Winning at Fantasy Football is the perfect combination between knowledge, expertise, and luck. There is not one strategy that is hands down going to make you win in your league; however, there are strategies, such as the Zero Running Back strategy that are making a name for themselves, helping many people that used to do just okay at Fantasy Football, run away with the big prize. The focus of this strategy puts less emphasis on the running back and in fact, puts him at the back of the roster, while more focus is placed on key positions, such as wide receiver in order to gain the points necessary to win your Fantasy Football league.
What is Zero Running Back Strategy?
The Zero Running Back Strategy gives its method away in the name. Basically, rather than choosing your running back in the first or second round as is normal in drafting, you let it go until a much later round, sometimes even as your last pick. This strategy is meant to help you pick players that you can build a team around rather than focusing on a running back that may or may not be a part of your team a few games into the season since it is such as volatile position that comes with injuries and frequent replacements. When your focus is solely on the running back, you end up with mediocre wide receivers, forcing you to put all of your eggs in one basket so to speak. So what happens when that running back fails? Your team loses. Instead, give your team the diversity it needs by stacking it with wide receivers and not focusing so much on the running back.
Quality Wide Receivers Make a Team
The main component of the Zero Running Back strategy is to focus on the wide receivers. This has often been successful because running backs are at such high risk of disappointment, bringing your entire Fantasy Football league to its knees. Think of it as limiting your risks and using the best strategy to build a good team, as wide receivers are generally known to be less injury prone than running backs, allowing you to minimize your risks.
Wide Receivers Provide an Insurance Policy
Basically, by providing your team with solid wide receivers that either hit the Top 10 or 20 lists, you are giving your team the insurance it needs to succeed. Even if your top choices disappointment in the beginning, you will have other solid choices to back them up, rather than waiting until later on in the draft and being stuck with the mediocre choices for such a profound position that limits your team’s ability to make the playoffs. Running backs can be used as an afterthought, because you never know how much that low priority draft pick will surprise you come the new season. The old tried and true running backs are often more prone to injury and disappointment as they reach their peak performance and then start to decline.
Taking the Pressure off of the Running Back
The Zero Running Back strategy basically enables you to give your team a better chance at making it into the playoffs by focusing on wide receivers in at least the first 5 rounds. You will want to stack your team with at least 4 top 20 wide receivers to make up for passing up on the first draft running backs. By doing so, however, you are stacking your team for success, giving it the backup it needs should one or two fall short of their promises in the upcoming season.
Many people have successfully used the Zero Running Back Strategy, but of course, everyone has their own preferences. It still requires skill, research, and knowledge to create the perfect Fantasy Football team, but if you have lost time and again, it might be time for a new strategy.