Fantasy Football 2026: Denny Carter’s Zero RB targets spotlight Blake Corum and Tank Bigsby

As managers chase a high-volatility, late-RB strategy, Denny Carter’s 2026 Zero RB targets emphasize pairing uncertain early running back value with upside later on, including Blake Corum and Tank Bigsby.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

A common fantasy draft divide is back for 2026, the one between managers who want running backs early and those betting on a Zero RB build. In a Yahoo Sports column, Denny Carter lays out the logic for the “Zero RB” approach, describing it as an anti-fragile, first-or-last plan that depends on volatility working in your favor instead of against you.

The central idea, as Carter presents it, is that you do not have to win the running back position early to win your league overall. Instead, the Zero RB framework is built around stocking roster spots with proven scarcity at other positions and then attacking the running back room later, when volume and opportunity can be found without paying the premium that comes with an early-round back. Carter frames it as a strategy that can be efficient but also unforgiving, because it requires you to be patient enough to avoid the first-wave rush at running back.

In that context, Carter’s list of Zero RB draft targets starts with Blake Corum, positioned as the type of running back archetype that fits a late-asset mindset. The column treats Corum less like a “must-carry” early selection and more like a swing option within the Zero RB plan, one that managers can target when drafts begin to shift away from pure running back value.

Tank Bigsby is paired with Corum in the article’s spotlight, again reflecting the Zero RB philosophy of chasing upside rather than paying for certainty. Carter’s broader point is that the strategy is not only about avoiding early running backs, it is about selecting the right later runners who can combine usage pathways with weekly scoring potential once your roster construction is in place.

Carter also situates the fantasy conversation historically, pointing back to the Zero RB National Conference era around 2017 and linking the strategy’s popularity to how sharply it can separate managers. In that framing, Zero RB becomes more than a draft gimmick. It is presented as a disciplined way to build, then recalibrate, around the weeks where running backs can break out or disappoint.

What matters for fantasy players is not the label “Zero RB” itself, but the roster math it implies. If you commit to the plan, you are betting that the run at running backs early creates an exploitable gap elsewhere, and that you can later find running back production that rivals (or outperforms) what you would have paid for in the first place. Carter’s emphasis on Corum and Bigsby as targets indicates the kind of profile he believes can fit that late-round run without undermining the rest of the build.

Why It Matters

Zero RB changes how managers allocate early draft capital, which can reshape positional value and waiver priorities.
Targeting specific backs like Corum and Bigsby suggests how the strategy may steer late-round roster construction in 2026.
Because Zero RB can swing weekly, the strategy increases the importance of depth at other positions to cover running back variance.
The approach can create matchup leverage late in the season if the selected backs reach consistent roles.

Sources

Key Facts

Denny Carter argues for a Zero RB strategy for fantasy football in 2026.
The column describes Zero RB as a high-volatility approach that depends on outcomes going the manager’s way.
Blake Corum is highlighted as a Zero RB draft target in the 2026 piece.
Tank Bigsby is also highlighted as a Zero RB draft target in the 2026 piece.