So much has been made about the relative health of the top running backs the past two seasons, which has driven them up our fantasy football rankings to the point that it’s almost feeling like the 2000s when it felt like RBs ruled the fantasy earth and all other positions were subservient to those powerful runners.

Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, among a few others, made passing cool again. But we’ve seen time and again that a dominant running back is that ace in the hole on a fantasy team, especially when they are of the pass-catching variety. But with elite WRs drying up thanks to the NFL passing successfully at a lower rate than in recent years, how do we balance that out in our draft strategy.

That’s what we’re here for today, because we couldn’t let Chris Allen have all the mock-drafting fun. I’m trying a mock draft on our awesome Draft Champion to try out a strategy that is a bit of a throwback that’s getting more and more play. Going RB-RB may sound basic, but it can still be a powerful strategy where if you hit on the right pair of running backs, you’ll march through the competition like Derrick Henry did through the Packers last year in Week 17. If you faced him in the championship week, you know.

The settings for this draft were 12 teams, 0.5 PPR, with 1 QB/2 RB/3 WR/1 TE/1 FLEX and six bench spots. Adding the third WR was key, because it added some urgency to the WR position for the other teams in the mock draft. Let’s see how it went.

Using RB-RB Draft Strategy in Fantasy Football 2026

Round 1: JT Leads The Way

After the first five picks were pretty chalky, I was a little surprised that Amon-Ra St. Brown went before both Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey. I’d been taking CMC a lot in recent mocks, so I wanted to see what this team would look like with JT.

Taylor is one of those every–down backs that I want on my team, as he had an 80% rush attempt share and even ran a route 68% of the time. Him being slated for 1,714 scrimmage yards and 14.5 total TDs in our fantasy football projections, I feel very good about him being my lead back.

Round 2: Bolting Up For The Chargers

There was faint hope that King Henry and Ashton Jeanty might fall to this point, but they went immediately before my pick. That’s OK, because being out here in LA, the excitement about the Chargers’ offense under the direction of Mike McDaniel is electric. Omarion Hampton was there after four straight RBs, and all I could think of was Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt being healthy, with Justin Herbert passing efficiently to open up running lanes for Hampton.

At this point, I feel set at running back for a while, possibly filling out the rest of the starting lineup before dipping back into the RB pool.

Round 3: Tee It Up

While much has been made about Tee Higgins’ availability due to injuries—he’s missed 12 games the past three seasons—when he’s on the field he draws plenty of targets. In his six-year career he’s topped 100 targets four times, and last season he hit 98. He’s also been a TD machine, with 21 scores the past two seasons.

Lamar Jackson was tempting, and the thought of going RB-RB-RB made me think about it with Josh Jacobs or Breece Hall, but getting the WR2 in one of the best offenses to be my first pass catcher proved the way to go. The A- grade made me feel good.

Round 4: Waddle, Waddle, Waddle

The Draft Assistant was saying to select Garrett Wilson or Zay Flowers, both of whom were ranked higher than the player I would end up taking. Jaylen Waddle going into a Sean Payton offense as the projected WR1 in a passing attack that was fourth in the NFL in attempts at 613, I couldn’t hit the draft button fast enough. Plus, teams’ top targets are drying up on the board.

Round 5: Another WR1?

Thoughts of snagging Ladd McConkey were dashed when he went one pick before my slot at 5.07. DJ Moore was sitting there, and no matter how much we want to make Dalton Kincaid a thing, DJM is projected to lead the Bills with 101 targets. The allure of having a WR catching passes from Josh Allen was just too strong, no matter how much I like Bhayshul Tuten, who got picked next.

Round 6: Joey B Falls

Hallelujah! Joe Burrow fell six spots past his ranking, I didn’t hesitate to stack him with Higgins. I did give myself a moment to think of Burrow and Higgins connecting several times in Week 17 when the Bengals-Ravens lock horns in what could be a shootout. No second thoughts on this, even though other solid QBs were there. This was my first A grade of this draft. Burrow-Higgins stack, baby!

Round 7: Fannin Flames At TE

I hadn’t thought of the tight end position before this round, and my first inclination was to grab Alec Pierce because of his big-play ability. That offseason ankle surgery gave me pause, plus a name that was right next to him changed my mind quickly. Harold Fannin led the Browns with 107 targets last season as a rookie, and his projection in that department is almost even with KC Concepcion (102-100). Even if Fannin replicates his rookie year, this feels like a win.

Round 8: Pivot to RB

This is my flex spot, and I thought long and hard about Rico Dowdle or Michael Wilson. I really had intended to go WR at this spot, but I didn’t love the options here. Though Michael Pittman Jr. is one of the lowest-ranked players who is projected to get over 100 targets. But I went J.K. Dobbins to give me an extra RB so maybe I can take more WR fliers later in the draft. I know the injury history is long with Dobbins, but I could not turn my back on the lead back in this Broncos attack. He averaged a 65% rush share in his 10 games before getting hurt.

Round 9: QJ Is The Way

Since these are bench spots, these will be more rapid fire going forward. Quentin Johnston is an upside play, who if McDaniel leans into his YAC ability that we saw in college, he could sneak into the flex spot.

Round 10: Hat Tip To Dwain

Chuba Hubbard is there, and Dave Canales dials up a good running game. Jonathon Brooks is healthy and reports on him are good. Dwain McFarland said on an episode of the Fantasy Life Show that Brooks is his most-drafted player. Enough said.

Round 11: Late Swing

Matthew Golden went a couple picks before, so this was a swing for the fences. Jayden Higgins has a real shot to be the No. 2 for the Texans. In the 11th round, let’s go!

Round 12: Double Duty

Remember how Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy less than two years ago? That kinda talent in the 12th round is just not seen that often. Another swing with the player some compared to Shohei Ohtani.

Round 13: Happy, Healthy Return?

Three years ago T.J. Hockenson drew 127 targets in 15 games before suffering a torn ACL. The past two seasons he has a combined 128 targets. But could Hockenson be one of those players who get fully healthy after multiple seasons removed from his injury? The Vikings under Kevin O’Connell should be plenty pass-happy.

Round 14: Why Not Indiana Jones?

This was a wild card round. I thought of Antonio Williams and Jalen McMillan, but they felt like players who would get cut and could be picked up later. Daniel Jones’ return from an Achilles tear is going to get scrutinized, but if he returns healthy at any point in the season he’ll be a nice backup just in case the injury bug hits Burrow again.

How Did RB-RB Strategy Work?

Getting a pair of solid RBs with good chances to blow past 250 carries and even 300 touches gave me the solid base. I did a little touchdown dance when I was able to complete the Burrow-Higgins stack, even though I know Ja'Marr Chase will still see a TON of targets.

Even with bypassing the elite WRs in the first couple rounds, I was able to catch up with three solid top target earners on their respective teams. I like the chances that Waddle and Moore can surpass their projected targets. After Fannin, it just felt good to have another top target earner on his squad.

I may regret the Dobbins pick if he gets hurt again, but there’s even more WR depth and even Brooks to give me options where someone could pop (in a good way). Getting the upside plays at WR are fun for daydreaming this time of year. Do you agree with the grades the Draft Champion gave me?

That said, I’m feeling pretty good about the RB-RB draft strategy. Locking in two studs up top freed me up to take some shots on WRs who I might have avoided if I felt the need to grab some RBs in the middle rounds. I still prefer Hero RB, but if the board falls right in the first couple rounds I can see myself hitting the running backs hard from the jump.