With the arrival of College Fantasy Football, or CFB Best Ball, Drafts on Underdog, it’s worth evaluating the strategies that have been most successful in the NFL contests and verifying their merit when translated for the College Football offerings.
Zero RB
What is it?
Without a doubt, Zero RB strategy spread like wildfire with the popularization of Best Ball tournaments. The ideology grew from the “Running Backs Don’t Matter” movement. As analytics have become a bigger and bigger part of the game of football, it has tracked step-by-step with the devaluation of the position within the NFL.
Simply put, this strategy suggests that RB production is easily replaceable, and nailing a cheap RB (usually, either a one-for-one handcuff to a starter or a timeshare back who could explode if the right circumstances befall them) is the right play. This suggests fading the position in favor of stud WRs early and relying on a smattering of the value plays later in the draft.
Is it Viable for CFB Best Ball Contests?
Probably not. So, with all of these strategies, leaning into your strengths is recommended. If you’re better at projecting RB production than WR production, perhaps this strategy will work for your build.
However, in general, I believe the utilization of workhorse RBs is too high to ignore entirely in CFB Best Ball. Players like Ollie Gordon, Darius Taylor, and D.J. Giddens are defacto RB studs in Best Ball leagues this season since they have immense potential in both their ceilings and their floors. Last season, in 18 games, Christian McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing with 1,459 and had 14 touchdowns. Five college RBs surpassed him in rushing yards through 14 games (three of which in only 13 games!), and 14 scored more touchdowns on the ground.
The quantity of RBs available that can smash all season long is drastically greater in college football, and letting non-Zero RB builds grab elite options at RB. At the same time, you hoard the less predictable position of WR, which seems like a risk that isn’t as necessary in CFF as in NFL fantasy. As a contrarian build, there’s always some merit in its consideration, but building a balance between WR and RB seems like the best option. If forced to consider hoarding or fading at RB, there’s definitely a stronger drumbeat for hoarding.
Hero RB
What is it?
In an evolution of the Zero RB strategy, Hero RB emerged, where you used top-of-draft capital to invest in a stud RB and then continued your draft as if it were a zero RB construction. The idea here is that while investing a ton of resources into the position is still sub-optimal, the consistency that a legitimate RB1 can provide your lineup is usually helpful when building Best Ball rosters. There’s validity here as if you can’t rely on your RB to provide a solid floor; what good does it do to have various weeks of smashing WR production? Find a stud you can rely on and forget about the position (for a bit).
Is it Viable in CFB Best Ball Contests?
Absolutely. Part of the appeal of CFF is that there are so many more teams and options at each position to consider. While this is true, every good CFF player knows that each offense is not created equal, and some schemes are heads and shoulders above others. So, leaning into those schemes and finding high-upside WRs outside of Round One is not only an option — many would say it is the preferred option.
The RB position is top-heavy this season. Ollie Gordon is on a different level than the rest, though guys like D.J. Giddens, Darius Taylor, and Omarion Hampton all provide great potential based on scheme and circumstance. Leveling down from there, the top 10-15 provide a high upside, but start getting into territory where the floors are a fair bit lower than those of the top five. Hero RB may look a bit different in CFF — perhaps you can allow yourself two of the top ten RBs due to the shakier landscape of the top WRs — but the strategy itself still has legs in these CFB Best Ball contests.
Late-Round QB
What is it?
It’s pretty self-explanatory — No, we’re not talking about everyone’s favorite East Coast Dad (J.J. Zachariason) — but instead, fading the QB position early on in drafts and leaning more heavily on options towards its conclusion. Why? Because QB production tends to be reasonably flat outside of guys like Mahomes and Allen. Yes, there are always outliers, but the NFL game has adapted so well to mobile QBs that the idea of a “Konami Code” QB shredding defenses isn’t applicable anymore. The size and speed of defenders have them neutralized in the pros. So it makes sense, for those reasons, to lean on the deeper options for the position.
Is it Viable in CFB Best Ball Contests?
Yes and No. The last half of the previous paragraph is one of the most significant differences between the NFL and College games. QBs in college can and do terrorize defenses with their athleticism and, as a result, can put up monster games (and seasons) if they are dual-threat QBs. The main priority in CFF has always been (and continues to be) to find a QB who will add value with his legs. If you’re not getting a mobile option, the QB needs to be in a scheme that throws the ball 30+ times per game.
So, can those options be found late in drafts? For sure! But the ones that fall are shakier for a reason. Obviously, in CFB Best Ball Tournaments, that boom/bust potential and trade-off is alright (because only the highest bound will see the benefit), but keep a close eye on the tiers because the highest ceilings in CFF will always come at a steep cost.
Anchor TE
What is it?
Anchor TE builds rely upon a stud TE to provide upside and consistency at a position traditionally much of a wasteland outside the top three or four options. Travis Kelce and George Kittle — you know the drill. In previous years, these two were regarded as the only TEs worth paying for. TEs with a dominant target share can lift a good Best Ball team and make it great. Going after an anchor, TE solidifies the position early to allow you to fade for nearly the remainder of the draft.
Is it Viable in CFB Best Ball Contests?
Without a doubt. If you’re unfamiliar with College Fantasy Football, knowing there is a concept of “TE in Title Only” (TEITO) is essential. This is what we call TEs that are WRs with a TE label — they get split out wide in 90% of their snaps and get targeted as such.
In addition to TEITOs, there are also schemes in College that funnel targets to TEs (think Iowa and Utah). Both circumstances present tremendous opportunities to target the four or five target monsters at this position and circle back in the last round or two to find someone that can be a bye-week fill-in. This strategy works because there are only a handful of great options — just like in the NFL. Of the strategies outlined in this article, this is the one that is the most “copy/paste” from the NFL to CFF.
