12-Team, 1QB, Half-PPR Mock Draft — Pick 1.04
Zero RB is not how I draft.
My normal approach is built around identifying production, securing positional advantages and taking value when the board gives it to me. Running backs are usually a major part of that equation. If I can lock down an elite option at the position, I want to do it.
So when I was asked to complete a 12-team, half-PPR mock using a Zero RB strategy, I had one immediate question:
How does Zero RB work when I still have two RB spots I have to start every week?
Twenty-one rounds later, I have my answer.
And I have to admit: I like this strategy a lot more than I expected.
What Zero RB Actually Means
My biggest misconception was that Zero RB meant ignoring running back and hoping to find something usable late.
That’s not really the strategy.
The idea is to avoid spending premium draft capital on running backs while building advantages elsewhere. Instead of paying an early-round price for the second or third tier at RB, I can invest those picks in elite quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends.
Then I attack running back later.
The theory makes sense because running-back values can change rapidly. Injuries, depth-chart changes and emerging roles can turn a mid- or late-round selection into a weekly starter very quickly.
I didn’t have to love that idea.
I just had to test it.
Round 1: Start With Elite Production
1.04 — Puka Nacua, WR
The first decision wasn’t difficult for me.
Puka has already proven that he can arguably be the WR1 in fantasy football. If I’m going to pass on running back, I want elite production in return.
That became an important theme throughout this draft.
I’m not passing on running backs simply because the strategy is called Zero RB. I’m trying to use that draft capital to create advantages elsewhere.
Puka gives me one.
Round 2: Why Should I Wait on Josh Allen?
2.09 — Josh Allen, QB
This might be against mainstream thinking in a 1QB league.
I don’t care.
Josh Allen is an elite fantasy producer. He could potentially outscore every other player available to me at this point in the draft.
If the entire purpose of Zero RB is to create positional advantages elsewhere, why would I pass on arguably the biggest positional advantage at quarterback?
There is a difference between understanding positional value and blindly following the idea that you always have to wait on quarterback in a 1QB league.
Allen was there.
I took him.
He ended up being my favorite pick of the entire draft.
Building the WR Advantage
3.04 — Zay Flowers, WR
4.09 — DeVonta Smith, WR
Flowers gave me another high-end receiver to pair with Puka.
Then came DeVonta Smith.
I’m buying the projections on Smith this season. His opportunity has changed, and I believe there is significant production available at this point in the draft.
Through four rounds, I had:
Josh Allen.
Puka Nacua.
Zay Flowers.
DeVonta Smith.
And zero running backs.
Normally, that would make me uncomfortable.
It didn’t.
I was beginning to understand the construction.
Taking Another Shot at Elite Production
5.04 — Tucker Kraft, TE
Kraft was producing at a TE1 level before his injury last season.
That’s what interested me.
I’m not looking for a safe tight end who can finish TE10. I’m taking a shot on a player who has already shown that he can produce at an elite level at the position.
Now I’ve potentially created advantages at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end.
That matters.
I’m Still Not Forcing Running Back
6.09 — Emeka Egbuka, WR
7.04 — Parker Washington, WR
Egbuka was simply too much value for me to pass on.
He had a strong start to his rookie season and is positioned to potentially emerge as Tampa Bay’s WR1. At this point, taking a running back simply because I hadn’t drafted one would defeat the purpose of the exercise.
Take the value.
Washington was a more aggressive selection.
I liked what I saw from him when his role expanded late in 2025, and I’m buying the possibility that the breakout continues.
Looking back, however, this is probably the pick I’d most want back.
Not because I’ve changed my opinion of Washington.
I probably just took him too early.
Now we’ll see whether his production proves that I actually overpaid.
Round 8: Finally, a Running Back
8.09 — D’Andre Swift, RB
Seven rounds.
Zero running backs.
Then D’Andre Swift was sitting there.
Swift isn’t exciting.
He’s boring.
And that’s exactly why I liked the pick.
He has shown consistent production and gives me something important for this roster: reliability.
I don’t need every running back I draft to turn into a league winner. I had already invested in ceiling elsewhere. Now I needed usable weekly RB production.
Swift gives me that.
This Is Where Zero RB Started Making Sense
9.04 — Jaylen Warren, RB
10.09 — Jonathon Brooks, RB
Warren was already a player I liked coming into this exercise. I’ve previously identified him as someone with a strong chance to outperform his ADP.
Getting him in Round 9 as my RB2?
I’ll take that all day.
Then I added Brooks.
High draft capital. Finally healthy. Still talented.
At a Round 10 cost, I’m willing to take the chance.
Suddenly, after refusing to draft a running back for seven rounds, my backfield looked like this:
D’Andre Swift
Jaylen Warren
Jonathon Brooks
That’s when something clicked.
This wasn’t nearly as reckless as I thought it would be.
Keep Taking Value
11.04 — Isaiah Likely, TE
12.09 — Dak Prescott, QB
Likely is another upside bet.
He’s young, he’s no longer stuck behind Mark Andrews, and his move to New York gives him the opportunity to show what he can do with a larger role.
Then Dak Prescott was available in Round 12.
Again, I’m not going to ignore value just because conventional roster construction says I already have Josh Allen.
Prescott gives me proven production, bye-week coverage and insurance behind Allen.
I’m trying to build options.
I like having options.
Protecting the Backfield
13.04 — Kyle Monangai, RB
This was partly about roster construction.
I already had Swift, and Monangai gives me exposure to the same backfield. He’s a solid grinder with standalone potential while also providing insurance if something happens to Swift.
That’s an inexpensive way to protect one of the running backs I’m relying on.
Betting on My Own Research
14.09 — Troy Franklin, WR
15.04 — Jalen Nailor, WR
Neither selection was about chasing ADP.
Both names had previously surfaced in my wide receiver research.
Franklin has an interesting profile if his role expands.
Nailor has generated favorable reports and now has an opportunity for a larger role after leaving Minnesota.
At this point in a draft, that’s what I’m looking for.
I want players where my research gives me a reason to believe the market might be missing something.
Now We Buy Lottery Tickets
16.09 — Keaton Mitchell, RB
This is the type of pick I originally associated with Zero RB.
Mitchell is an explosive player whose current role doesn’t have to justify the selection.
It’s Round 16.
I’m buying the possibility that something changes.
If his role expands, if the depth chart changes or if an injury creates additional touches, the value of this pick could change dramatically.
That’s a lottery ticket I’m willing to buy.
More Paths to Future Value
17.04 — Zachariah Branch, WR
18.09 — Kimani Vidal, RB
19.04 — Tre Harris, WR
20.09 — De’Zhaun Stribling, WR
21.04 — Demond Claiborne, RB
The final rounds were all about paths to opportunity.
Branch has a chance to work his way into Atlanta’s WR2/WR3 conversation.
Vidal gives me another piece of the Chargers backfield after drafting Mitchell.
Harris has an opportunity for his role to expand into a more established WR3 position.
Stribling has a path that could open sooner than expected.
And I actually considered Claiborne one round earlier. When he remained available with my final selection, I took him. There is a future path to touches in Minnesota, and that’s all I need from pick 244.
The Final Roster
QB: Josh Allen, Dak Prescott
RB: D’Andre Swift, Jaylen Warren, Jonathon Brooks, Kyle Monangai, Keaton Mitchell, Kimani Vidal, Demond Claiborne
WR: Puka Nacua, Zay Flowers, DeVonta Smith, Emeka Egbuka, Parker Washington, Troy Franklin, Jalen Nailor, Zachariah Branch, Tre Harris, De’Zhaun Stribling
TE: Tucker Kraft, Isaiah Likely
The most important part of that roster isn’t that I waited until 8.09 to draft my first running back.
It’s what happened afterward.
I still finished with seven running backs.
Zero RB didn’t leave me without options at the position. It changed when I bought those options and what I paid for them.
Did Zero RB Change My Mind?
Yes.
For sure.
If I’m sitting in a position where I can lock down one of the true elite running backs—Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jonathan Taylor—that’s still attractive to me.
I’m not suddenly going to pass on elite RB production just so I can say I’m drafting Zero RB.
But if I can’t get one of those players?
This might be the way to go.
Instead of paying an early-round price for the next tier, I can lock in elite production at three other positions and then find reliability and consistency at running back in the middle rounds.
That’s what happened here.
I got Josh Allen.
I got Puka Nacua and built an extremely deep receiving corps around him.
I took two shots at high-end tight-end production.
Then I found Swift and Warren without spending premium draft capital.
After that, I built an entire portfolio of running-back possibilities.
And I’m not really concerned about this roster.
I have options.
I like having options.
This roster can contend as constructed. It also has enough trade value that I can rebalance it during the season if necessary. If several of these receivers hit, I have assets I can move. If one of the upside running backs hits, I may not have to do anything.
Flexibility is a strength.
The Bigger Lesson
Maybe the biggest thing I learned from this exercise isn’t that everyone should draft Zero RB.
It’s that I shouldn’t make the decision before the draft tells me to.
Maybe I don’t automatically try to trade back to 1.12 because I think that’s where I want to build my roster.
Maybe I wait.
Maybe I see what the board gives me.
If an elite running back falls into my lap, I’ll take the advantage.
If he doesn’t, I now know I don’t have to force the position.
That’s where my opinion of Zero RB changed.
Don’t avoid running backs because running backs don’t matter.
They absolutely matter.
But if I can’t buy elite running-back production, I don’t necessarily need to pay a premium price for ordinary running-back production.
I can take elite production somewhere else.
Then I can attack running back when the value comes to me.
That’s not abandoning running back.
That’s letting the board dictate where I spend my draft capital.
And after 21 rounds of doing something completely contrary to my normal drafting style, I came away with a roster I believe can contend.
I didn’t expect that.
But that’s why we run the experiment.
Delta Fantasy
Finding Value Before the Market Catches Up.
