Draft Ron Dayne. Seriously.
I survived New Orleans this weekend, but the less said about it the better. On an extremely quiet news morning, let's continue to answer some questions from the mailbag.
Frequent commenter Matthew Dibble writes,
How would you define a handcuff? Are they the same as a regular contributer? Is the handcuff the guy who gets less carries, even if you're talking about Jones and Barber? Or is it the guy who will rarely play in a single back system but you must have him in case your guy goes down? is there any in between?
and who's the most important one to have this year?
I define a handcuff as a backup running back who has extra value to your team because you own the starter. It's the type of guy that is rarely going to play unless an injury strikes, but will clearly have the job if that happens.
Jones and Barber aren't really a handcuff situation. They have value independent of one another. In fact, I wouldn't recommend trying to get both players because it's going to cost you two mid-round picks. At this point, I'd rather draft Jones in the sixth-round then spend a fourth-round pick on his backup, Barber.
We include a handcuff article with a ranking for all 32 backfields in our magazines and online draft guide (on sale this week!)
The best kind of handcuffs are ones that don't cost much and have great job security as a backup. It doesn't hurt if the starter is a question mark because of injuries. Here are five I like this year.
Ron Dayne, HOU - Playing behind an injury-prone starter in Houston. He may get goal-line carries and proved he can be successful for a short period with the Texans last year.
Michael Pittman, TB - Does it every year, no matter how many times the Bucs try to replace him. Pittman is a must-get for Cadillac Williams owners because Caddy is an injury risk. Pittman often performs better than Williams, so you lose nothing if an injury strikes. He has some stand-alone value in PPR leagues, but most of his fantasy value comes as insurance.
Brian Leonard, Rams - Any starter for the Rams at running back is going to be valuable. If you are going to spend a top-five pick on Steven Jackson, insure it with his clear (and talented) backup.
Mike Bell, Broncos - Travis Henry has struggled with durability issues in the past and Bell has proven he can be competent in Denver's system. Bell is the rare handcuff I'd reach out of the final three rounds to grab.
Michael Turner, Chargers - Turner would be an obvious every-week starter if LaDainian Tomlinson ever got hurt, which makes him the best kind of handcuff. Unfortunately, everyone knows this. How early do you want to draft someone that hopefully stays on the bench this year? We have Turner graded as a tenth-round value, but I suspect he'll get taken earlier in most leagues.
