Fantasy football strategies to consider in 2025

Yahoo

3 days ago

Nobody plans to fail, so the story goes. They just fail to plan.
Here are some different draft strategies you might employ this fantasy football season. Please consider all of these plans to be written in pencil — you want to remain flexible and fluid at the draft table, ready to pounce on surprise opportunities. Also recognize that several of these strategies could be used in concert with one another.
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And then there is the golden rule of all of this — any strategy can work if you pick the right players. Never forget that, amigos.
The Three Main Running Back Strategies
There are three primary paths you can choose at running back, and this area is usually the first question a planning fantasy manager attempts to tackle.
Robust RB: The idea here is to get at least two monster running backs at the front of your draft, probably in the top 2-3 rounds. You might even focus on a third early running back under certain roster settings. If your league only requires two starting wide receivers, I'm more likely to consider a Robust RB shell. This was the dominant strategy when fantasy football first came into the public eye, and I suppose it's made something of a comeback recently. Outside of Christian McCaffrey, Robust RB was a very strong strategy in 2024.
Hero RB: This strategy focuses on getting one strong running back you can hang your hat on (preferably in Round 1 or 2 but perhaps in Round 3) and otherwise focusing on other positions with your early selections. I often gravitate towards this build, perhaps because I like hybrid concepts and modified strategies. I like to hit a 3-wood off the tee. I'll often favor the medium size over the large size when ordering dinner. Sometimes this strategy is called Anchor RB.
Zero RB: It takes a special kind of nerve to pull off Zero RB, but it's especially satisfying when it works. The idea on this is to ignore running back completely in the early rounds, but stockpile backs in the later rounds — hoping that when the expected injury chaos of the position kicks in league-wide, you'll be well equipped to benefit. One reason why I've shied away from Zero RB in recent years is the trend that most smart fantasy managers are going to stockpile their bench with high-upside running backs, which will interfere somewhat with the teams that are angling for Zero RB. I've been in leagues where everyone seemed to do this — pound RB in the second part of the draft. Nonetheless, the injury rates are usually high at running back — though they were not in 2024, an outlier season — and that's why Zero RB can often be a success.
My Preferred Wide Receiver Strategy
Dominate at WR: Here is the build I've usually opted for in recent years, working in concert with a Hero RB build. In leagues that require at least three starting wideouts (or more), I want a WR room that's the envy of the league. I want wideouts who essentially start themselves, no weekly tweaking required. It's important to note that unheralded producers at running back are much more likely to emerge (be it from late-round picks or the waiver wire) than they are at wide receiver. The big points at WR come from the primary players, so let's steer into them at the draft.
Strategy Options at the Onesie Positions
Go Big at Quarterback or Tight End: You've probably been here before as a fantasy manager, sorting through the third round and unenthused about the RB and WR options. Why not select an obvious superstar at QB or TE? The quarterbacks obviously score the most raw points in most fantasy leagues, and their weekly scoring is usually very stable. And in some seasons the difference between the elite tight ends and what you find in the TE 8-12 area — ostensibly a starter for another fantasy manager — is comically large.
To be at peace with these concepts, you need to be comfortable falling one slot behind in the chase to build an impressive RB or WR room. If you feel you scout the mid-priced backs and wideouts better than your opponents, it might steer you to a vanity pick at the onesie spots. Colleague Matt Harmon spends a ton of time scouting and evaluating wide receivers — it makes sense that he feels he can sneak out hidden WR values in the middle rounds. As such, Matt might be dialing up a big-name quarterback or tight end when others are thinking about the running backs and receivers.
At QB, either act first or last: If the draft falls in a way where you can't land one of the top-5 superstars, it's often prudent to back away from that board and address it much later in the draft. Remember, the Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson managers are unlikely to double back quickly for a backup QB — and they might ignore that position completely for the rest of the draft. The QB board looks rather flat from about QB9 to QB22 — there isn't that much difference from top to bottom. Often I'll be the last manager to jump into the QB pool, but the first team to select a second quarterback, so I'm getting two bites at the upside apple.
Other Strategic Leans That Can Influence Draft Strategy
Stacking: This is the idea of matching a quarterback and one of his pass-catchers, so you can enjoy collaborative scoring and simplify your upside path for the season. I consider stacking more important if I'm trying to win a league that has a sizable manager pool, or if I'm in a room that's highly skilled. If I find myself in a more casual setting, stacking is less pressing of a need for me.
Mobile QBs for the Win: Dual-threat quarterbacks are recognized as a cheat code for fantasy — the great Rich Hribar branded them Konami Code quarterbacks many years ago. Colleague Dan Titus is one of many sharp players who considers the mobile quarterback a near-mandate at the draft table. Lean into the scoring rules. Give your fantasy players as many possible paths to production.
Start Planning Upside Down: This is the idea of letting what's most likely to be available late in your draft affect how you approach the early rounds. Sometimes this information is difficult to know, but if you're in a league filled with returning competitors, the puzzle becomes more solvable. If you're in a salary cap league, try to figure out what is likely to be available for the minimum price (most likely in the endgame, though that won't always be the case). Armed with this knowledge, you can make better decisions with your heavier checks.
Draft For Value, Get Balance Later: This is a concept I'm borrowing from the Fantasy Baseball world (I'm pretty sure FSWA Hall of Famer Ron Shandler popularized this concept). The idea is to take the values that the room offers you and not to be stressed about positional requirements (within reason). You can always balance out your roster later, through trading and free-agency moves. Obviously the shape of your league will significantly affect how executable this motif is; some leagues have stringent limitations on trading or pickups, while other leagues are more open to roster churn. You will always know your room better than we do; season to taste.