Is RB-RB a good strategy to use in a 12-team, 0.5-PPR league where you start three receivers and a flex? Let's find out.
On Thursday, we held our first 12-team, 0.5-PPR mock draft with members of our CBS Sports staff since free agency. Brandon Howard, one of our Fantasy editors, had the No. 10 overall pick, and he started his team with Kyren Williams and Saquon Barkley.
Those two running backs have the chance to be special. Williams was awesome last season with the Rams at 19.2 0.5-PPR points per game, and he should be great again in 2024. And I love Barkley going to the Eagles with the upgrade in talent around him, especially on the offensive line.
Brandon passed on A.J. Brown and Garrett Wilson to draft Williams, and Brandon took Barkley ahead of receivers like D.J. Moore, Chris Olave and Nico Collins. I'm fine with both of those selections in 0.5-PPR, but I might have gone with the receivers in PPR.
The tricky part for Brandon after those picks is what receivers he would be able to get. And he did well with Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins and Terry McLaurin with his next three picks.
While those receivers have some flaws (Higgins wants to be traded and McLaurin doesn't have a quarterback as of now), that's an amazing trio to pair with Williams and Barkley. Brandon also was able to get Chris Godwin in Round 7 as a fourth receiver, and that was sandwiched between Joe Burrow and Evan Engram. I love this starting lineup.
His bench has a lot of upside plays in Brock Purdy, Jerome Ford, Elijah Mitchell, Marvin Mims, Jalin Hyatt and Andrei Iosivas. But I like his starting group, and this is a good roster with a RB-RB start.
While that's not my favorite strategy -- I prefer Hero RB with one running back in the first five or six rounds -- Brandon made it work. You just have to hope you get four receivers as he did with Aiyuk, Higgins, McLaurin and Godwin after starting RB-RB.
I planned to go Hero RB from the No. 5 spot, and I started my team with Tyreek Hill and Josh Jacobs, who should be excellent with his move to the Packers. But in Round 3, a gift landed in my lap with De'Von Achane, so I changed my strategy.
I still wanted to focus on my receiving corps, so I drafted Tank Dell in Round 4, and I love that. But I felt like I got another gift with Mark Andrews in Round 5, which was too good to pass up.
My third receiver ended up being Marquise Brown in Round 6, and I expect him to be a top-30 Fantasy option with his move to the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes will hopefully bring out the best in Brown, and we'll see if he can challenge Rashee Rice to be the No. 1 receiver in Kansas City.
The next two picks I made were all about value with Nick Chubb in Round 7 and Austin Ekeler in Round 8. I actually think both are busts if they're going ahead of these rounds, but if Chubb (knee) is healthy for Week 1 and Ekeler can remain the lead rusher in Washington, these could be steals. And I just need one to be my flex.
In Round 9, I had my toughest decision of the draft with Kyler Murray vs. Chase Brown. At this point, I was one of three managers without a quarterback, and I knew Murray wouldn't make it back to me. But I love Brown, and I expect him to challenge Zack Moss to be the best running back in Cincinnati this season.
I went with Murray given the construction of my roster, and I don't regret it. Unless, during the season, Brown turns out to be the best Bengals rusher this year.
The rest of my team includes Tua Tagovailoa, A.J. Dillon, Jahan Dotson, Rashid Shaheed and A.T. Perry. I like this team a lot, especially with the value I got for guys like Achane, Andrews, Chubb and Ekeler.
In this league, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award 0.5-points for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
1. Daniel Schneier, Senior Fantasy Editor
2. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
3. Zach Brook, FFT Social Media Coordinator
4. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
5. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
6. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
7. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
8. Rob Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
9. Joel Cox, CBS Sports VP Business Development
10. Brandon Howard, Fantasy Editor
11. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
12. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy
Round 1 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Player |
1 | Dan Schneier | C. McCaffrey RB SF |
2 | Thomas Shafer | J. Jefferson WR MIN |
3 | Zach Brook | C. Lamb WR DAL |
4 | Heath Cummings | J. Chase WR CIN |
5 | Jamey Eisenberg | T. Hill WR MIA |
6 | Adam Aizer | B. Hall RB NYJ |
7 | Meron Berkson | A. St. Brown WR DET |
8 | Rob Thomas | B. Robinson RB ATL |
9 | Joel Cox | P. Nacua WR LAR |
10 | Brandon Howard | K. Williams RB LAR |
11 | Dave Richard | A. Brown WR PHI |
12 | R.J. White | G. Wilson WR NYJ |
Round 2 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
13 | R.J. White | J. Gibbs RB DET |
14 | Dave Richard | J. Taylor RB IND |
15 | Brandon Howard | S. Barkley RB PHI |
16 | Joel Cox | D. Moore WR CHI |
17 | Rob Thomas | C. Olave WR NO |
18 | Meron Berkson | T. Etienne RB JAC |
19 | Adam Aizer | N. Collins WR HOU |
20 | Jamey Eisenberg | J. Jacobs RB GB |
21 | Heath Cummings | R. White RB TB |
22 | Zach Brook | I. Pacheco RB KC |
23 | Thomas Shafer | D. Henry RB BAL |
24 | Dan Schneier | S. Diggs WR HOU |
Round 3 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
25 | Dan Schneier | D. London WR ATL |
26 | Thomas Shafer | D. Adams WR LV |
27 | Zach Brook | J. Cook RB BUF |
28 | Heath Cummings | R. Rice WR KC |
29 | Jamey Eisenberg | D. Achane RB MIA |
30 | Adam Aizer | J. Waddle WR MIA |
31 | Meron Berkson | D. Samuel WR SF |
32 | Rob Thomas | T. Kelce TE KC |
33 | Joel Cox | K. Walker III RB SEA |
34 | Brandon Howard | B. Aiyuk WR SF |
35 | Dave Richard | S. LaPorta TE DET |
36 | R.J. White | M. Pittman WR IND |
Round 4 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
37 | R.J. White | T. McBride TE ARI |
38 | Dave Richard | M. Evans WR TB |
39 | Brandon Howard | T. Higgins WR CIN |
40 | Joel Cox | J. Allen QB BUF |
41 | Rob Thomas | D. Smith WR PHI |
42 | Meron Berkson | J. Mixon RB HOU |
43 | Adam Aizer | J. Hurts QB PHI |
44 | Jamey Eisenberg | T. Dell WR HOU |
45 | Heath Cummings | C. Ridley WR TEN |
46 | Zach Brook | Z. Flowers WR BAL |
47 | Thomas Shafer | C. Kupp WR LAR |
48 | Dan Schneier | D. Metcalf WR SEA |
Round 5 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
49 | Dan Schneier | A. Kamara RB NO |
50 | Thomas Shafer | G. Pickens WR PIT |
51 | Zach Brook | C. Kirk WR JAC |
52 | Heath Cummings | P. Mahomes QB KC |
53 | Jamey Eisenberg | M. Andrews TE BAL |
54 | Adam Aizer | A. Cooper WR CLE |
55 | Meron Berkson | K. Allen WR CHI |
56 | Rob Thomas | L. Jackson QB BAL |
57 | Joel Cox | D. Swift RB CHI |
58 | Brandon Howard | T. McLaurin WR WAS |
59 | Dave Richard | D. Montgomery RB DET |
60 | R.J. White | J. Conner RB ARI |
Round 6 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
61 | R.J. White | J. Reed WR GB |
62 | Dave Richard | N. Harris RB PIT |
63 | Brandon Howard | J. Burrow QB CIN |
64 | Joel Cox | D. Hopkins WR TEN |
65 | Rob Thomas | T. Spears RB TEN |
66 | Meron Berkson | T. Pollard RB TEN |
67 | Adam Aizer | D. Kincaid TE BUF |
68 | Jamey Eisenberg | M. Brown WR KC |
69 | Heath Cummings | J. Williams RB DEN |
70 | Zach Brook | J. Addison WR MIN |
71 | Thomas Shafer | K. Pitts TE ATL |
72 | Dan Schneier | D. Johnson WR CAR |
Round 7 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
73 | Dan Schneier | C. Stroud QB HOU |
74 | Thomas Shafer | A. Richardson QB IND |
75 | Zach Brook | D. Prescott QB DAL |
76 | Heath Cummings | R. Stevenson RB NE |
77 | Jamey Eisenberg | N. Chubb RB CLE |
78 | Adam Aizer | A. Jones RB MIN |
79 | Meron Berkson | J. Love QB GB |
80 | Rob Thomas | J. Smith-Njigba WR SEA |
81 | Joel Cox | G. Kittle TE SF |
82 | Brandon Howard | C. Godwin WR TB |
83 | Dave Richard | R. Mostert RB MIA |
84 | R.J. White | Z. Moss RB CIN |
Round 8 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
85 | R.J. White | Z. White RB LV |
86 | Dave Richard | C. Watson WR GB |
87 | Brandon Howard | E. Engram TE JAC |
88 | Joel Cox | T. Lockett WR SEA |
89 | Rob Thomas | J. Warren RB PIT |
90 | Meron Berkson | D. Njoku TE CLE |
91 | Adam Aizer | C. Sutton WR DEN |
92 | Jamey Eisenberg | A. Ekeler RB WAS |
93 | Heath Cummings | G. Edwards RB LAC |
94 | Zach Brook | C. Kmet TE CHI |
95 | Thomas Shafer | J. Meyers WR LV |
96 | Dan Schneier | D. Singletary RB NYG |
Round 9 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
97 | Dan Schneier | M. Williams WR NYJ |
98 | Thomas Shafer | J. Williams WR DET |
99 | Zach Brook | B. Robinson Jr. RB WAS |
100 | Heath Cummings | Z. Charbonnet RB SEA |
101 | Jamey Eisenberg | K. Murray QB ARI |
102 | Adam Aizer | C. Brown RB CIN |
103 | Meron Berkson | J. Downs WR IND |
104 | Rob Thomas | Q. Johnston WR LAC |
105 | Joel Cox | C. Hubbard RB CAR |
106 | Brandon Howard | B. Purdy QB SF |
107 | Dave Richard | T. Hockenson TE MIN |
108 | R.J. White | J. Herbert QB LAC |
Round 10 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
109 | R.J. White | R. Doubs WR GB |
110 | Dave Richard | J. Jeudy WR CLE |
111 | Brandon Howard | J. Ford RB CLE |
112 | Joel Cox | K. Miller RB NO |
113 | Rob Thomas | A. Gibson RB NE |
114 | Meron Berkson | J. Ferguson TE DAL |
115 | Adam Aizer | T. Chandler RB MIN |
116 | Jamey Eisenberg | J. Dotson WR WAS |
117 | Heath Cummings | D. Douglas WR NE |
118 | Zach Brook | K. Shakir WR BUF |
119 | Thomas Shafer | T. Allgeier RB ATL |
120 | Dan Schneier | D. Schultz TE HOU |
Round 11 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
121 | Dan Schneier | W. Robinson WR NYG |
122 | Thomas Shafer | K. Mitchell RB BAL |
123 | Zach Brook | J. Palmer WR LAC |
124 | Heath Cummings | D. Goedert TE PHI |
125 | Jamey Eisenberg | T. Tagovailoa QB MIA |
126 | Adam Aizer | M. Wilson WR ARI |
127 | Meron Berkson | R. Dowdle RB DAL |
128 | Rob Thomas | P. Freiermuth TE PIT |
129 | Joel Cox | A. Thielen WR CAR |
130 | Brandon Howard | M. Mims WR DEN |
131 | Dave Richard | K. Cousins QB ATL |
132 | R.J. White | G. Davis WR JAC |
Round 12 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
133 | R.J. White | B. Cooks WR DAL |
134 | Dave Richard | M. Stafford QB LAR |
135 | Brandon Howard | E. Mitchell RB SF |
136 | Joel Cox | K. Herbert RB CHI |
137 | Rob Thomas | R. Bateman WR BAL |
138 | Meron Berkson | T. Lawrence QB JAC |
139 | Adam Aizer | J. McLaughlin RB DEN |
140 | Jamey Eisenberg | A. Dillon RB GB |
141 | Heath Cummings | C. Samuel WR BUF |
142 | Zach Brook | R. Johnson RB CHI |
143 | Thomas Shafer | J. Dobbins RB LAC |
144 | Dan Schneier | M. Sanders RB CAR |
Round 13 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
145 | Dan Schneier | D. Mooney WR ATL |
146 | Thomas Shafer | K. Gainwell RB PHI |
147 | Zach Brook | D. Wicks WR GB |
148 | Heath Cummings | K. Bourne WR NE |
149 | Jamey Eisenberg | R. Shaheed WR NO |
150 | Adam Aizer | D. Watson QB CLE |
151 | Meron Berkson | M. Thomas WR NO |
152 | Rob Thomas | Z. Jones WR JAC |
153 | Joel Cox | E. Elliott RB NE |
154 | Brandon Howard | J. Hyatt WR NYG |
155 | Dave Richard | D. Foreman RB CLE |
156 | R.J. White | A. Mattison RB LV |
Round 14 | ||
Pos | Team | Player |
157 | R.J. White | J. Goff QB DET |
158 | Dave Richard | I. Likely TE BAL |
159 | Brandon Howard | A. Iosivas WR CIN |
160 | Joel Cox | M. Mayer TE LV |
161 | Rob Thomas | J. Smith-Schuster WR NE |
162 | Meron Berkson | D. Pierce RB HOU |
163 | Adam Aizer | I. Abanikanda RB NYJ |
164 | Jamey Eisenberg | A. Perry WR NO |
165 | Heath Cummings | D. Waller TE NYG |
166 | Zach Brook | J. Jennings WR SF |
167 | Thomas Shafer | E. Demercado RB ARI |
168 | Dan Schneier | T. Bigsby RB JAC |
Dan Schneier | ||
---|---|---|
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 1 | C. McCaffrey RB SF |
2 | 24 | S. Diggs WR HOU |
3 | 25 | D. London WR ATL |
4 | 48 | D. Metcalf WR SEA |
5 | 49 | A. Kamara RB NO |
6 | 72 | D. Johnson WR CAR |
7 | 73 | C. Stroud QB HOU |
8 | 96 | D. Singletary RB NYG |
9 | 97 | M. Williams WR NYJ |
10 | 120 | D. Schultz TE HOU |
11 | 121 | W. Robinson WR NYG |
12 | 144 | M. Sanders RB CAR |
13 | 145 | D. Mooney WR ATL |
14 | 168 | T. Bigsby RB JAC |
Thomas Shafer | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 2 | J. Jefferson WR MIN |
2 | 23 | D. Henry RB BAL |
3 | 26 | D. Adams WR LV |
4 | 47 | C. Kupp WR LAR |
5 | 50 | G. Pickens WR PIT |
6 | 71 | K. Pitts TE ATL |
7 | 74 | A. Richardson QB IND |
8 | 95 | J. Meyers WR LV |
9 | 98 | J. Williams WR DET |
10 | 119 | T. Allgeier RB ATL |
11 | 122 | K. Mitchell RB BAL |
12 | 143 | J. Dobbins RB LAC |
13 | 146 | K. Gainwell RB PHI |
14 | 167 | E. Demercado RB ARI |
Zach Brook | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 3 | C. Lamb WR DAL |
2 | 22 | I. Pacheco RB KC |
3 | 27 | J. Cook RB BUF |
4 | 46 | Z. Flowers WR BAL |
5 | 51 | C. Kirk WR JAC |
6 | 70 | J. Addison WR MIN |
7 | 75 | D. Prescott QB DAL |
8 | 94 | C. Kmet TE CHI |
9 | 99 | B. Robinson Jr. RB WAS |
10 | 118 | K. Shakir WR BUF |
11 | 123 | J. Palmer WR LAC |
12 | 142 | R. Johnson RB CHI |
13 | 147 | D. Wicks WR GB |
14 | 166 | J. Jennings WR SF |
Heath Cummings | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 4 | J. Chase WR CIN |
2 | 21 | R. White RB TB |
3 | 28 | R. Rice WR KC |
4 | 45 | C. Ridley WR TEN |
5 | 52 | P. Mahomes QB KC |
6 | 69 | J. Williams RB DEN |
7 | 76 | R. Stevenson RB NE |
8 | 93 | G. Edwards RB LAC |
9 | 100 | Z. Charbonnet RB SEA |
10 | 117 | D. Douglas WR NE |
11 | 124 | D. Goedert TE PHI |
12 | 141 | C. Samuel WR BUF |
13 | 148 | K. Bourne WR NE |
14 | 165 | D. Waller TE NYG |
Jamey Eisenberg | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 5 | T. Hill WR MIA |
2 | 20 | J. Jacobs RB GB |
3 | 29 | D. Achane RB MIA |
4 | 44 | T. Dell WR HOU |
5 | 53 | M. Andrews TE BAL |
6 | 68 | M. Brown WR KC |
7 | 77 | N. Chubb RB CLE |
8 | 92 | A. Ekeler RB WAS |
9 | 101 | K. Murray QB ARI |
10 | 116 | J. Dotson WR WAS |
11 | 125 | T. Tagovailoa QB MIA |
12 | 140 | A. Dillon RB GB |
13 | 149 | R. Shaheed WR NO |
14 | 164 | A. Perry WR NO |
Adam Aizer | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 6 | B. Hall RB NYJ |
2 | 19 | N. Collins WR HOU |
3 | 30 | J. Waddle WR MIA |
4 | 43 | J. Hurts QB PHI |
5 | 54 | A. Cooper WR CLE |
6 | 67 | D. Kincaid TE BUF |
7 | 78 | A. Jones RB MIN |
8 | 91 | C. Sutton WR DEN |
9 | 102 | C. Brown RB CIN |
10 | 115 | T. Chandler RB MIN |
11 | 126 | M. Wilson WR ARI |
12 | 139 | J. McLaughlin RB DEN |
13 | 150 | D. Watson QB CLE |
14 | 163 | I. Abanikanda RB NYJ |
Meron Berkson | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 7 | A. St. Brown WR DET |
2 | 18 | T. Etienne RB JAC |
3 | 31 | D. Samuel WR SF |
4 | 42 | J. Mixon RB HOU |
5 | 55 | K. Allen WR CHI |
6 | 66 | T. Pollard RB TEN |
7 | 79 | J. Love QB GB |
8 | 90 | D. Njoku TE CLE |
9 | 103 | J. Downs WR IND |
10 | 114 | J. Ferguson TE DAL |
11 | 127 | R. Dowdle RB DAL |
12 | 138 | T. Lawrence QB JAC |
13 | 151 | M. Thomas WR NO |
14 | 162 | D. Pierce RB HOU |
Rob Thomas | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 8 | B. Robinson RB ATL |
2 | 17 | C. Olave WR NO |
3 | 32 | T. Kelce TE KC |
4 | 41 | D. Smith WR PHI |
5 | 56 | L. Jackson QB BAL |
6 | 65 | T. Spears RB TEN |
7 | 80 | J. Smith-Njigba WR SEA |
8 | 89 | J. Warren RB PIT |
9 | 104 | Q. Johnston WR LAC |
10 | 113 | A. Gibson RB NE |
11 | 128 | P. Freiermuth TE PIT |
12 | 137 | R. Bateman WR BAL |
13 | 152 | Z. Jones WR JAC |
14 | 161 | J. Smith-Schuster WR NE |
Joel Cox | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 9 | P. Nacua WR LAR |
2 | 16 | D. Moore WR CHI |
3 | 33 | K. Walker III RB SEA |
4 | 40 | J. Allen QB BUF |
5 | 57 | D. Swift RB CHI |
6 | 64 | D. Hopkins WR TEN |
7 | 81 | G. Kittle TE SF |
8 | 88 | T. Lockett WR SEA |
9 | 105 | C. Hubbard RB CAR |
10 | 112 | K. Miller RB NO |
11 | 129 | A. Thielen WR CAR |
12 | 136 | K. Herbert RB CHI |
13 | 153 | E. Elliott RB NE |
14 | 160 | M. Mayer TE LV |
Brandon Howard | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 10 | K. Williams RB LAR |
2 | 15 | S. Barkley RB PHI |
3 | 34 | B. Aiyuk WR SF |
4 | 39 | T. Higgins WR CIN |
5 | 58 | T. McLaurin WR WAS |
6 | 63 | J. Burrow QB CIN |
7 | 82 | C. Godwin WR TB |
8 | 87 | E. Engram TE JAC |
9 | 106 | B. Purdy QB SF |
10 | 111 | J. Ford RB CLE |
11 | 130 | M. Mims WR DEN |
12 | 135 | E. Mitchell RB SF |
13 | 154 | J. Hyatt WR NYG |
14 | 159 | A. Iosivas WR CIN |
Dave Richard | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 11 | A. Brown WR PHI |
2 | 14 | J. Taylor RB IND |
3 | 35 | S. LaPorta TE DET |
4 | 38 | M. Evans WR TB |
5 | 59 | D. Montgomery RB DET |
6 | 62 | N. Harris RB PIT |
7 | 83 | R. Mostert RB MIA |
8 | 86 | C. Watson WR GB |
9 | 107 | T. Hockenson TE MIN |
10 | 110 | J. Jeudy WR CLE |
11 | 131 | K. Cousins QB ATL |
12 | 134 | M. Stafford QB LAR |
13 | 155 | D. Foreman RB CLE |
14 | 158 | I. Likely TE BAL |
R.J. White | ||
Rd | Pk | Player |
1 | 12 | G. Wilson WR NYJ |
2 | 13 | J. Gibbs RB DET |
3 | 36 | M. Pittman WR IND |
4 | 37 | T. McBride TE ARI |
5 | 60 | J. Conner RB ARI |
6 | 61 | J. Reed WR GB |
7 | 84 | Z. Moss RB CIN |
8 | 85 | Z. White RB LV |
9 | 108 | J. Herbert QB LAC |
10 | 109 | R. Doubs WR GB |
11 | 132 | G. Davis WR JAC |
12 | 133 | B. Cooks WR DAL |
13 | 156 | A. Mattison RB LV |
14 | 157 | J. Goff QB DET |