What is Anchor RB? And how to draft in 2023.

What is Anchor RB? 

Structurally, how you attack the running back position might be the most important decision you make when drafting a fantasy football team. The volatility of RBs, in general, makes it important to have a plan as to when, and if, you’ll be focusing your early-round draft capital on the position. 

While there are a variety of ways to attack the RB position for 2023 employing the Anchor RB approach may be one of the best ways to take advantage of the current drafting landscape.  

What is the Anchor RB fantasy football method?

Anchor RB — also commonly referred to as Hero RB or modified Zero RB strategy— is an approach that has players build around one early-round RB (taken in the first or second round), before using the rest of their early-round picks on positions like WR or TE. The idea works very similarly to the Zero RB method in that it limits us from overspending early draft capital on RBs and instead leaves us tons of open room to grab high-end receivers in rounds two through seven. 

Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler (30) celebrates a touchdown score during the first quarter of an NFL first-round playoff football matchup Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Los Angeles Chargers on a field goal 31-30. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

The main difference between Anchor RB and Zero RB is that Anchor RB lineups allow us to “anchor” our team to what, in theory, should be an every-down “workhorse” at the position. The idea behind the Anchor RB method goes something like this, the RB position may be volatile–and better to approach with a draft method that focuses on late-round RBs–but there’s also immense upside associated with the small number of true, every-down RBs in the NFL each year. 

These workhorse backs bring such value to season-long fantasy football formats because of the volume they receive, week in and week out. If an early-round workhorse stays healthy and avoids catastrophic scenarios (his team trades for another star RB, his team is terrible elsewhere which leads to poor usage, his OL breaks down, etc) they’ll give us a shot at a truly “Legendary” type of fantasy football season. 

While several of the top RBs did end up busting in 2022-23, some first and second-round picks like Austin Ekeler and Saquon Barkley produced relatively strong seasons (Ekeler was RB1 in 0.5 PPR scoring and Barkley was RB6). 

These were key players to build around in 2022 for people deploying the Anchor RB method.

Why does Anchor RB work?

Anchor RB works for many of the same reasons that the Zero RB strategy works. RB is a highly volatile position so expending little to no draft capital in the early rounds on RBs keeps us away from the “RB dead zone”, which generally entails rounds three to six of the draft. 

This RB dead zone was a term coined by Establish the Run’s Jack Miller, who helped identify the -EV returns of drafting RBs between rounds 3-6. The dead zone theory supports the idea of an Anchor RB (or Zero RB) approach as it purports that WRs drafted between rounds three to five are more valuable and produce better returns, over time, than their RB counterparts taken in that range. 

Anchor RB has also proven to be slightly less volatile than Zero RB. In the Underdog Fantasy Bestball Mania II contest from 2021, Anchor RB teams had the highest success rate of making the playoffs (and cashing for a payout) than any other structural draft method employed in the event. 

The reason for this result centers around the fact that Anchor RB essentially gives us two ways to hit on the RB position. While the Zero RB method has us relying solely on multiple late-round RBs outperforming their late-round values, the anchor RB method gives us the extra out of having our early-round RB give us that legendary type of year. 

In 2022, teams who went to a stud like Ekeler early on in drafts–and then avoided RBs until after round five–had some monster seasons:

The above team was drafted by Pat Kerrane in Best Ball Mania III last year and ended up winning the event and bringing home the $2M first-place prize. It’s more of a modified, or double-Anchor RB team as he did double dip at the RB position and take Barkley along with Ekeler prior to round four. 

As you can see, the team expended early draft capital on Ekeler and Barkley (the team's two Anchors) but didn’t use a pick on an RB again until well after the sixth round on Rhamondre Stevenson. Kerrane’s final two RBs were also extremely late-round picks.  

This strategy allowed him to take more shorts in the early to mid-rounds on WRs like Jaylen Waddle, Chris Godwin (both of whom he also stacked with their respective quarterbacks, who were great value gets in their own rights), and Tyler Lockett. Having this large group of elite WRs proved to be a huge difference-maker for his lineup both in the regular season and finals. 

Kerrane’s entire 2022 winning team can be seen here. 

Anchor RB Summary

In Anchor RB, we are also still focused on accumulating late-round RBs (after we take our early-round RB in the first or second round) so even if our Anchor fails us our later-round “lottery”-type selections could also deliver and essentially save our team. 

In the above example, we can see that Kerrane didn’t need much help from his backend selections given how consistent Ekeler and Barkley were but he still got some great upside weeks from late-round dart throw Raheem Mostert. 

While Anchor RB takes away a little draft capital from our early-round focus on selecting elite receivers, the trade-off is that it’s cushioning us from having to rely solely on later-round RBs and gives us plenty of space to attack the receiver position between rounds three to seven, where (as noted above) WRs typically outperform their RB counterparts. 

When to use Anchor RB?

Anchor RB was a very successful method to employ in large field best ball events for 2022. Of the top five finishers in Underdog’s Best Ball Mania III, four of the lineups employed some kind of Anchor RB, modified Anchor RB, or double Anchor approach (including the winner). 

As with any structural draft method though, we have to make sure we are being fluid when deciding when to put it into practice. If the best workhorse running backs are flying off the board early, it will often be appropriate to at least consider switching to another method, like Zero RB. That way, you can start with an elite WR combo early, and not have to worry about reaching for an RB that you feel doesn’t give you the best shot at hitting on that legendary type of season.

Last year, early-round RBs like Ekeler, Barkley, and even Christian McCaffrey all proved to be solid Anchor RB targets to build around. It should also be noted that some names taken even later like Travis Etienne and Aaron Jones had demonstrably solid seasons as well and were good names to build around. 

Given how names like Jones and Barkley performed, starting Anchor RB builds in the second round was plenty viable in 2022 and likely will be again for 2023 given the current ADP rankings, which has bellcow names like Barkley, Jonathan Taylor and newcomer Tony Pollard going after pick 12. 

How to draft using the Anchor RB strategy

Best Ball Anchor RB draft strategy

• Focus on grabbing an elite RB in round one, round two or even three – one who you think has legendary season type of upside.
• Focus the rest of your early-round picks on grabbing elite WRs or TEs with a focus on making elite or value-oriented WR/QB (or TE/QB) stacks.
• Fill out the rest of your RB positions later on in the draft – there are no set rounds to target but generally, you would look to draft your second RB in round seven or later.
• If you are doubling up on RBs early (double anchor) try and put your 4th and 5th RB selections off till much later in the draft.
• Take a more measured approach with selecting later-round RBs, generally maxing out at five to six RBs total on your roster (based on a QB/RB/RB/WR/WR/WR/Flex) starting lineup.

Below is a positional breakdown of how Underdog users have drafted over the first eight rounds so far in 2023. 

As with all structural draft methods, you have to be fluid when implementing Anchor RB into your drafts. Obviously, if Tony Pollard falls to us in the third round we have to be prepared to pounce on that kind of error (even if we already drafted an RB in round one) and break from our structure a bit. 

However, the general rule of thumb for an Anchor RB approach will be to key in on one RB early (rounds one or two or even three) and then ignore the position until later on so you can focus on stacking receivers and potentially grabbing a quarterback or tight end.

In-season management for Anchor RB teams

Anchor RB can also be implemented into season-long drafts and redraft leagues. The same principles we’ve discussed above would apply as we’d be keying in on one potential stud RB early and then bypassing the position until later rounds. With the waiver wire and potential trades allowing us options to fill our RB void, waiting until even later than the seventh round to draft our second RB (in season-long drafts) makes sense as well.

Season-long Anchor RB draft method: 

• Draft an early-round RB (aim for max upside), load up on late-round upside targets to fill out your RB position – embrace the volatility 
• Look to the waiver wire early and often to try and land on more potential big RB performances from undrafted players 
• If you get a legendary year from your Anchor RB, you may not even need to hit a home run with your later picks or waiver-wire picks
• The advantage over Zero RB in season-long formats is that Anchor RB will give you multiple outs (if your stud RB hits) and will mean less waiver wire reliance
• Using Anchor RB structure in season-long also means you can likely wait even later than the sixth round to pick your second RB - unlike best ball, we have waivers and trades to help our roster in-year

Anchor RB vs Zero RB

The difference between these two methods is quite simple. They are both based on the same principle of trying to avoid wasting too much early-round draft capital on the RB position due to its volatile nature and instead look to capitalize on the depth and immense game-to-game upside of the top WRs. 

The main difference is that with Anchor RB, we are giving ourselves one chance to land on a potential home run play among the top RBs. Because the top RBs have the ability to produce what has now been coined as a “Legendary” type of fantasy performance–where they outscore the rest of the players at their position by wide margins–Anchor RB gives us access to potentially hitting on just such a player. 

Should I use Anchor RB in best ball?

For large field best ball events, Anchor RB has also proven to be slightly less volatile than Zero RB. The method performed above expectation in terms of playoff rate among all popular forms of draft methods employed in Underdog Fantasy’s Best Ball Mania II event from 2021. 

Anchor RB lineups also had more top finishes in Best Ball Mania III in 2023 (with four of the top five lineups employing an Anchor RB approach).  

It should also be noted that Zero RB and Anchor RB aren’t the only structural methods out there that have had proven success. The Hyperfragile RB (two-top RBs but only four total) had a good record in 2020. 

Additionally, and as noted above a Double Anchor RB lineup ended up winning Best Ball Mania III last season. This lineup went with RBs in the first two slots (hence the Double-Anchor moniker) but avoided the position again until the eighth round. 

Anchor RB remains a great way to structure your drafts but the success of it and other methods will fluctuate, from season to season. 

For example, if none of the top RBs produce “legendary” type of years, we could very easily see Zero RB be the more profitable method (over Anchor RB or Hyperfragile teams) in 2023. 

Looking to try out Anchor RB in best ball? Double your first deposit of up to $100 on Underdog Fantasy below and start drafting today!

Anchor RB in dynasty

We can also consider Anchor RBs in dynasty formats as well. Since we are taking a longer-term outlook in dynasty, an Anchor RB strategy would fit in great with a draft where we were not only able to procure some upside early on at RB, but also grab a younger player we could rely on for at least the next couple seasons. 

If you are looking to implement an Anchor RB strategy in dynasty, make sure you give appropriate value to younger players (e.g. value them more) as age cliffs in RBs tend to cause huge fall-offs in performances and could make your initial Anchor RB selection worthless after year one or two. 

Anchor RB in 2023

The Anchor RB landscape has changed dramatically in 2023 as the market for WR1s has taken off. Four WRs are now going within the top five picks on Underdog and eight receivers are going within the top 12 picks.

The good news for Anchor RB drafters is that there is now a myriad of options available at various price points. Generally speaking, the cheaper the RB, the lower the probability that they will deliver an elite bell-cow season but some of the names available in the third round and beyond for 2023 have above-average situations and/or are attached to very good offenses.

What’s most interesting about Anchor RB in 2023 is the names that have dropped into the late second round or even the third round. In previous years, a lot of these backs would likely be going much earlier, and some of them were first-round picks in 2022. However, the rush to get to the top WRs has pushed these players down to an extremely palatable price point.

Right now, Tier 1 anchors are a very short list. Christian McCaffrey still represents the quintessential definition of an “Anchor” RB, and is the only RB with a top-five ADP. 

In 2022, many of the top lineups who used Anchor RB as a draft strategy avoided the top RBs altogether and started their RB pool later in round 2. With the way that ADPs have fallen on RBs again this year looking to potentially even start your Anchor RB lineup in round three (outlined in the Boom/Bust tier below) looks extremely viable. 

As always, the key is to be both cost-sensitive and flexible within the unique dynamics of each specific draft. Your draft position and what your opponents do will often dictate if and how you execute an Anchor RB strategy.

The Tier 1 Anchors (ADP: 1-5)

• Christian McCaffrey

Notes: Look what they’ve done to our boys. Only one true Tier One RB remains for 2023 and it’s McCaffrey, who proved last year to all the Twitter heroes that he’s not made of glass by playing in all 17 games.

 McCaffrey remains attached to an elite offense that runs the ball at an above-expectation rate and could be in line to handle a bigger workload in season two with the 49ers given both his increased familiarity with the offense and their current quarterback issues. 

The Elite Specialists (ADP: 6-16)

• Austin Ekeler
• Bijan Robinson
• Nick Chubb

Notes: The backs in this range offer us elite specialization in either pass-catching (Ekeler), or rushing efficiency (Chubb, Robinson). All of these backs have the potential for an elite bell-cow season if the stars align for them across another specialty (Chubb catches more passes, Robinson’s workload is solid from day one, Ekeler gets more goal-line carries, etc.), but that does take a leap of faith. Right now, Nick Chubb is the biggest riser of the group as he still had a late second-round valuation after the draft. 

The Boom/Bust Tier (ADP: 17-27)

• Jonathan Taylor
• Saquon Barkley
• Tony Pollard
• Derrick Henry
• Rhamondre Stevenson

Notes: This is the fun, YOLO tier. There are scenarios where any of these backs could finish as a Top 5 RB on the season (Jonathan Taylor was RB1 just two seasons ago) and/or provide us massive spike weeks in the fantasy playoffs, which are particularly useful for large-field tournaments. 

Barkley does have contract issues to be resolved but is likely a lock for another heavy workload. Pollard and Stevenson are homerun hitters who lost a lot of competition for touches over the offseason and look primed to take on huge roles – and are both great pass-catchers. 

Henry remains attached to a coach and team who is committed to running their offensive scheme directly through him. He’s approaching age 30 but improved his pass-catching stats last season may act as a potential boost once again. 

The Deadzone (ADP: 30-60)

• Josh Jacobs
• Breece Hall
• Travis Etienne
• Najee Harris
• Jahmyr Gibbs
• Joe Mixon
• Kenneth Walker
• Aaron Jones
• JK Dobbins

Notes: This is generally a range in drafts where we want to avoid RBs and target other positions. Backs in this range are historically being propped up because of projectable volume, but often have warts on their profile. 

That said, we have names at the direct top of this range for 2023 who look like they have fallen in reason for no reason other than they play RB. 

Jacobs will be in the same role for 2023 that he was in for 2022 (and in the same offensive scheme) that allowed him to finish as RB3 in 0.5 PPR scoring.

Etienne has a little more competition for touches but was one of the best at creating explosive plays and is attached to a likely top-10 offense.

Hall has injury concerns but if he’s ready for Week 1 could be the absolute steal of the draft given the improvements the Jets made over the offseason.

All three, along with Gibbs and Harris, look viable to be used in Anchor RB or double Anchor RB builds for 2023. 

You can start practicing the Anchor RB strategy and target these RBs on Underdog Fantasy, where you can also get a 100% deposit match of up to $100 when you sign up below!