How Many of Each Position Should You Draft in Redraft?
How Many of Each Position Should You Draft?
A redraft roster’s spots have to be split across positions, and the standard allocation loads up on running backs and receivers, carries just one or two quarterbacks and tight ends, and waits until the very end for a single kicker and defense. Your bench should skew toward the fragile, high-upside positions — mainly RB — where depth pays off and injuries create value.
| Position | Typical count (standard roster) | Logic |
|---|---|---|
| RB | 5–7 | Fragile, scarce; hoard depth and upside |
| WR | 5–7 | Deep, valuable; the other core |
| QB | 1–2 | Deep position; one starter is enough |
| TE | 1–2 | One starter; stream or one anchor |
| DST | 1 | Stream; draft last |
| K | 1 | Random; draft last |
A common beginner question with a fairly settled answer: how many of each position do you actually draft? Because your roster has a fixed number of spots, allocating them well is a real strategic decision — over-invest in one position and you waste spots, under-invest in another and you leave holes. The standard allocation reflects which positions are scarce, which are deep, and where depth actually helps.
Load Up on Running Back and Wide Receiver
The two positions you draft most of are running back and wide receiver, typically 5–7 of each. These are your starters (you usually start 2+ RB, 2+ WR, plus a flex) and the positions where depth matters most:
- Running back is fragile and scarce. RBs get hurt often, the drop-off from a starter to a replacement is steep, and injuries create value. You want a deep RB room — starters plus high-upside backups and handcuffs a snap away from a workload. This is where hoarding depth pays off.
- Wide receiver is deep but central. WRs fill multiple starting slots and the flex, and a strong, deep receiver corps gives you reliable weekly options. Load up here too.
Between them, RB and WR should occupy the large majority of your roster. The exact split leans slightly toward whichever your league’s format and your draft flow favor, but both are core.
Carry Only One or Two QBs and TEs
Quarterback and tight end are “onesie” positions in standard leagues — you start one of each — and both are deep enough that you don’t need to hoard them:
- QB: 1–2. In a standard 1QB league, quarterback is deep (more startable QBs than teams), so one reliable starter is enough, with maybe a second if you want a matchup option or a bye-week cover. Don’t spend multiple valuable roster spots on QBs you’ll never start — that capital is better used on RB/WR depth.
- TE: 1–2. Draft one tight end you’re comfortable starting, plus possibly a second if you’re streaming the position or hedging. Over-investing in tight end spots is inefficient when you only start one.
The onesie logic: since you start one, extra bodies mostly sit on your bench doing nothing. Cover the position, then spend elsewhere.
Wait on Kicker and Defense
Kicker and defense are the last two picks of your draft, one each. Both are low-scoring, unpredictable positions where the difference between the “best” option and an average one is tiny and impossible to predict:
- One kicker, drafted last. Never use a mid-round pick on a kicker — that spot is worth far more as skill-position depth.
- One defense, drafted last (or second-to-last). Most managers stream defense by matchup anyway, so there’s little reason to invest early or roster more than one.
Spending early picks on K or DST is a classic mistake — those positions are streamable and replaceable, so they get the scraps at the end.
How to Allocate Your Bench
Your bench spots (beyond your starters) should follow one principle: spend them where depth actually helps. That means skewing toward the fragile, high-upside positions:
- Most bench spots go to running back, because RB is the most injury-prone and waiver-thin position — a stashed backup can become a league-winner, and you need cover for your fragile starters.
- Then wide receiver, for depth and upside.
- Chase upside, not safety, on the bench. Late roster spots are for high-ceiling swings — breakout candidates, handcuffs, rookies — not for redundant, low-ceiling veterans. A boom-bust flier that hits is worth more than a safe player who won’t crack your lineup.
- Don’t waste bench spots on extra QBs, TEs, kickers, or defenses you’ll never start.
Worked Example: Two Roster Builds
Two managers draft standard rosters. Manager A allocates well: 6 RB, 6 WR, 1 QB, 2 TE, 1 DST, 1 K — loading his bench with running-back depth and upside WRs. Manager B over-invests in onesies: he drafts 3 QBs and 3 TEs “to be safe,” leaving him only 4 RB and 4 WR.
Across the season, Manager A’s deep RB room absorbs injuries (a couple of his handcuffs hit and become starters) and his WR depth gives him weekly options — his bench actively helps him. Manager B, meanwhile, has two extra quarterbacks and one extra tight end rotting on his bench (he only starts one of each), while his thin RB room gets wrecked by a single injury with no depth to cover it. Same roster size, but Manager B wasted spots on positions he can’t start and left himself dangerously thin where depth matters most.
Common mistake: over-allocating to the positions you only start one of — carrying three quarterbacks or three tight ends “just in case” — while going thin at running back and receiver. Since you start one QB and one TE, extra bodies there mostly sit benched and produce nothing, while the spots they cost you would have provided crucial RB/WR depth. Load up on RB and WR (5–7 each), carry just 1–2 QBs and TEs, draft one kicker and one defense last, and fill your bench with upside at the fragile positions.
The Bottom Line
Redraft roster allocation is mostly settled: draft 5–7 running backs and 5–7 receivers (your starters and where depth pays off), carry only 1–2 quarterbacks and tight ends (deep onesie positions), and take a single kicker and defense with your last picks. Skew your bench toward running back and toward upside, not safety. The recurring error is hoarding the positions you only start one of while leaving your core thin — avoid it, and your roster will be both deep where it counts and unwasteful everywhere else.
For more on draft strategy, roster construction, and bench management, see the FantasyDomain learn hub.
For draft construction, read draft day preparation, best available vs need, and positional scarcity.