2023 Fantasy Football strategy: Should I draft a WR or a RB first?

Fantasy Football rosters are always made up of real NFL players. Some of the most important players, both for fantasy leagues as well as the real NFL, are the wide receivers and running backs. After quarterbacks, they are the always the highest-scoring players and make up the core of a fantasy roster. Often times, they account for more than half of a full fantasy roster.

While both positions are extremely important to prioritze when coming up with a strategy for a fantasy draft, it's fair to wonder which is more valuable. The most common strategy for fantasy players is to target the elite running backs at the top of the draft. This is mainly because of how deep the wide receiver position is, making it more reasonable to find superstars in the middle rounds.

Many Fantasy Football drafts will feature an entire first round with almost all picks being running backs, with the exception of a few. Unless the opportunity arises to select an elite stud like Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase or Tyreek Hill, going with a running back is almost always the safest option. Even when those top receivers are available, a lower-ranked running back is still a justifiably preferred selection.

Very few NFL teams heavily feature one running back anymore, as many elect to go with more of a committee approach. This has resulted in decreasing the value for running backs as a whole, while also putting an absolute premium on the top players in the position. Landing a featured back like Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor or Derrick Henry is a luxury that can't be duplicated later on in the draft.

Missing out on an elite running back forces Fantasy Football managers to struggle to find consistent production from arguably the most important position. Wide receivers can often work the other way in Fantasy Football. While mid-round receivers don't offer the same upside as the elites, they do offer significantly more value than running backs in similar rounds.

Many NFL teams are deep at wide receivers, creating a ton of useful options in Fantasy Football. Running backs come at much more of a premium. Most NFL teams only have one or two backs with any fantasy relevance at all. The best way to approach running backs in fantasy drafts is to make sure to land one as early as possible to avoid being left with scraps.

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What is zero-RB strategy in Fantasy Football?

Justin Jefferson

A contrarian strategy to targeting an elite running back as early as possible in Fantasy Football drafts is called zero-RB. In this strategy, fantasy managers completely ignore the running back position early in the draft and instead load up everywhere else. The idea is that while almost every other manager is taking running backs, a zero-RB manager can gain an advantage in other areas.

When attempting this strategy, a manager should draft an elite wide receiver, or Travis Kelce, in the first round. They should then follow that up with several other top receivers and a quarterback in the first few rounds. This potentially makes their roster the best in the entire fantasy league in non-RB positions. They can then target running backs in the mid-to-late rounds who possess the most upside, rather than stability, and hope at least one of them breaks out.