A popular strategy for 2022 will be the robust RB strategy. It takes the opposite approach of the Zero RB drafts. It is certainly a popular strategy currently with the lack of true bell-cows. The rationale is that instead of fading the RB position and hoping to grab upside options, you hammer the position early to give yourself options. Then, you look to fill out the rest of your roster.
The exact round that you should start looking elsewhere is up for debate. But, I tend to view it as you should fill your starting RB slots and any flex options that you can start one in before. The strategy itself is far more effective the more players that you can start that are RBs, as you are able to really drive that advantage of selecting the elite early.
How to Implement this Strategy
Dealers choice. I’m typically a guy that will try and grab a few options late in drafts, in the hope I catch one that is about to blow up. If they don’t, then no worries, I can just cut them and move on. Unlike in other strategies you aren’t forced to grab one early to negate a disadvantage that you have at receiver or RB.
As outlined above, you need to be taking RB options early and often. This is because you are looking to take those players and ride the (supposed) advantage to victory. The reason being that you want depth for any injuries that occur, and any lack of form your players might have. This allows you to target WRs on the waiver wire, rather than have to spend large amount of FAAB/ waiver priority on the RBs that emerge.
You are going to be fading this position early. Typically, if I’m using this strategy I’ll look to grab a mixture of players I think are bound to get a lot of targets and mix in some upside plays. Similar to how you would target RBs in the zero RB strategy.
WR Targets
You really need to think about the type of WR that you are aiming/ thinking that you are going to be able to obtain. You really want a mix of players that are likely to be given a good target share, and some players that are going to stand a chance of breaking out if things go their way.
Now, you aren’t going to get a BIG hog, like Davante Adams, but you can get some lower tier players that still get a good share of targets. Ideally, you are looking for stable offenses. That’s not always possible, but some options for the 2022 season I’d look to are:
- Brandin Cooks
- Kenny Golladay
- D.J. Moore
- Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Courtland Sutton
- Adam Thielen
These guys are ones that could take a step forward if things go their way. They are typically going to be players that can disappear at times, struggled to make an impact last season, or have changed teams. The types of players I’d be looking at in this category would be:
- Juju Smith-Schuster
- Christian Kirk
- Michael Thomas
- DeVante Parker
- Brandon Aiyuk
- Allen Robinson
Image Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski – USA TODAY Sports
