With the NFL regular season just two weeks away and many fantasy football drafts taking place now, it’s time to discuss different strategies when drafting your team. Two of my favorite draft strategies are Hero RB and Zero RB, especially in PPR formats. Today, we will discuss the Hero RB fantasy football draft strategy and which players to target when employing this strategy in your upcoming drafts.

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Hero RB Fantasy Football Draft Strategy Guide

What is the Hero RB Draft Strategy?

Hero RB or Anchor RB is a strategy that involves drafting one elite running back early on and then waiting until later in the draft to select any more running backs. Usually, Rounds 6-8 is a good time to start adding RB help beyond your initial elite running back.

“Hero” Running Backs to Target

Your draft position will heavily factor into which RB you take. Below is a list of running backs I am comfortable taking in Round 1 or Round 2 and building around in a Hero RB draft:

• Christian McCaffrey (SF)
• Breece Hall (NYJ)
• Bijan Robinson (ATL)
• Jonathan Taylor (IND)
• Saquon Barkley (PHI)
• Jahmyr Gibbs (DET)
• De’Von Achane (MIA)
• Kyren Williams (LAR)
• Travis Etienne (JAC)

McCaffrey, Hall and Robinson are your best candidates for Hero RB Builds. You can make a case for the other five candidates, but they each have uncertainty for one reason or another. For example, Jahmyr Gibbs and De’Von Achane are very talented and have shown how explosive they can be, but they will split time with other top-notch RBs on their team.

If you are not drafting from the first or second overall pick, your chances of getting CMC are slim. If you are drafting in the top five, CMC would be the only RB I would take over top-tier receivers like CeeDee Lamb, Tyreek Hill and Amon-Ra St. Brown. If you have a top-four pick and miss out on CMC, you can take a shot with Achane or Etienne, as their ADPs mean they often make it back to the end of Round 2.

If you draft in the middle of Round 1, picks five through eight, you have a pretty good shot at drafting Hall or Robinson. If you draft at the end of Round 1, you will likely have your choice of Gibbs, Barkley or Taylor.

Wide Receivers to Target

Once you land your elite RB, it’s time to load up on wide receivers. Your next four or five picks should be receivers and maybe a tight end if one of the top-tier talents falls down the draft board. More on tight ends later.

When drafting your receivers, you want to target guys on high-powered offenses or guys locked in for WR1 roles.

Using FantasyPros’ Consensus ADP, here is a list of a few wide receivers I am targeting in Rounds 2-4 when using a Hero RB strategy:

• Puka Nacua (LAR) — ADP: 14.3
• Marvin Harrison Jr. (ARI) — ADP: 17
• Davante Adams (LV) — ADP: 18.3
• Drake London (ATL) — ADP: 24
• Chris Olave (NO) — ADP: 24.3
• Deebo Samuel (SF) — ADP: 27
• Nico Collins (HOU) — ADP: 31
• Mike Evans (TB) — ADP: 31.7
• Brandon Aiyuk (SF) — ADP: 33
• Jaylen Waddle (MIA) — ADP: 36.7
• Cooper Kupp (LAR) — ADP: 36.7
• DJ Moore (CHI) — ADP: 39.7
• Malik Nabers (NYG) — ADP: 49.7

All these guys are expected to be the top receivers on their respective teams or part of a high-scoring offense.

Middle-Round Running Backs to Target

Use the middle rounds to build up your RB room. Focus on guys with high upside or handcuffs to injury-prone starters.

Here are a few guys I target in the middle rounds to add to my Hero RB team:

• David Montgomery (DET) — ADP: 60.3
• D’Andre Swift (CHI) — ADP: 64.3
• Zamir White (LV) — ADP: 67.3
• Najee Harris (PIT) — ADP: 69
• Raheem Mostert (MIA) — ADP: 73.7
• Tony Pollard (TEN) — ADP: 83.7
• Jaylen Warren (PIT) — ADP: 87.7
• Devin Singletary (NYG) — ADP: 90

Tight Ends and Quarterbacks.

As I mentioned earlier, if an elite tight end like Sam LaPorta, Trey McBride, Mark Andrews or Dalton Kincaid falls far enough down the board, don’t hesitate to draft one of them. All four are elite athletes and will be a focal point of their team’s offense.

Other tight ends I like to target:

• Trey McBride (ARI) — ADP: 47.7
• Kyle Pitts (ATL) — ADP: 62.3
• Evan Engram (JAC) — ADP: 71.7

When using a Hero RB strategy, I tend to wait until the later rounds to grab a quarterback. In fantasy, a dual-threat quarterback like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts or Lamar Jackson will come with a high price tag.

You can find high-upside guys later in the draft who could outperform their ADP. Also, taking a quarterback this late gives you the opportunity to stack them with a WR or TE you drafted earlier. For example, if you took Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk in the early rounds, you could pair them up with Brock Purdy in the eighth round.

Here are some quarterbacks I like who are going in the seventh round or later:

• Jordan Love (GB) — ADP: 71
• Dak Prescott (DAL) — ADP: 71
• Jayden Daniels (WAS) — ADP: 103.3
• Jared Goff (DET) — ADP: 103.7
• Caleb Williams (CHI) — ADP: 106
• Trevor Lawrence (JAC) — ADP: 124.7

Late-Round Running Backs to Target

As we close out the draft, we want to continue to find guys with potential upside and handcuffs to elite RBs, because if one of those guys goes down, you may have a league winner sitting on your bench.

Here are some running backs to target late in your draft to complement your Hero RB:

• Tyjae Spears (TEN) — ADP: 103
• Ezekiel Elliott (DAL) — ADP: 109.7
• Trey Benson (ARI) — ADP: 110.7
• Chase Brown (CIN) — ADP: 112.7
• Gus Edwards (LAC) — ADP: 115.7
• Jerome Ford (CLE) — ADP: 119.3
• Blake Corum (LAR) — ADP: 123
• Rico Dowdle (DAL) — ADP: 146
• Chuba Hubbard (CAR) — ADP: 148
• Jaylen Wright (MIA) — ADP: 155
• Tyler Allgeier (ATL) — ADP: 162.7
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. (NYG) — ADP: 166
• Braelon Allen (NYJ) — ADP: 173.5

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