel vision. You must pay attention to how others in your league are drafting and adapt.

Otherwise, you will leave yourself blind to the values that fall onto your lap in the positions you insist waiting on as the draft unfolds. Now that I have addressed my disclaimer on the subject, let’s dive into why I tend to lean on the “Zero Wide Receiver” strategy more often than others.

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Depth at the Wide Receiver Position

The depth of wide receivers is the biggest reason I am drawn to holding out on the position until the later rounds. I mention a lot of what I’m about to share in a “Three Lessons Learned from 2016” article I wrote, so please check that out as well. In 2016, there were only 26 running backs that finished with 150+ fantasy points.

Wide receivers had over 50 players finish the season with 150+ fantasy points. These numbers are based on PPR formats which have become the new standard over the years.

If you are in standard drafts, you may still want to wait on WRs because, in 2016, 36 RBs scored 100+ fantasy points in standard scoring while 49 WRs had 100+ points. This tells you that you have more wide receivers in the fantasy production pool to choose from than running backs so why wouldn’t you wait on drafting the position that offers you more value later in the draft?

Draft Results: A Balanced Team

I can provide an example. I recently finished up the #SFB7 (Scott Fish Bowl) draft, and although this season the format heavily favors the tight end position, wide receivers still flew off the boards at the typical rate you would see in most drafts. I was able to obtain tight ends like Rob Gronkowski, Greg Olsen, and Kyle Rudolph. Yes, three of the top tight ends in the league.

Again, the points that tight ends will put up in this league are equivalent to WR1/RB1 type numbers. I drafted running backs like LeSean McCoy and Spencer Ware. Quarterbacks began to fall off quickly which prompted me to draft Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, and Sam Bradford in three consecutive picks (superflex league). Now let’s get to my wide receivers. I drafted Kelvin Benjamin, Corey Coleman, Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa, Taylor Gabriel, J.J. Nelson, Sterling Shepard, and my last round pick, Ryan Switzer (Round 22).

Take a minute and think about the wide receivers I listed. What are your thoughts? What if I told you that I did not draft my first wide receiver until the 10th round?

What do you think of my wide receivers now? I understand that these are not top WR1s but are very serviceable fantasy assets that are capable of producing WR1 weeks with some safe floors. These wide receivers complement my earlier round picks which built the foundation of my team with the other positions.

Position Scarcity

I’ll give you some perspective on the “Zero Wide Receiver” strategy I used in the #SFB7 draft mentioned above and in other drafts. I’m going to provide some examples of players available in other positions when I finally decided to pull the trigger on wide receivers in the 10th round. If I had waited on running backs until the 10th round, I would be looking at Theo Riddick.

Trevor Siemian and Jared Goff would be my first option at quarterback, and David Njoku and Jason Witten were drafted in the 10th. Not very appealing compared to the wide receivers that went in the 10th round.

 
You can see there were still plenty of quality wide receivers being drafted in the 10th round. 58% of the picks in that round were wide receivers. Very few wanted to nibble on the scraps left at the other positions when there was still plenty of meat on the bone for wide receivers.

To reiterate what I said in the opening paragraph, I am not solely reliant on one set strategy, and I don’t recommend that anyone limit themselves to one strategy either. The point here was to show you the strategy that works for me in most cases and share with you, my personal experience and logic behind the “Zero Wide Receiver” approach. Sure, there are stats and other research that backs this strategy, but there are stats to back other strategies as well.

When it comes down to it, I just like the “Zero Wide Receiver” strategy most because I like the look of my roster when executing this strategy. I am a big believer in drafting running backs early to set the foundation of my fantasy teams.

Wide receivers are easily replaceable through waivers as the depth is naturally higher in the position. I am willing to change my approach if the draft dictates a need in wide receiver earlier than I would like or if a wide receiver falls to me at a ridiculous value.

My initial approach to most drafts will be the “Zero Wide Receiver” strategy because this has proven successful for me too often not to. For anyone in my fantasy football leagues this year, forget everything you just read and draft wide receivers early and often.  😉 #ZeroWR

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Nate Hamilton is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him @DomiNateFF.