Cons of Hero RB Technique
The most important disadvantage to this technique is that it locations your fantasy success squarely on the shoulders of your first-round working again staying wholesome and delivering constant manufacturing. Christian McCaffrey, for instance, nonetheless gives elite upside, however his harm historical past makes his Hero RB outlook much less sure. Dropping that cornerstone again for an prolonged portion of the season may have a better damaging impression on a Hero RB construct than it could on a roster with a number of early-round working backs.
One other problem is the restricted depth on the place when you’ve secured your elite possibility. The mid-to-late rounds are sometimes stocked with unproven gamers or backs in committees, which might put you in a susceptible spot in case your prime RB will get injured or fails to satisfy expectations. In conditions the place that major again has a down season, discovering a reliable substitute could be difficult — and that shortfall can show pricey over the course of the 12 months.
Managing this threat sometimes means both locking in sturdy handcuff choices or taking a number of swings on high-upside working backs within the later rounds. Nevertheless, doing so can unfold your draft capital thinner throughout the roster, which can scale back total group depth.
High Hero RB Targets in 2025
Because the identify suggests, choosing a top-tier working again is the centerpiece of the Hero RB technique and can seemingly decide the success or failure of your season. The perfect alternative is a again with a confirmed observe document of workhorse manufacturing and robust PPR potential. Beneath are a few sturdy first-round targets for fantasy drafts:
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
Whereas his greatest outing (46.0 PPR factors) got here in Week 18 — when most fantasy managers couldn’t totally profit — Jahmyr Gibbs delivered an impressive 2024 marketing campaign, ending as RB1 with 362.9 PPR factors. That whole is much more spectacular contemplating David Montgomery nonetheless had a big function within the Detroit backfield.
Gibbs hit the 20-carry mark simply 3 times final season, however his regular pass-catching work and explosive playmaking potential make him an ideal Hero RB candidate, whereas additionally preserving him more energizing than many heavy-volume backs. He scored 20 whole touchdowns, averaged 3.7 receptions per recreation, and recorded 10 top-10 RB weekly finishes.
Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
One other younger again with confirmed manufacturing, Bijan Robinson broke out in 2024, rating third amongst working backs in PPR factors per recreation (20.3). Extra of a traditional workhorse, Robinson logged 50 extra carries and 9 extra receptions than Gibbs, although he scored 5 fewer touchdowns (15).
Robinson stands to profit from a full season with Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback in Atlanta. Over the ultimate 12 video games final 12 months, Robinson scored a minimum of 20 PPR factors in all however two contests, and in every of Penix Jr.’s three begins, he reached no fewer than 24 PPR factors.
Best Ball rankings from a number of the prime business consultants are additionally accessible on FantasyLabs.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘1324276914788316’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
