Mock Draft Army: No Running Backs, No Problem!

While the Mock Draft Army was created to provide you with a place to take part in a competitive mock draft with full participation and help create a more accurate ADP than we see around the interwebs, it also provides me with a place to try out a number of draft strategies I am contemplating throughout the offseason. With a set-up like this – all these industry folk and hardcore fantasy footballers – I can get a good feel as to what works and what doesn’t. And better yet, I can try a particular strategy multiple times and in a variety of formats just to increase my test sample size.

One of the strategies I have been trying out in some of these drafts is the Zero-RB theory. Now obviously that doesn’t mean that you don’t draft any running backs at all, but more ignore the position until you finally have to address the need. For me, that time comes when you’ve filled out your entire starting roster save for the kicker and defense and you need your starting two back and your bench players. That would be Round 7 in a format that requires you to start 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE and 1 flex in addition to a kicker and a defense.

We’re still in the very early stages of testing strategies such as this, but my initial reaction to the team I drafted is pretty positive. Are there potential holes? Yes, but we’re far from perfecting this. Consider the strategy a work in progress, but here’s how it looked as it was all happening during a 12-team PPR draft this week:

Round 1, Pick 8

Rob Gronkowski, TE NE – In Gronk we trust? Ayup! I never take a tight end this early, so I figured what the heck and just do it. Gronk is obviously the No. 1 tight end in the league and even with a potential suspension for Tom Brady, he will still see mad targets. Hard to argue against him being a first-round pick in PPR formats.

Round 2, Pick 17

Mike Evans, WR TB – The touchdowns dropped significantly last season, but Evans was still one of the more productive wideouts in the game with 148 targets and 1,206 receiving yards, both of which finished inside the top 10 of receivers.

Round 3, Pick 32

Kelvin Benjamin, WR CAR – He’s coming back from a torn ACL, but all reports have him returning in time for training camp in late July. During his rookie season, he racked up 145 targets (fifth most in the NFL), over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns, so you know Cam Newton is looking for him often.

Round 4, Pick 41

Emmanuel Sanders, WR DEN – I don’t love Mark Sanchez as the Broncos starting quarterback, but given his need for a short passing game, Sanders should be the guy who reaps a heavy dose of looks in this office.

Round 5, Pick 56

Michael Crabtree, WR OAK – He ranked inside the top 10 for targets last season and had an amazingly productive season with nine touchdown grabs. With Derek Carr more experienced in the NFL and a year wiser, Crabtree should be his go-to guy once again.

Round 6, Pick 65

Drew Brees, QB NO – What’s not to love about Brees in the sixth round? He’s got Brandin Cooks and now Coby Fleener helping him to light it up throughout the season and another season of nearly 5,000 yards and 30-plus touchdowns is easily in the cards.

Round 7, Pick 80

Karlos Williams, RB BUF – So now it was time to finally look to the running back position and Williams makes for a great start. Williams was rock solid to open the year and had five touchdowns through the first five games of the season. His concussion knocked him out but when he started waging a late-season comeback, he was right back to his usual endzone dancing.  I have little faith in LeSean McCoy staying healthy all year which should leave Williams with plenty of touches.

Round 8, Pick 89

Theo Riddick, RB DET – He was a PPR beast last season, catching 80 of 99 targets last season and should see a similar workload this year as the team’s third-down back. Stevan Ridley signed with the Lions, but Riddick has better hands and is a stronger runner out in space. Should we also overplay our hand here and mention the Jim Bob Cooter offense here?

Round 9, Pick 104

Chris Ivory, RB JAX – While T.J Yeldon will get his share of the carries, all signs, at least right now, point towards Ivory being the lead back in this offense. While he certainly isn’t the be-all, end-all of running backs, he’s still going to see enough touches to earn his draft value here in the ninth round.

Round 10, Pick 113

Bilal Powell, NRB NYJ – With no RBs through the first seven rounds, it makes sense to bulk up on the position a little bit more which brings me to my fourth straight running back here in the 10^th round. Powell will still be the4 Jets third-down back as Matt Forte is still a bit long in the tooth for every-down work. Powell is a decent candidate for PPR play.

Round 11, Pick 128

Mohamed Sanu, WR ATL – With some comfort in the running back position restored, Sanu makes for a nice pick here as he becomes the new possession guy for Matt Ryan and the Falcons. He’ll see plenty of single-coverage with Julio Jones on the other side of the field and should enjoy what could be his most productive season in the NFL.

Round 12, Pick 137

Stephen Gostkowski, K NE --- The team is stacked for a PPR league, so why not add the number one kicker in the game too? He scores points like a WR2 most of the time, so in the 12^th round, he’s a friggin’ steal.

Round 13, Pick 152

Chris Hogan, WR NE – Let’s give it up for the overhyped, undersized white boy in Hogan who seems to be getting the Julian Edelman/Danny Amendola treatment here in the offseason. Here in the 13^th round, he’s not going to be much of a risk, but be careful if his ADP starts to climb because of too much attention.

Round 14, Pick 161

Will Fuller, WR HOU – Nothing wrong with adding a little extra depth at the receiver position and Fuller could be a strong candidate for a breakout season opposite DeAndre Hopkins. Brock Osweiler should prove to be an efficient field general and he should get Fuller readily involved in the offensive attack this season.

Round 15, Pick 176

NY Jets, D/ST – Hey, they’re my team. Why wouldn’t I take them?

So there you go, a team drafted with a zero-RB strategy. I have to say, while originally skeptical of the whole concept, this team is surprisingly stronger than I thought it would be. I have a potential game-breaker in Williams, but even if my running backs don’t pan out, my receiving corps is ridiculously strong, Gronk is a beast and Brees is going to help lead the way to a fantasy championship. We’ll try this method out another few times to see, but already, I’m feeling some of the excitement!

Before we get to the ADP, allow me to, again, thank the folks at Fantrax for providing the Army with a great platform to do all of these mock drafts and if you find your way over there and register, use the promo code "bender" for some Fantrax credit and a free upgrade to a Premium League.

And if you would like to join the Mock Draft Army, just send an email to me over at mockdraftarmy@yahoo.com and I'll be happy to add you to the schedule distribution list!

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