Zero WR Draft Strategy
By now, we’ve all heard about the Zero RB strategy. The Fantasy Football drafting method that heavily focuses on selecting wide receivers for the first six to seven rounds. Even the most stubborn old-school fantasy boomers have started to budge on their thinking toward running backs. However, if everyone adapts this method of drafting, a problem with value beings to form. Is Amari Cooper more valuable than Travis Etienne? Will Chris Olave have more fantasy points than Johnathan Taylor or Tony Pollard? The demand for wide receiver talent in Fantasy has changed so much that I believe wide receivers have become overvalued.
Recently, I entered the Best Ball Underdog Fantasy Mania IV tournament. I had no pre-draft goals or strategy in mind. I took the best player available. I have the first overall pick. The end result could be classified as a ZERO WR Draft, and I wanted to share my results.
What is ZERO WR?
The ZERO WR strategy is based on the belief that there is a greater scarcity of elite RBs and TEs compared to WRs. By selecting RBs and TEs earlier, the aim is to secure the key players at those positions with a significant drop-off in talent as the draft progresses. The strategy assumes that there will still be viable WR options available in the middle to later rounds of the draft.
In Best Ball, you don’t have to manage your team; the best possible score will be tallied for you at the end of every week. The idea behind ZERO WR is to build a strong foundation with top-tier RBs and TEs and then focus on acquiring WRs with upside and value in the later rounds.
What is Underdog Fantasy?
Underdog Fantasy is FantasyData’s go-to source for NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL daily and Best Ball gaming. They offer a wide number of games including Pick’em as we talked about in this article, but they also have BestBall and Daily Draft which you might prefer. Underdog is easily becoming one of the fastest-growing sites for sports fans.
Draft Results
My Thoughts
Having the draft’s first pick makes planning nearly impossible, as you have no idea what will be there for you the next time you pick. I kicked off the draft by taking Justin Jefferson (1.1). There’s no better way to start than to get arguably the best wide receiver in the game.
Fourteen wide receivers went in the first two rounds. That might not seem strange, but ADP averaged just eight wide receivers in the first two rounds in PPR leagues last year. This forced my hand as I took Derrick Henry (2.12) in the late second round. Most will say Henry is getting up there in age, and the Titans are in a rebuild mode which will hurt his overall production, but the way I see it, the AFC South is a dumpster fire with the exception of Jacksonville. The Titans always play tough though; I still think Henry has gas in the tank.
My following selection was Jalen Hurts (3.1). In years past, I would always wait on a QB, but Hurts and his rushing ability pushes him into an elite group that is worth devoting a top pick on. The Eagles didn’t lose anything on offense; they just gained confidence after their impressive season and playoff run last year.
After my Hurts selection, the 4th round was a mixed bag that included three more quarterbacks being selected. At this point, only 12 running backs had been picked in the entire draft.
By the time I got to pick again, I had no choice but to load up on starting RB talent with Kenneth Walker (4.12) and Aaron Jones (5.1). The Seahawks are my sleeper pick to win the AFC West, and the Packers may perform better by allowing Jordan Love to take over, as I’m sure the Aaron Rodgers drama was becoming a distraction. Jones will be a major part of the team’s offense, and I’m surprised the Fantasy community is so low on him.
The start of the 5th round is when things started to go sideways for me
I was convinced that despite the high number of teams loading up on wide receiver, things would start to correct themselves, allowing me to grab some talent to pair up with Justin Jefferson.
I was wrong.
The run on WRs continued. Another fourteen WRs were taken between my next picks, leaving me to stare at a lower tier of talent that I didn’t want to reach on. At this point, I decided I was going ZERO WR and selected Dallas Goedert (6.12) and Kyle Pitts (7.1) to lock up my Tight End group strong.
My thinking here was I now have two above-average Tight Ends that could help contribute each week thanks to the flex spot. Remember, this is a Best Ball Draft, so I don’t have to worry about management. After every week, Underdog Fantasy plugs in my best possible lineup for the highest score. If some weeks Pitts and Goedert have big games, they’ll both make an impact on my weekly score.
For the next seven rounds, I tried my best to draft a group of wideouts that could contribute. This is another aspect of Best Ball that people tend to overlook. The benefit of not having to manage this team is that I only have to have 3 WRs step up. So why not overload that group with numbers.
Jameson Williams (8.12) has the type of high ceiling I’m looking for; unfortunately, he’s suspended for the first six games of the season. While things will be tough without him at first, my team should really benefit from his return for the back half of the season. Rashod Bateman (9.1) fell well below his ADP, and I’m in need of an upside WR. The Ravens were plagued with injuries last year, and despite all the hype around rookie Zay Flowers and OBJ, I believe Bateman has a real chance to lead the team in receptions.
Jakobi Meyers (10.12) gets a fresh start in Las Vegas in a familiar situation. Coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler, both former Patriots, are entering their second season in charge of the team, and they used this offseason to build the team in their vision. That included bringing in several players from the New England Patriots. Meyers is not a world-beater, but he could help in the heavy rotation of players I have at Wide Reciever.
Nico Collins (11.01) was the first player I reached for. The 24-year-old is heading into his third season in the NFL and gets a huge QB upgrade in No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud. Collins has been Stroud’s favorite target in offseason OTAs and minicamps, which could set him up for a breakout season in 2023.
Adam Thielen (12.12) is no spring chicken, but he will still put up points as his role changes in Carolina as the team’s veteran leader.
Van Jefferson (13.01) is a forgotten talent in a Rams offense that everyone has given up on. Yes, there were many injuries for this team last year, but the general public and recency bias is acting like this team is set to win three games. They’ll be better than you think, and Jefferson is set for a bounce-back season.
The last five rounds included finding a backup QB for Hurt’s bye week, taking a stab at some veteran RBs that’ll add depth, and adding Darius Slayton and Chase Claypool to the crowded WR group.
My Best Ball roster construction was 2-5-9-2. Roster construction is different every time, I don’t prefer this build usually, but I thought I made it work.
