In Part 1 of the 2023 Zero RB Candidates Countdown, Shawn Siegele profiled backs with the types of explosive physical profiles that could help you win even at bargain basement costs. In Part 2, he broke down the league’s most dangerous backups, players with standalone value and the talent upside to land in next year’s top-10 backs. Today, he unveils the top five.
Welcome to the 2023 Zero RB target list, where we help you find inexpensive RBs to destroy your league. The list isn’t just for Zero RB owners. You can use the list to build out the back end of home leagues, augment your trade-down approach in dynasty startups, construct a Zero RB Dream Team, fill out your Extreme Anchor roster, or build Flex upside into an Hyperfragile/Elite start.
The Zero RB list has been helping RotoViz writers and users to high finishes in Main Events and tournament championships in best ball. A quick look at past results, and you’ll understand why.
In 2014 Shawn explained the methodology he used from 2008 to 2013 to create outsized gains in high stakes formats. Since then the list has become part of the site’s backbone, printing money for subscribers.
- Our 2015 Zero RB list included the No. 1 overall RB (Devonta Freeman).
- Our 2016 list featured a breakout star and RB5 in PPG (Melvin Gordon).
- Our 2017 list included RB3 Kareem Hunt and RB4 Alvin Kamara.
- Our 2018 list featured five of the top-10 backs in win rate, including James White (18.7%), Tarik Cohen (16.8%), and Chris Carson (11.8%)
- Our 2019 list featured the 313-point scoring Austin Ekeler and rookie breakout Miles Sanders.
- Our 2020 list featured the overall RB5 in James Robinson and rookie sensation Antonio Gibson.
- Our 2021 list featured James Conner (No. 4 overall in win rate), plus the two-highest scoring backs in the fantasy playoffs, Devin Singletary and Rashaad Penny.
- Our 2022 list featured Kenneth Walker, who was an anchor for BBM’s $1 million regular season champion, Raheem Mostert, who appeared in BBM3’s $2 million-winning lineup, Jerick McKinnon, who finished as the RB4 during the fantasy playoffs, and a late-round 1,000-yard rookie in Tyler Allgeier.
2023 Zero RB Countdown: No. 5 to No. 1 – Let’s Go Win a Tournament
In previous editions of the Zero RB Countdown, we’ve included RBs in Round 6. You can start a team with four WRs and an elite TE and perhaps be ready to pivot by that point in your draft. But in 2023, the sixth-round targets are so dynamic and so high-priority that we’re going to make this a little more challenging and restrict ourselves to Round 7 and beyond.
