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USATSI

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 By Round
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
Team by Team
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