Some refer to it as the most important position in fantasy sports, and I would have to agree. After competing in various fantasy football leagues over the years, it has been consistently proven that you simply can’t win your league without at least 1-2 true workhorses. Don’t just ask me, 60% of fantasy football managers draft a RB in the first round. As the cornerstones to managers rosters, the trend of RB’s jumping off the board early doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. However buyer beware, RB’s are the most likely to get injured in football and teams are always splitting carries and giving redzone opportunities to other backs in their committee, so draft cautiously. It’s always smart to grab a few extra backs to stack your bench. It’s a long season and you never know what can happen through its course in any given week. It’s wise to have backup options or even handcuff backs ready to go just in case. Essentially its never a bad thing to have too many RB’s on your rosters. Here’s a list of who I think will be most impactful to rosters this season:

1. Jonathon Taylor, IND
2. Derrick Henry, TEN
3. Christian McCaffrey, CAR
4. Austin Ekeler, LAC
5. Dalvin Cook, MIN
6. Alvin Kamara, NO
7. Joe Mixon, CIN
8. Nick Chubb, CLE
9. Najee Harris, PIT
10. De’andre Swift, DET
11. Javante Williams, DEN
12. Leonard Fournette, TB
13. Aaron Jones, GB
14. James Conner, ARI
15. Ezekiel Elliott, DAL
16. Saquon Barkley, NYG
17. David Montgomery, CHI
18. J.K. Dobbins, BAL
19. Cam Akers, LAR
20. Eli Mitchell, SF
21. Antonio Gibson, WSH
22. Breece Hall, NYJ
23. Travis Etienne, JAX
24. AJ Dillon, GB
25. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC
26. Josh Jacobs, LV
27. Kareem Hunt, CLE
28. Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL
29. Doug Singletary, BUF
30. Damien Harris, NE
31. Tony Pollard, DAL
32. Chase Edmonds, MIA
33. Darrell Henderson Jr, LAR
34. Dameon Pierce, HOU
35. Miles Sanders, PHI
36. Melvin Gordon, DEN
37. Rhamondre Stevenson, NE
38. Michael Carter, NYJ
39. James Cook, BUF
40. James Robinson, JAX
41. Marlon Mack, HOU
42. Rashad Penny, SEA
43. Kenneth Walker III, SEA
44. Nyheim Hines, IND
45. Isaiah Spiller, LAC
46. Gus Edwards, BAL
47. Khalil Herbert, CHI
48. Tyler Allgeier, ATL
49. Darrell Williams, ARI
50. J.D. McKissic, WSH
51. Raheem Mostert, MIA
52. James White, NE
53. Alexander Mattison, MIN
54. Jamaal Williams, DET
55. Mark Engram II, NO
56. Sony Michel, MIA

A lot of fantasy football managers will argue the QB position is irrelevant when it comes to the online frenzy. That you don’t need to reach for a QB and that you only really need to 1 on your roster.. yada yada yada. However, I say the QB position is what completes the team and is the icing on the cake for any championship caliber fantasy team. Sure you don’t need to draft one in the first couple of rounds to succeed, but for me it’s not about what round you draft one in, it’s about knowing the worth of each QB and getting the best value in the most convenient round possible. Whether you are in a 1-or-2 QB league, these rankings will allow you to get the best general idea of who to take and when come draft day:

1. Josh Allen, BUF
2. Justin Herbert, LAC
3. Patrick Mahomes, KC
4. Matthew Stafford, LAR
5. Tom Brady, TB
6. Joe Burrow, CIN
7. Russell Wilson, DEN
8. Kyler Murray, ARI
9. Dak Prescott, DAL
10. Aaron Rodgers, GB
11. Jalen Hurts, PHI
12. Lamar Jackson, BAL
13. Derek Carr, LV
14. Kirk Cousins, MIN
15. Tua Tagovailoa, MIA
16. Deshaun Watson, CLE
17. Zach Wilson, NYJ
18. Trevor Lawrence, JAX
19. Matt Ryan, IND
20. Trey Lance, SF
21. Ryan Tannehill, TEN
22. Baker Mayfield, CAR
23. Jameis Winston, NO
24. Jared Goff, DET
25. Mac Jones, NE
26. Justin Fields, CHI
27. Mitch Trubisky, PIT
28. Daniel Jones, NYG
29. Carson Wentz, WSH
30. Marcus Mariota, ATL
31. Davis Mills, HOU
32. Jimmy Garoppolo, SF
33. Malik Willis, TEN
34. Geno Smith, SEA
35. Drew Lock, SEA
36. Tyrod Taylor, NYG
37. Tyler Huntley, BAL
38. Jacoby Brissett, CLE
39. Kenny Pickett, PIT
40. Taysom Hill, NO
41. Taylor Heinicke, WSH
42. Sam Darnold, CAR
43. Teddy Bridgewater, MIA
44. Desmond Ridder, ATL
45. Gardner Minshew II, PHI

In my opinion, the only time you draft a top QB “early” is if all can’t miss top skill positional players are off the board (ex. Tyreek Hill, Aaron Jones, Travis Kelce, etc.), or if your next player queued will likely still be available when your following pick comes around. If you are going to reach early, it might as well be a top-3 QB in the league. Oh, and don’t buy the “you only need 1 bs”… between the rate players get injured and not having to deal with added stress on bye weeks, it’s good to have 2 on your roster just in case. One strategy veterans will use is snagging 2 good QB’s in reasonable rounds and start based on matchups from week to week. The only exception I see to rostering 1-QB is if you’re in a 10-man 1-QB league, you can usually get away with sticking with one stud all year and just picking up a bye week fill in, but as always, one injury can derail that team real quick.

Although if you’re in a 2-QB league, the draft will be a little different and you almost have to pick a QB within the first 3-4 rounds just to compete. While drafting in a 2-QB league, the only way to figure out when to draft your first QB is to wait and see when other managers start taking theirs. As soon as the first couple QB’s fly off the board, you want to prepare to select at least one yourself. Don’t wait, its ok to reach in 2-QB leagues. It’s likely you’ll need 3 QB’s anyway so don’t be shy. QB’s hold extra value in these double position leagues as they will make up for the majority of points for your team each week. The last thing you want is getting stuck with the Ryan Tannehills, Daniel Jones’, and Matt Ryan’s of the world in your lineup every week.