Zero Running Back (Zero RB for short) has become a trendy fantasy football draft strategy in the past few years. Zero RB was created with the idea that running backs in the NFL are largely replaceable and have high injury risk, so it is not worth spending early-round picks on players who are likely to get hurt.
A typical Zero-RB team will load up on receivers, a historically more stable position, in the early rounds, as well as add an earlier-round quarterback and tight end while avoiding taking running backs.
Here’s a breakdown of things to keep in mind if you choose to try out Zero RB in 2024.
Pros and cons of Zero RB
Zero RB is a unique and divisive strategy, and has quite a wide range of outcomes. Being able to build out a stacked wide receiving corps is certainly a positive — wide receivers are typically the most stable position in fantasy, and given the current depth of receiver talent in the NFL, it is hard to go wrong with taking one, let alone three of them early. Landing an elite quarterback or tight end also gives you a solid leg up over your leaguemates, as getting top-five options at the “onesie” positions will allow you to ignore the headache of streaming in-season.
The key to building a successful Zero RB team lies not in your draft, but on the waiver wire. Every season, there are a few running backs who aren’t on our radar during drafts and earn a starting role — and thrive. Examples of this are guys like Kyren Williams last year, Jamaal Williams in 2022 or Cordarrelle Patterson in 2021.
If you are in a FAAB waiver wire system, you should look to spend plenty of your money early on in the season, taking shots at potential league winners.
Zero RB draft targets in 2024
Typically, you won't be taking your first running back until at least the seventh round (after selecting four receivers, a quarterback and a tight end) in a Zero RB draft. However, this range is a dicey spot for running backs this year — I think several of the players in this range fall into the "running back dead zone" and will fail to return on their draft investment. So, my strategy this year is to take one main running back in the seventh or eighth round who is in a relatively stable situation, and complement them with several late-round fliers.
D'Andre Swift, Bears (ADP: 74.3)
With that being said, Bears running back D’Andre Swift is my primary Zero RB target at his current ADP. Swift is fresh off a career year with the Eagles and earned a three-year, $24 million contract with the Bears which includes $15 million guaranteed. He should step into the starting running back role in Chicago and is joined by No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze and veteran star Keenan Allen as flashy additions to the Bears offense. Swift should be a productive three-down workhorse in a high-upside situation, which makes him an ideal first running back for our team.
After selecting your top running back, I would focus on taking several different high-upside fliers with the last four or five picks of your draft. I mentioned that the waiver wire is vital to Zero RB, and the later rounds of drafts are essentially the same idea — you want to give yourself as many chances as possible at landing a startable running back.
When trying to find late-round Zero RB targets, I am mostly looking for one quality: the likelihood that the running back will become their team’s starter. Keeping that in mind, a lot of my favorite Zero-RB targets are traditional backup running backs, who likely won’t have a whole lot of fantasy value on their own but would become immediate top-15 options if the running back ahead of them on the depth chart were to go down.
After all, Zero RB is built on the principle of avoiding early-round running backs because of their injury risk.
Blake Corum, Rams (ADP: 126.9)
Corum was taken in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft after a stellar four-year career at Michigan. He will enter the season as the backup to Kyren Williams, who missed five games last season with an ankle injury. I could also envision Corum earning some goal-line touches as the season progresses to take some of the workload off Williams — in three seasons as the starter for Michigan, Corum ran for a nation-leading 56 touchdowns on the ground.
Ty Chandler, Vikings (ADP: 133.1)
Chandler was effective in a limited role last season behind Alexander Mattison. He started the last four games of the season for the Vikings and was the RB16 in fantasy football during that stretch. Chandler will probably be in a similar backup role this season as the Vikings signed Aaron Jones in free agency, but Jones missed six games due to injury last season and is entering his age-30 season. I’m a fan of Chandler as a handcuff stash because he would become the clear starter if Jones misses any time.
Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (ADP: 133.3)
Fantasy managers probably don’t think of Allgeier too fondly after he remained a focal point of the Falcons offense last year despite them drafting Bijan Robinson. While Robinson will likely become the bellcow in 2024 with a new coaching staff in Atlanta, Allgeier still holds value in his backup role. Given that Allgeier clearly is an above-average player, I can’t imagine the Falcons risking injury by running Robinson into the dirt, meaning Allgeier will stay involved in the offense throughout the year. He is another solid high-upside insurance pick.
Rico Dowdle, Cowboys (ADP: 132.3)
Dowdle is my favorite Zero RB target at his current ADP. He is currently the Cowboys' No. 2 running back behind veteran Ezekiel Elliott, but I fully expect the two to be in a timeshare. Dowdle had 89 carries last season for Dallas with Tony Pollard ahead of him, and I anticipate that the Cowboys felt comfortable letting Pollard walk in free agency envisioning a larger role for Dowdle.
As part of one of the best offenses in the NFL, I think Dowdle will be a FLEX play if he becomes the goal-line back in Dallas, and obviously has an even higher ceiling if Elliott wears down.
Dameon Pierce, Texans (ADP: 129.9)
Pierce is being drafted in the same area as Dowdle and Allgeier. Although he seemingly fell out of favor with the Texans coaching staff last year as he was replaced by Devin Singletary as the starter, Pierce remains on the Texans roster in 2024 as the only real backup to Joe Mixon.
If Mixon, who ranks third in the NFL in carries since 2017, starts to lose a step, the 24-year-old Pierce could find himself in a higher-volume role as part of one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL. Pierce averaged over 70 yards per game in his rookie season, and I am a big fan of taking him with one of my later picks in drafts this year, specifically in Zero RB.
Final Thoughts
In 2024, Zero RB is as always a high-risk, high-reward strategy that hinges on savvy drafting and aggressive waiver wire management. It is important to take elite receivers, as well as a quarterback and tight end in the earlier rounds. Then, targeting stable running backs like D'Andre Swift in the middle rounds and backing them up with late-round handcuffs with high-upside will give you a solid formula for success. So long as you stay active and flexible, you could find yourself with a league-winning running back room full of value — and a championship-caliber roster.
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