The prevailing thought throughout the history of fantasy football has been “running backs over everything.” Sure, this tried and true ideology has led to many fantasy championships over the years, featuring the likes of Priest Holmes, Shaun Alexander, LaDanian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, and DeMarco Murray just to name a few, but with the recent emergence of pass-heavy offenses and running backs by committee, the position itself is no longer as safe a bet as it once was.

In my opinion, I still always believe that a consistent quality running back is – above all else – most important on any fantasy roster because they can contribute, not only in the run game, but also as a receiver out of the backfield – something that wideouts and QB’s cannot do on the same scale. However, with fewer and fewer guys getting 20-plus touches a game each year, it almost doesn’t make sense to take the position as early as you did once the elite handful are off the board.

Now to make things clearer, the “Zero Running Back Strategy” does not mean that you don’t draft anyone from that position at all, but rather it indicates a more backwards priority policy from the drafter in that wide receivers and even quarterbacks are to be targeted first. Once the roster is filled out, sans kicker, defense, and x-amount of running back slots, it is time to take a back.

Truth be told, I’m not one for going into a draft with a particular strategy other than guys I like versus guys I don’t and letting the board play out organically. However to prove my worth to this piece here, I tried out the strategy in a recent mock draft. With the second overall pick in a standard, 12-team, PPR format, I was given the perfect opportunity to go “Zero Running Back." 

Full disclosure, I was very skeptical entering this mock because it truly goes against everything I have learned throughout my decade-long fantasy football career. But as they say “if we aren’t adapting, we are falling behind.”

After a quick run-through with an admittedly very entertaining group of strangers, I surprisingly came away very pleased with this draft and strategy.

I got arguably the best player in the draft in Julio Jones and then with my next two picks, another two top-10 caliber receivers in terms of both talent and potential production. Aaron Rodgers and Delanie Walker may have been reaches in the fourth and fifth by a round or two, but remember we are going running back last, so the other positions must come first at all costs.

With those first five picks alone, I couldn’t have done much better at any of the positions I drafted because of the artificial priority that is still put on all “starting” running backs by most fantasy owners. Now in the subsequent rounds I had to use my shrewd fantasy football mind to pick out the right backs that were still available. Here’s what I came away with…

DeMarco Murray – 6th Round

I was delighted to see Murray available here, as he is just two years removed from lighting the world on fire with the Dallas Cowboys to the tune of 450-plus touches, 1,800-plus rushing yards (a Cowboys team record), and 13 rushing touchdowns. Sure he had a down year last season, but Chip Kelly’s system didn’t do him any favors either.

With the Titans he will be getting back to what he does best: find a hole, hit said hole, and run like hell. I will be worried about the presence of rookie Derrick Henry – and he is someone who I should have handcuffed Murray with, come to think of it – but with the “Zero Running Back Strategy” no available backs will be without blemishes.

Giovani Bernard – 7th Round

Few backs are more purely talented than Gio; he just happens to be in a strict committee situation out in Cincinnati, so thus explains his slide. An excellent worker as a receiver out of the backfield and a stalwart on third downs, Bernard’s production can actually be considered rather consistent when you think about it.

This season I feel quite optimistic about Gio earning more every down reps because of the step back that Jeremy Hill took last season. Hill’s yards per carry were down, while he developed quite the fumbling problem. Bernard should be trending up, especially with a quarterback-first minded offensive coordinator taking the reigns out in Cincy.

Theo Riddick – 9th Round

This selection speaks for itself considering I was picking in a PPR format. The man had 80 receptions out of the backfield last season, giving him an average of five fantasy points per game on just receptions alone in 2015. Assuming he develops into more of a focal point in the offense due to last season’s merits and the sudden retirement of Calvin Johnson, Riddick should end up producing far beyond his ADP.

Jordan Howard – 10th Round

As the round numbers hit double-digits, it is time to begin taking chances on rookie backs because – for the most part – they are taken later in the draft, yet often contribute early on when given the opportunity. Howard seems like a nice option this season because not only was he a force during his collegiate career, but he also will be joining a backfield where he has more of a chance to get near even reps than most people are giving him credit for. The majority of fantasy owners are just assuming that because Jeremy Langford is young and had a few good games last year that he will be the undisputed bell cow for Chicago in 2016, however with his mere 3.6 yards per carry last season and zero 100-yard games, there is no way that the Bears are totally confident in him as the starter.

Howard should be given ample opportunities in 2016, and if nothing else will be my pick for the leading touchdown vulture award come season’s end.

Devontae Booker – 13th Round

Another very talented and accomplished running back entering his rookie season, Booker – like Howard – is more or less gliding under the radar because of the assumed confidence that fantasy owners believe that particular coaching staffs have in their “starting” running backs. For booker, it may be a bit harder for him to get ahead because he has not only one, but two backs in front of him on the depth chart. Luckily for me here, word is that the rookie Booker is the leader in the clubhouse for third down reps due to his head and shoulders above the other two’s talent as a receiver out of the backfield. Sure the Broncos are going to give newly inked incumbent C.J. Anderson the first shot to take this job, but my belief is that Booker is the most talented back on this roster and will almost definitely get at least the early reps on third downs. Considering his 13th round selection, that is good enough for me.

Verdict

To summarize here, while new to the “Zero Running Back Strategy” I can see why many are beginning to turn to it in their drafts. With the rise of pass-happy offenses and the fantasy crippling “running back by committee,” finding a consistent running back much more difficult to do these days after the first few elite are off the board. The prevailing belief is, rather than spending your second, third, or fourth round picks on “starting” backs who aren’t even close to elite status, wait on the position and take the bevy of elite players who will be available at the other positions because of the public’s infatuation with running backs. After a few mock drafts with this strategy, I have come to the conclusion that it is a strategy that should work with some predictable consistency.

My only qualm with “Zero Running Back” is its name. After fleshing it out completely, I have come away feeling quite misled. I would call it “Running Back Late Strategy” instead because in reality you end up taking quite a few backs – just later. When dealing with the later round misfits, you need quantity in hopes of bumping your odds on hitting on a couple of them. Ultimately you end up with plenty more than zero running backs, but maybe just zero that the public had their eyes on entering the draft. Identify the undervalued and this strategy will work.