X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Using the #AllBenchRB Strategy

I apologize to my millions of fans for my absence these past few weeks. I was busy completing an Ironman whilst studying for the Mensa exam. During my training and study breaks, I pondered a topic I wrote about last year that I coined #AllBenchRB. I submitted my analysis to the Mensa Board, who instantly admitted me upon receipt. Their official letter cited the fragility at the running back position and the brilliance of holding a bench full of RBs to capitalize on opportunity and mitigate risk. I thanked them, accepted entry and am now back with RotoBaller to discuss #AllBenchRB for all my fellow fantasy football nerds.

So, let’s get down to brass tacks, whatever the hell that means. All Bench RB refers to the concept of holding as many running backs as you can on your bench. And although I was a rocket scientist in Kiev as a child, this isn’t rocket science. The running back position is the most volatile and therefore presents the most risk and opportunity.

To be explicit - the chances of your running back getting hurt are the highest, and the chances of other running backs getting hurt provide you with the greatest opportunity to pick up a potential league changer from the wire. But there are even more reasons to adopt this strategy, so let’s go through them now.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Why AllBenchRB?

  1. Risk of injury at the running back position.
  2. Changes in depth charts throughout the season.
  3. The emergence of running back committees provides for more viable running back options that are more than merely handcuffs.
  4. You most likely start two running backs meaning that with exception of wide receiver, there are more streaming options at other positions. Additionally, there are more viable wide receivers in the pass-heavy NFL. Back to the initial point, it’s fair to argue that running back is the most difficult position to stream due to the high demand and low supply.
  5. Holding a bench full of potential running back break-outs is much cheaper than waiting for one to erupt on waivers and having to unload FAAB.
  6. Opportunity is key at Running Back and an injury or change in depth chart is the safest pathway to opportunity in the NFL. Carries are more predictable than Wide Receiver targets.

Of course, these statements are all true, because I just made them but let’s look at some of the data to back up my case:

Out of all 32 NFL teams, there have been major changes with the lead running back situation on 16 of the teams. What I mean by “major change” is an injury, depth chart change or emergence/bust. That’s 50% of the league!

I did not even include other changeable situations like Joe Mixon and Marlon Mack getting hurt early in the season, Frank Gore muddling the Dolphins situation, the emergence of Austin Ekeler as a viable flex play in PPR, or Alex Collins being a borderline bust. Needless to say, drafting running backs after the first round proved to be a crap shoot. Now I’m not here to tell you how you should have drafted or how you should change your draft strategy next year. This article is about #AllBenchRB!  Fill your bench with running backs to capitalize on and protect against the volatility at the position. I’m going to give you some guys that you can target right now, but with two major caveats.

  1. Filling your bench with all RBs isn’t going to be pretty at first. Many of these names are quite undesirable, but they have visible paths to success.
  2. The worse your record, the more difficult to follow this strategy. If you need to win now you can’t be bothered filling your bench with backups or any fliers for that matter. You need guys that will fill your gaps immediately!

Ok, here are some suggestions. Again, no poking fun; I know these are some ugly dudes:

Good luck in your leagues. I can only hope some of you will follow this strategy and benefit by having someone on your bench that will otherwise become a huge waiver claim in the next few weeks.

Until next time, you can find me on Twitter @BrettMitchellFB.

More Waiver Wire Adds and Pickups




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Michael Wacha7 mins ago

Royals Agree To Three-Year Deal
Reynaldo López16 mins ago

Braves Sign Reynaldo Lopez To Three-Year Deal
Daniel Jones25 mins ago

Remains Giants' Starting QB
Khris Middleton25 mins ago

Remains Sidelined Against Cavaliers
Josh Giddey28 mins ago

Added To Injury Report On Monday
Kevin Huerter32 mins ago

Leaves Shootaround Early, Remains Questionable
Immanuel Quickley37 mins ago

Draws Another Doubtful Status On Monday
Lauri Markkanen41 mins ago

Questionable To Face Bulls
Jakobi Meyers42 mins ago

Has Huge Day In Week 9
D'Angelo Russell47 mins ago

Listed As Probable On Monday
Austin Reaves49 mins ago

Deemed Probable On Monday
Drake London51 mins ago

Likely Dealing With Hip Pointer, Going For More Tests
Las Vegas Raiders56 mins ago

Antonio Pierce Hasn't Decided On Starting QB
De'Anthony Melton57 mins ago

Won't Suit Up On Monday
Caris LeVert1 hour ago

Questionable Against Bucks On Monday
A.J. Brown1 hour ago

Going For MRI Exam On Monday
Kyle Kuzma1 hour ago

Ruled Out Again With Groin Strain
Bucky Irving1 hour ago

Expected To Play On Monday Night
Andrew Wiggins1 hour ago

Probable On Monday Against Wizards
San Antonio Spurs2 hours ago

Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich Out With Health Issue
Keon Coleman3 hours ago

Undergoing Tests On His Wrist Monday
New Orleans Saints3 hours ago

Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen
Rose Namajunas4 hours ago

Drops Decision Matchup
Erin Blanchfield4 hours ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Dustin Stoltzfus4 hours ago

Gets First-Round Knockout At UFC Edmonton
Dak Prescott4 hours ago

Will Undergo MRI On His Hamstring
A.J. Brown4 hours ago

Avoids Major Injury On Sunday
DeVonta Smith4 hours ago

Makes A Case For Catch Of The Year On Touchdown Grab
Zach Hyman4 hours ago

Records Two Points In Battle Of Alberta Win
Saquon Barkley4 hours ago

Goes For Nearly 200 Total Yards, Scores Twice
Marc-Andre Barriault4 hours ago

Knocked Out At UFC Edmonton
Matt Boldy5 hours ago

Hits Overtime Winner Versus Toronto
Jared Spurgeon5 hours ago

Delivers Two Assists In Sunday's Win
Trevin Giles5 hours ago

Losses Third Fight In A Row
Alex Ovechkin5 hours ago

Extends Goal Streak To Four Games
Dmitry Orlov5 hours ago

Nets Two Goals Against Capitals
Jeremy Swayman5 hours ago

Collects First Shutout Of The Season
Connor Bedard5 hours ago

Records Three Assists In Sunday's Win
Mike Malott6 hours ago

Wins Decision At UFC Edmonton
Rome Odunze8 hours ago

Shines With Impressive Performance Against Cardinals
Chuba Hubbard9 hours ago

Scores Two Touchdowns In Panthers Win
Demarcus Robinson9 hours ago

Catches Game-Winning TD
Cooper Kupp9 hours ago

Has 100-Yard Day Against Seattle
Alvin Kamara11 hours ago

Gets 38 Touches In Week 9
Trevor Lawrence12 hours ago

Picked Off Twice By Philadelphia
Evan Engram12 hours ago

Targeted 10 Times In Loss To Eagles
Las Vegas Raiders12 hours ago

Raiders Fire Three, Including Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy
Darius Slayton13 hours ago

Enters Concussion Protocol Sunday
Jamal Murray14 hours ago

Listed As Out On Monday Against Toronto
Bradley Beal14 hours ago

Questionable Going Into Monday Night's Matchup Against Philadelphia
Rudy Gobert14 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Monday Night
Zach LaVine14 hours ago

Listed As Questionable On Monday
NASCAR14 hours ago

Speeding Penalty Foils Martin Truex Jr.'s Last Realistic Shot At Winning
Denny Hamlin14 hours ago

Fails To Advance To Championship 4 But Runs Well
Shane Van Gisbergen14 hours ago

Shane van Gisbergen Earns Best Oval Finish at Martinsville
William Byron14 hours ago

Tentatively In Championship 4 Pending Ruling On Manufacturer Orders
Anthony Davis15 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Monday
Stephen Curry15 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Monday Night
Jaylen Brown15 hours ago

Listed As Out For Monday Night's Matchup In Atlanta
Joel Embiid15 hours ago

Listed As Out For Monday Night's Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo15 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Monday Night
MMA18 hours ago

Ariane Lipski Submitted At UFC Edmonton
Jasmine Jasudavicius18 hours ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado18 hours ago

Still Winless In The UFC
Brendson Ribeiro18 hours ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC Edmonton
Amir Albazi18 hours ago

Falls Short At UFC Edmonton
Brandon Moreno18 hours ago

Dominates At UFC Edmonton
Artturi Lehkonen20 hours ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
NJ20 hours ago

Nathan Bastian To Miss "Several Weeks"
Brayden Point20 hours ago

Exits With Injury Sunday
Dan Vladar20 hours ago

Set For Second Consecutive Start Sunday
Nicholas Robertson20 hours ago

Re-Enters Maple Leafs Lineup Sunday
Jakub Vrana20 hours ago

Scratched On Sunday
Austin Barnes1 day ago

Returning To Los Angeles
1 day ago

David Robertson To Test Free Agency
Wilmer Flores1 day ago

Giants Exercise Club Option On Wilmer Flores
Owen Miller1 day ago

Shipped To Colorado
Merrill Kelly1 day ago

Staying In Arizona
1 day ago

Eloy Jimenez Headed To Free Agency
Daniel Suarez1 day ago

Will Start 20th At Martinsville
Zane Smith1 day ago

Might Be An Underrated Value Play For Martinsville
Tyler Reddick1 day ago

Is A Top DFS Recommendation For Martinsville Lineups
Joey Logano1 day ago

Will Be One To Watch At Martinsville
Brad Keselowski1 day ago

Should DFS Players Rely On Brad Keselowski For Martinsville Lineups?
Carson Hocevar1 day ago

Is A Great DFS Option For All Martinsville DFS Lineups
Ty Gibbs1 day ago

Is Ty Gibbs Worth Rostering At Martinsville This Week For DFS?
Austin Cindric1 day ago

Could Have A Top-20 Performance At Martinsville
William Byron1 day ago

Might Be Usable Only In DFS Tournaments At Martinsville
Chris Buescher1 day ago

Should DFS Players Roster Chris Buescher At Martinsville?
Alex Bowman1 day ago

Expect A Solid Top-10 Performance From Alex Bowman At Martinsville
Josh Berry1 day ago

May Be Set For Long-Run Struggles At Martinsville
Dylan Larkin1 day ago

Scores Twice On Saturday
Cam Talbot1 day ago

Stops 31 Shots In Saturday's Victory
Cale Makar1 day ago

Tallies Goal, Assist On Saturday
Anton Forsberg1 day ago

Records Shutout Victory On Saturday
Philip Broberg1 day ago

Leaves Saturday Early With Lower-Body Injury
Sidney Crosby1 day ago

Nets Two More Goals In Saturday's Victory
Chase Elliott1 day ago

Will Be Tough To Beat At Martinsville
Ryan Blaney1 day ago

A Great DFS Play At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin1 day ago

Wrecks In Practice, Will Start Last At Martinsville
Kyle Larson1 day ago

Going Overlooked At Martinsville
Martin Truex Jr1 day ago

. Will Be Strong At Martinsville On Sunday
2 days ago

Joc Pederson To Test Free Agency
2 days ago

Anthony Rizzo Headed To Free Agency
Freddy Peralta2 days ago

Milwaukee Picking Up Option On Freddy Peralta
2 days ago

Ha-Seong Kim Headed To Free Agency
Adam Pelech2 days ago

To Miss At Least Four Weeks
Mathew Barzal2 days ago

Ruled Out For 4-6 Weeks
Robbie Ray2 days ago

Doesn't Opt Out Of Contract, Stays With Giants
2 days ago

Yankees Could Make Play For Pete Alonso This Offseason
2 days ago

Sean Manaea Opts Out Of Contract, Becomes Free Agent
Cody Bellinger2 days ago

Picks Up $27.5 Million Player Option With Cubs
Gerrit Cole2 days ago

Opts Out Of Contract With Yankees
Rhys Hoskins2 days ago

Staying In Milwaukee
2 days ago

Seattle Declines Club Option On Jorge Polanco
Luke Weaver2 days ago

Returning To New York
Eugenio Suárez2 days ago

Arizona Picks Up Club Option On Eugenio Suarez
Rose Namajunas3 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Edmonton
Erin Blanchfield3 days ago

Returns At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault3 days ago

Dustin Stoltzfus Set To Face Marc-Andre Barriault At UFC Edmonton
Marc-Andre Barriault3 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Edmonton
Trevin Giles3 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mike Malott3 days ago

Opens Up UFC Edmonton Main Card
Brendson Ribeiro4 days ago

Searching For 1st UFC Win At UFC Edmonton
Caio Machado4 days ago

Drops Down To Light Heavyweight At UFC Edmonton
Jhonata Diniz4 days ago

Gets Big Step-Up At UFC Edmonton

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP