Draft Strategy: Robust RB 🏈

What is the Robust RB draft strategy?

Robust RB is a draft strategy that focuses on drafting a high volume of running backs early, usually taking three within the first five rounds.

The biggest advantage to this strategy is the ability to secure three workhorse running backs, filling your RB1, RB2, and one flex spot with extreme upside right off the bat.

This allows you to build a strong foundation of running backs and gives your team more upside on a week to week basis. With so few backs being considered workhorses in the NFL nowadays, having 2-3 creates a major positional advantage.

Identifying good values at the WR/QB/TE position in rounds 6-10 is a CRITICAL piece to successfully executing this strategy. Failure to do this can result in an extremely top heavy roster with all of those positions being weaknesses.

Another potential draw back to this strategy is that running backs are more likely to bust than other positions in the early rounds. When looking at the first 10 running backs taken in 2024 fantasy football drafts, four of them were considered busts (Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, Travis Etienne Jr., and Isiah Pacheco).

Why Robust RB?

In 2024 drafts, the ideal Robust RB result would have been Bijan Robinson, Derrick Henry, and De’Von Achane in the first three rounds. Any team with these three would have an overwhelming weekly upside, a huge advantage at the RB position, and three elite trade chips.

This type of team build is almost impossible to create without taking RBs early in the draft. True workhorse options like this rarely emerge from the later rounds of the draft, and can be extremely challenging to identify (Chase Brown and James Conner were the only two RBs to finish top-12 while having an ADP outside the top-50 last season). The only way to create this kind of weekly upside in your RB room, is to pay for it.

Conversely, there is more depth than ever at the WR position. Last season, Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Terry McLaurin all finished top 10 amongst WRs while being drafted outside of the top 4 rounds.

Fantasy managers are also more likely to find a top-8 QB and a top-8 TE in the later rounds. You can bypass these two positions and focus on loading up on the running backs in the early rounds.

The Robust RB strategy capitalizes on this market inefficiency: secure the scarcest commodity early, then exploit the depth and unpredictability of other positions to round out your roster with elite talent acquired at tremendous value.

How to Draft Robust RB

To demonstrate how this strategy works in practice, the projections team did a mock draft in the WalterPicks App. In this particular draft we had the number three pick. Here is how our first eight picks panned out, as well as the thought process behind each one.

This is what a potential draft looks like using the Robust RB strategy:

1.03 RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson went off the board first and second overall, so we were able to grab Walter’s overall RB1 in Saquon Barkley. Barkley led the league with 378 touches last season and projects for a monster workload once again.

This was an easy one.

Walter's Rank: RB1

2.10 RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

With the second pick we are able land another workhorse RB that Walter projects to have an RB1 ceiling in Jonathan Taylor. Options at other positions were not enticing enough to move us off of the RB targets, and we went with Taylor over Josh Jacobs because of his higher projected ceiling.

Walter's Rank: RB8

3.03 RB Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams

The biggest decision here was whether to continue adding to our running back room or pick another position. With Williams representing one of the final true workhorse candidates on the board, the choice became clear.

The desire to target backs with legitimate 300-touch upside made him an easy target here. Williams perfectly fits the bill.

Walter's Rank: RB12

4.10 WR DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

Having secured three consecutive running backs, Round 4 presented a fascinating array of options. Premium targets like Joe Burrow, Sam LaPorta, and T.J. Hockenson all merited serious consideration. Yet the wide receiver position had reached must-draft status.

There are plenty of value picks in the next few rounds at the quarterback and tight end positions, and Smith was Walter’s top wide receiver remaining. If you plan to go RB in the first three rounds, this is a likely spot for you to select your first WR.

Walter's Rank: WR23

5.03 WR Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

Fantasy managers might have another tough dilemma to face in the fifth round with plenty of solid QBs, TEs, and WRs still on the board. But it might be best to wait on QBs and TEs at this point in drafts, especially in the Robust RB strategy.

Load up on wide receivers in these middle rounds and take playmakers who could see 125-plus targets in 2025. Flowers represents exactly this profile as Baltimore's established WR1, making him an exceptional value selection despite his Round 5 price tag.

Walter's Rank: WR35

6.10 WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears

Patrick Mahomes, Jonnu Smith, and Travis Kelce were all possibilities at pick 6.10. With a quick turnaround in the seventh round, though, adding a WR in a potential breakout offense under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson felt like an easy decision.

By taking Odunze, we will still likely be able to snag one of Kelce or Smith at pick 7.03.

Walter’s Rank: WR34

7.03 TE Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins

Luckily, both Smith and Kelce fell to us at pick 7.03. We could have retreated and taken another position, but the running back and wide receivers with star ceiling both dried up. Waiting another round for a quarterback also felt like the right move with Mayfield, Nix, and Kyler Murray still available.

Smith earned the nod over Kelce via the WalterPicks app's player comparison tool — a data-driven decision that secured our TE1 while maintaining strategic flexibility at quarterback.

Walter's Rank: TE7

8.10 Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Since we focused on running backs, wide receivers, and a tight end in the first seven rounds, now was the perfect time to select our quarterback with pick 8.10.

Both Mayfield and Nix were selected in the previous round, leaving Murray as the premier high-ceiling option remaining on the board. With no other positions offering comparable value, this selection was both an obvious and optimal one.

Walter's Rank: QB7

Players To Target When Using Robust RB: 

Wide Receivers:

Every draft cycle unveils hidden gems at receiver, and this year's late-round landscape is loaded with upside plays primed for explosive growth:

• Rome Odunze enters Year 2 with dual catalysts: a revamped offensive system and Caleb Williams' anticipated sophomore surge, creating the perfect storm for a breakout campaign.

• Jauan Jennings inherits prime real estate as the clear WR2 following Deebo Samuel's departure, positioning him for a substantial target share increase in San Francisco's high-octane offense.

• Jerry Jeudy commands the alpha role in Cleveland's receiving hierarchy—a proven commodity who should absorb significant volume as the undisputed WR1.

• Khalil Shakir has emerged as Josh Allen's trusted security blanket, offering a reliable floor with explosive upside in Buffalo's dynamic passing attack.

• Michael Pittman Jr. brings elite target equity (125+ targets in three of four seasons) with potential quarterback upgrade intrigue should Daniel Jones enter the mix.

• Dyami Brown generated significant buzz throughout OTAs, suggesting an expanded role that could yield immediate fantasy dividends.

Quarterbacks:

Dual-threat quarterbacks continue to dominate fantasy scoring, and several rushing-capable signal-callers offer tremendous value beyond pick 90:

• Kyler Murray (572 rush yards in 2024) combines elite mobility with Arizona's commitment to an aggressive offensive philosophy.

• Caleb Williams showcased his dual-threat ability as a rookie (489 rush yards), with Year 2 typically bringing enhanced rushing confidence and designed quarterback concepts.

• Justin Fields remains the ultimate boom-or-bust selection, having exploded for 1,143 rushing yards during his 2022 full-time campaign—that astronomical ceiling remains intact.

Tight Ends:

While tight end depth remains historically shallow, several late-round options possess legitimate TE1 upside through volume or red-zone prowess:

• Jonnu Smith proved his ceiling with 88 receptions in 2024, demonstrating clear rapport and consistent target allocation.

• Travis Kelce continues defying Father Time with nine consecutive top-6 TE finishes—that elite floor persists despite age concerns.

• Evan Engram should flourish as Sean Payton's versatile "Joker," creating mismatches across multiple formations and alignments.

• David Njoku has secured 95+ targets over consecutive seasons, providing the volume foundation necessary for sustained TE1 production.