Fantasy Legal Briefs: The Case for Drafting Running Backs Early

by Stacy Perez · Featured
fantasy running backs

Today, PlayerProfiler’s resident “legal eagle,” Stacy Perez, takes aim at the first in her series of strategies that are often enough contested to be argued and ruled on by the fantasy football populace. Let the jury of peers be seated and hear the arguments for drafting fantasy running backs early in your respective drafts. Which side will you fall on?

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Opening Statement

One of the most satisfying moments in fantasy football is when everything goes your way during a draft. As soon as it’s over, you lean back to admire your masterpiece. Maybe you even take a screenshot of the roster and send it to your league mates, while telling them they should give you the championship money right now. Such an incredible feeling, right? 

Personally, I love nothing more than going all out right from the start, drafting several top-tier wide receivers (maybe an elite tight end or two) in a row. That kind of roster is a thing of beauty. However, once the season ends, I often find myself raising my fists to the sky and cursing myself for not drafting a running back earlier. Who’s been there? 

Over the past few seasons, “Zero RB” has become one of the most popular draft strategies in fantasy football, if not the most popular. I understand why; it’s fun and allows you to build a hot roster. But herein lies the question: Is it truly that effective that you should give up on all other strategies? 

Welcome to our offseason fantasy football courtroom. This offseason, I’ll present arguments and make the case for some of the most important topics of our generation. Okay, maybe “generation” is a bit dramatic, but come on, we’re in a courtroom! It’s supposed to be a little dramatic. So, on behalf of all the workhorses and bellcows out there, join me as I present the evidence to you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, for drafting a running back early.  

Exhibit A: The Numbers 

Fun fact about lawyers: we despise numbers. Truly, we do. It’s why most of us went to law school in the first place—to avoid doing math ever again. The joke’s on us, though, because sometimes, every once in a while, numbers can actually help prove your case. 


Let’s analyze the top fantasy producers in points per reception (PPR) formats over the past few seasons. Both the first and second rounds of the 2024 and 2025 drafts featured more running backs selected than in 2023. During that period, running backs had the most players drafted in those rounds. In 2023, fewer running backs were selected in the early rounds. The breakdown is as follows: 

2025: 

  • 12 running backs 
  • 10 wide receivers 
  • 1 tight end 
  • 1 quarterback 

2024: 

  • 12 running backs 
  • 11 wide receivers 
  • 1 quarterback 

2023: 

  • 8 running backs 
  • 12 wide receivers 
  • 1 tight end 
  • 3 quarterbacks 

Has the return on investment in that position been worthwhile? To answer your question, yes. How do you measure that? For our purposes, it’s the total fantasy points scored over the entire season. In both 2025 and 2024, there were 12 and 11 players, respectively, in the top 20 for fantasy production at the running back position. I removed quarterbacks because they generally score more points than other positions, and drafting a quarterback in the first or second round is a move from the 1900’s. 

You have to go back to 2023 to find a season where only seven of the top-producing players were running backs, and just one of those was drafted in the early rounds. Looking at you, Christian McCaffrey.  

Exhibit B: All Signs Point to…


Who remembers a time long ago, when you’d fall asleep on your couch after watching trashy late-night TV, only to wake up in a fog, hearing a Jamaican accent say “call me now” while promising to tell you what your future holds if you’ll just give up your credit card number? Unfortunately, we don’t have a Miss Cleo—only a toll-free call away from predicting the future for our rosters. Predictions are a tough business, and to get Zero RB right, you pretty much have to channel spirits from the underworld to have a shot consistently. 

The year 2023 will serve as our guide to the fantasy spirit world. Who would have predicted Rachaad White (RB23), Raheem Mostert (RB47), and Kyren Williams (RB69 and undrafted in most drafts) would end the season among the top 20 highest-scoring fantasy players? Remember, we’re still not counting the quarterbacks. They get enough attention as it is. White and Mostert finished as the 13th and 14th highest overall, and Williams just made the cut at 19th overall.  


At the running back position, only McCaffrey had an early average draft position (ADP) and paid off at his draft capital that season. He finished just behind CeeDee Lamb as the second-highest scoring fantasy player of the year. It’s a wonder there weren’t 24 wide receivers taken in rounds one and two in 2024 after that! Zero RB requires nearly perfect conditions and a lot of luck to lead teams to victory. Relying on accurately predicting a player’s usage throughout the season, especially one further down the depth chart with more questions than answers, is no way to live. 

Exhibit C:  Flexibility 

Fantasy football is a hobby, and hobbies are meant to be fun. So why would you spend every week trying to grab the hottest, shiniest running back available on waivers? And then for you to have massively overpaid for a player who might only help your team for one or two weeks. Deciding between Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jeremy McNichols, and Bam Knight versus Michael Carter literally stole years from my life. 

Drafting a running back with an early pick helps avoid a bench from looking like the land of broken toys. Instead of stocking up on dozens of insurance backs, you can fill those spots with guys more likely to be active and significantly contribute to your weekly points. 

Once you’ve checked that off, you can move on to aggressively drafting the other positions and hold off on the least important position in fantasy—the RB2. Securing a top-producing running back ensures consistent production, gives you a solid foundation, and allows you to experiment with high-upside players at other positions. 

Closing Argument

The Zero RB build reminds me of the “crazy/hot scale” video from YouTube. Drafting several elite wide receivers in a row is incredibly exciting. You feel great about your roster after your draft. But when your build gets too hot, like level ten hot, that craziness starts creeping in fast. All of a sudden, you’re spending every night blurry-eyed, grinding the waiver wire, deciphering coach speak from every press conference, and stalking Twitter just to see if there’s a crumb of info that will give you an edge. Enter the early round running back. Steady, high volume, a defined role; they show up, do their job, and do it well. 

A roster built entirely on those sexy wide receivers might look absolutely incredible on your screen, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, but it comes with a cost. Who wants to manage chaos every week? Get yourself that top running back who brings stability and balance. Drafting a running back early does not have to mean you’re giving up on upside. It gives you an anchor so you can chase that ceiling with other positions without losing control.

Hot is fun, but consistency wins leagues.

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