Breaking Down Fantasy Football Running Back Draft Strategies for 2024

Aug 16, 2024

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

There are several strategies to attack the running back position in your fantasy football draft, with many different —sometimes confusing— nomenclatures. While going into your draft with a cut-and-dry strategy and ignoring what is happening around you is never a great idea, it is important to know when and why to begin implementing one should the opportunity arise.

Below I will outline the four most popular running back strategies, go over the positives and negatives of using each, and, most importantly, point out the best times for utilization.

Robust Running Back

Explanation of Strategy

By beginning the draft with three straight running backs and typically selecting a fourth in one of the two following rounds, fantasy players can look towards commanding a corner of the market with first and second-tier running backs to eliminate the need to scramble at the position later in drafts.

Positives

It typically works better in best-ball leagues where you are all but guaranteed to fill your two running back slots (and FLEX) with week-to-week production regardless of bye weeks or injuries. Not having to attack the waiver wire for presumptive starters following a running back injury frees up free-agent bidding to better ensure you can stream at the onesie positions weekly.

Negatives

You are now very short on wide receiver talent, which is the most difficult thing to replace on the waiver wire. Every year there is waiver wire gold at the running back position, but very rarely do we find a wide receiver who the consensus believed to be un-roster able to produce league-winning upside. On top of that, you are going to be struggling weekly with who to start, in addition to taking up your flex spot, when there is overwhelming evidence that wide receivers deliver a higher ceiling at the beginning of drafts, particularly in half-and-full-PPR leagues.