We Tried Every RB Draft Strategy So You Don't Have To

Three years ago, eight running backs went off fantasy football draft boards in the first two rounds. This year it's thirteen. Is that surge justified, or has the fantasy community wildly overcorrected?

Kendall Valenzuela, Peter Overzet and Dwain McFarland settle it the only honest way — by doing a mock draft. They run a single fantasy football mock together, sixteen rounds, with each of them locked into a different approach to the position. Pete takes Zero RB and won't touch a running back in the first three or four rounds. Dwain runs Hero RB, taking exactly one back in the first four. Kendall goes Robust RB, hammering two backs in the first two or three rounds.

Nobody gets to hedge. Every round, all three explain the pick they're making and why their strategy forces it, which means you see exactly where each approach starts to hurt — the round where Zero RB gets nervous, the round where Robust RB has nothing left at receiver, and whether Hero RB actually splits the difference or just gets the worst of both.

At the end they compare the three rosters and say which strategy they'd actually run in a real 2026 draft. If you've been reading Zero RB takes all summer without ever seeing the rosters they produce, this is that video.

🔍 Topics in this video:
2026 fantasy football, Zero RB, Hero RB, Robust RB, RB draft strategy, fantasy football mock draft, fantasy football draft strategy, running back rankings, when to draft running backs, fantasy football rankings, ADP, PPR draft strategy, best ball, who to draft in 2026

Timecodes:

00:00:00 - Coming Up
00:00:41 - Round 1
00:04:06 - Round 2
00:06:49 - Round 3
00:10:11 - Round 4
00:13:30 - Round 5
00:17:40 - Round 6
00:20:23 - Round 7
00:25:35 - Round 8
00:30:50 - Round 9
00:35:32 - Round 10
00:38:10 - Round 11
00:45:17 - Round 12
00:46:59 - Round 13
00:51:35 - Round 14
00:53:45 - Round 15
00:57:04 - Round 16
00:59:25 - Which RB Strategy Do We Like Best?