How many running backs and receivers should I draft?

In a standard build with two running back slots, two or three receiver slots and a flex, about five or six of each is typical. Those are the positions where an injury forces you onto a much weaker replacement, so bench depth there is worth the most.

Do I need a backup quarterback?

In a one-quarterback league, usually not more than one on the bench, and often none early in the year — startable quarterbacks are available on waivers most weeks. In superflex or two-quarterback leagues you carry two or three, because the position is genuinely scarce.

Should I draft two tight ends?

In most one-tight-end leagues, no — stream the position from waivers instead of spending a bench spot. Consider a second only in tight-end-premium scoring or a league deep enough that the tight end you would otherwise pick up is unplayable.

How many of each position to draft in fantasy football

In a standard twelve-team league that starts one quarterback, two running backs, two or three receivers, one tight end and a flex, a sound roster is roughly one quarterback, five or six running backs, five or six receivers, and one tight end, with a bench weighted toward running backs and receivers. The reason is simple: you carry depth where the player you would replace an injury with is worst, and that is at running back and receiver. Quarterback and tight end have startable options on waivers in most leagues, so a second one on your bench mostly sits there.

Cover your starters, then buy insurance where it is scarce

Start with your league's starting requirements and fill every slot with a player you are comfortable starting week one. After that, every remaining pick is insurance, and insurance is worth the most where the replacement is worst. A running back or receiver who goes down is replaced by someone far weaker than a waiver quarterback would be, so those are the positions to stack on your bench.

That is why a healthy standard build leans toward five or six running backs and five or six receivers, one quarterback, and one tight end. It is not a rule handed down from nowhere — it falls straight out of ranking players by their value over replacement, the ordering used on this site, because the positions with the steepest drop-off to waivers are exactly the ones worth carrying extra of.

When to break the default

Two formats change the shape. Superflex and two-quarterback leagues make a second quarterback a real starter, so you carry two or three and draft them far earlier. Tight-end-premium scoring, and leagues where the position is unusually thin, can justify a second tight end if the one you would otherwise stream is genuinely unplayable.

Deep leagues also shift the math. The more teams in your league, the thinner the waiver wire, which raises the value of bench depth everywhere and can push you toward carrying an extra player at the position you are least secure. The default above is a strong starting point; your scoring settings and league size are the inputs that move it, and the boards here reflect those settings so the counts follow from your league rather than a generic list.

Common questions

How many running backs and receivers should I draft?: In a standard build with two running back slots, two or three receiver slots and a flex, about five or six of each is typical. Those are the positions where an injury forces you onto a much weaker replacement, so bench depth there is worth the most.
Do I need a backup quarterback?: In a one-quarterback league, usually not more than one on the bench, and often none early in the year — startable quarterbacks are available on waivers most weeks. In superflex or two-quarterback leagues you carry two or three, because the position is genuinely scarce.
Should I draft two tight ends?: In most one-tight-end leagues, no — stream the position from waivers instead of spending a bench spot. Consider a second only in tight-end-premium scoring or a league deep enough that the tight end you would otherwise pick up is unplayable.