Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Handcuffing is a widely practiced trend among fantasy football players. The idea of picking a running back’s backup as a security measure is a hotly-debated topic. It is true that the backup has a legitimate chance to make an impact, but the question that always needs to be answered is whether or not the player is worth the roster spot. Let’s face it, as a fantasy football general manager you should always be in the mindset that each roster spot on your team are all equal in value. It doesn’t matter what the actual value of the player is in this case. The point is you should only strive to get maximum value out of each roster spot.
In that way of thinking, handcuffing should be viewed as something that is totally unnecessary. After having a slew of ACL injuries occur to top running backs over the past couple of years, having complete security at the running back position may seem like a good idea, but taking a look into the idea further, it seems like more trouble than it’s worth.
First, is the matter of playing out all of the “what-if” scenarios in your head. What if my star running back suffers a season-ending injury? What if the backup is good enough to wrestle the starting job away from the first-stringer? Questions like that can leave you looking too far ahead into the future and not focused on dealing with each week one at a time. Lots of crazy things happen throughout an NFL season; things that people would never expect to happen, which is one of the reasons why we are all fans in the first place.
The second reason why handcuffing is a bad idea can be explained through viewing the strategy on the opposite side of the ball. What that means is how a fantasy GM analyzes how the opposing defense will match up against that handcuffed running back. If a defense feels confident in stopping a runner, they will stack eight in the box to try and make the running back’s life difficult. That will more than likely result in a sub-par day for your fantasy handcuff.
In conclusion, the idea of handcuffing may seem like it holds some weight to it, but in the end it doesn’t appear to be worth it. Think of it like you’re on the 35-yard line with 10 seconds left and you’re down by six. Handcuffing a running back is like going for a field goal in that analogy. It is a decision that is nearly too safe and won’t make your team any better. Fantasy GMs should always be thinking aggressively and be willing to take risks. Once a fantasy owner is willing to take some risks, then they can truly construct a great team.
Alexander Muir is a writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @AmuirAlex, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on your network on Google.
