Handcuffs and Committees: A Fantasy Football Spin on Backfields

For those who may use a different term or are new to fantasy football, "handcuff" is the term used when you own insurance for one of your players in the form of owning his real-life backup. It's usually a running back, but you could conceivably handcuff a quarterback. The theory is that some or all of the production is automatically replaced should you lose a high draft pick to injury, meaning you need to insure a high draft pick by grabbing his backup.

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The problem with this theory, though, is that sometimes it falls flat on its face. Ask Steven Jackson owners from last season. When he played, he averaged the third most fantasy points per game for running backs. When he didn't, Antonio Pittman and/or Kenneth Darby were busy putting up abysmal stat-lines. Other times, however, it does work quite well. Look at Matt Cassel's numbers in taking over for Tom Brady. It's all a matter of specific circumstance.

With this in mind, we'll run through each team in the NFL and examine their running back situation -- sorting through situations where you need a handcuff, where you don't, and where it doesn't matter due to a RBBC* (*running back by committee ... see the Cowboys for a great example).

[Warning: This is a lot of words. You are probably best suited to bookmark and use as a reference whenever you think about drafting a specific running back instead of just plowing through it all at once.]

49ers
Starter: Frank Gore
Backup(s): Glen Coffee
Cuff? I'd do it. Coffee will provide good insurance for owners who drafted Gore in the first round. There's a reason the Niners drafted him: They needed a reliable backup for Gore -- who has only started all 16 games once in his four seasons.

Bears
Starter: Matt Forte
Backup(s): Kevin Jones
Cuff? Yes, and it's more important than you'd think. Jones has reportedly looked in camp like he did early in his career with the Lions. Remember, he was still recovering from an injury last season, which forced the Bears to give Forte a lot more touches than they would have otherwise cared to do.

Bengals
Starter: Cedric Benson
Backup(s): Brian Leonard, DeDe Dorsey, Bernard Scott
Cuff? None of the options are attractive enough to bother drafting unless you play in a huge league (I'm talking 18-20 owners). Benson won't be sharing any time, and if he gets hurt, you'll likely be trying to add someone off the waiver wire who will only be getting you five points. I would watch Scott in 20-team leagues, though, as I said here.

Bills
Starter: Marshawn Lynch
Backup(s): Fred Jackson, Dominic Rhodes
Cuff? Well, the short answer is absolutely. Of course, there are tons of mitigating factors here. Marshawn is going to be suspended for the first chunk of the season. That means Jackson is going to be drafted far earlier than most traditional handcuffs would be taken. He's going earlier than the 10th round in nearly all drafts, right now. Lynch is firmly entrenched as the starter and will get his job back right when he returns from suspension, but the value he loses -- in addition to the value directly gained by Jackson -- makes this look like a committee situation in terms of how the final stat-lines will appear, even though it's not. (If that even makes sense. If not, thanks for being with me).

Broncos
Starter: Knowshon Moreno
Backup(s): Correll Buckhalter, Lamont Jordan, Ryan Torain, Peyton Hillis
Cuff? No way. If you think Mike Shanahan's leave meant the running back situation in Denver would finally be cleared up, you'll have to wait a bit. Josh McDaniels learned the offensive ropes under Bill Belichick, who is probably worse than Shanahan at picking a back and sticking to him. Now, in camp, McDaniels has heaped huge praise upon Moreno, Buckhalter and Torain. Obviously, the short and long term guy here is Moreno, but it's going to be awfully tough to judge in the preseason how things will shake out in the Broncos backfield behind him. Thus, I wouldn't bother trying to cuff him. You'd have a pretty good shot at getting the wrong guy and, thus, wasting the draft pick.

Browns
Starter: Jamal Lewis
Backup(s): Jerome Harrison
Cuff? Lewis is 30, which is old for running backs. He's nearing the threshold of carries when a back historically begins to break down, and he averaged a paltry 3.6 yards per carry last season. Harrison is young and explosive. What do you think?

Buccaneers
Starter: Derrick Ward
Backup(s): Earnest Graham, Cadillac Williams
Cuff? You likely can't justify taking both Ward and Graham. Graham is being drafted just a handful of rounds later, so it wouldn't be worth the pick in most cases. If you can, more power to you, but I'd worry about this turning into a committee before Ward gets hurt.

Cardinals
Starter: Beanie Wells
Backup(s): Tim Hightower
Cuff? Similar situation to above with the Bucs, in that Hightower is getting picked pretty closely to where Wells is going. I feel like it's more important, however, in this situation to get the handcuff if you can. Hightower wasn't exceptional in his time as the featured back last year, but he still has a year under his belt and found a niche as a short-yardage back. Plus, Wells hasn't exactly been the poster-child for durability in recent memory. If you grab Beanie as your RB3, you probably need to spend the pick two rounds later on Hightower. Really, that should be all the running backs you need in most formats anyway -- always having three full-time starters -- and then you can fill out your other backups.

Chargers
Starter: LaDainian Tomlinson
Backup(s): Darren Sproles
Cuff? This one is imperative. Tomlinson has hit the dreaded 30-year-old barrier, which many running backs don't survive -- at least not productively in the stat column. He's racked up 2,657 career carries, in addition to 510 receptions. You can't find more than five guys who have ever had a good season once they've gotten north of 3,000 touches. This isn't to say he definitely can't have a good season, because he's a dynamic talent. It's just that the facts tell us you need to insure him. Sproles fits well with the Chargers newly flourishing passing attack, so he's a great handcuff for LdT.

Chiefs
Starter: Larry Johnson
Backup(s): Jamaal Charles
Cuff? Yes. LJ hasn't been his old self for the past two seasons, and we've seen enough from Charles to know he's got the talent to succeed in a full-time role Johnson fall injured or completely ineffective.

Colts
Starter: Joseph Addai
Backup(s): Donald Brown
Cuff? I don't think you can. Brown is currently going 33rd among running backs, just one round after Addai. Do you really want to use consecutive picks on running backs from the same team in the first seven rounds? Plus, this could very realistically end up a time-share situation. More power to you if you can make it work, though.

Cowboys
Committee: Marion Barber and Felix Jones, with a little Tashard Choice mixed in.
Thoughts: The Cowboys are likely to become a running team this season. Marion Barber will be a RB2 with RB1 potential. Jones will begin an RB3, with RB2 potential. Either one becomes an RB1 if the other falls injured. Choice would then become a necessary handcuff.

Dolphins
Starter: Ronnie Brown
Backup(s): Ricky Williams
Cuff? I'm not loving this. Of course Williams would see a huge uptick in production should Brown get hurt, but he's getting drafted 48th among running backs (RB4 territory). For me, that's not good value for the 32-year-old part-timer. I'd roll the dice and grab someone else with more upside a few rounds later. You could even "cuff-block" (take someone else's handcuff, which is awesome because it pisses them off and gives you trade bait in one fell swoop).

Eagles
Starter: Brian Westbrook
Backup(s): LeSean McCoy
Cuff? You better freaking believe it. Westbrook gets beat up and often plays hurt or sits out. McCoy is a great talent, cut from the same cloth as Westbrook, and will find a groove in this offense quite easily.

Falcons
Starter: Michael Turner
Backup(s): Jerious Norwood
Cuff? 100 percent, yes. Turner carried a huge workload last season, so he could be due for an injury. Norwood is a home-run hitter with major speed. He's averaged 5.8 yards per carry over the course of his career and has touchdown runs of 78, 69, 67 and 45 yards in his three-year career.

Giants
Committee: Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw.
Thoughts: Expect a similar split to last year, the only difference being that Jacobs will have a slightly higher percentage of the workload than he did in '08. Bradshaw is smaller and won't be as effective between the tackles as Ward was, but it's still a time-share situation here. Jacobs is a beast and should be started every week, while Bradshaw will be a matchup play.

Jaguars
Starter: Maurice Jones-Drew
Backup(s): Greg Jones, Chauncey Washington
Cuff? MJD has never shown he can carry a full load, though he's never really been given the chance. On the other hand, his backups are so uninspiring that I don't think I'd even bother unless it was a 20-team league. Just put all your eggs in the MJD basket should you choose him in the first round. Gambling is fun.

Jets
Starter: Thomas Jones
Backup(s): Leon Washington, Shonn Greene
Cuff? Jones is going to see a serious chunk of his touches go to the other two, namely Greene late in the game, according to new head coach Rex Ryan. Greene is the handcuff for Jones, and, yes, you need to get him if you own Jones. Washington is just an RB4 spot-starter, as he'll maintain his change of pace role regardless of what the other two backs are doing.

Lions
Starter: Kevin Smith
Backup(s): Maurice Morris
Cuff? Depends on league size. Smith is a very durable back who can handle an extraordinary workload. Plus, the Lions offensive line still isn't where it needs to be. Morris doesn't have enough talent to have big games without good blocking and a totally reliable passing attack. The thought here is that if Smith goes down, Morris is seven or eight points a week, at best. He's just not worth drafting in normal-sized leagues.

Packers
Starter: Ryan Grant
Backup(s): Brandon Jackson
Cuff? Absolutely. Jackson has a lot of talent and the Packers' offense is explosive. He was actually a better fantasy player than Grant in the first quarter of 2008 with both healthy.

Panthers
Committee: DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart
Thoughts: These two combined for over 2,300 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns last season. Pretty cut-and-dry here: Williams is an RB1 and Stewart is an RB3. If Williams goes down, Stewart's value skyrockets. If Stewart goes down, you can count on Williams to firmly entrench himself as a top-5 scorer again. This isn't a handcuff situation. Each guy holds individual value.

Patriots
Committee: Laurence Maroney, Fred Taylor, Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Hell, they may even bring you in for a look, so stay in shape. It doesn't matter for the Pats, so long as it's a warm body.
Thoughts: Good luck. Belichick has never shown any desire to stick with one guy in the backfield, and, even if he wanted to, it seems like someone is always injured. Just for sanity's sake, I'll be avoiding all of them.

Raiders
Committee: Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas, Michael Bush
Thoughts: McFadden is ready to emerge as the explosive back we saw in college. He'll leave Fargas in the dust and Bush will be useful as a goal-line back (touchdown vulture). If you want to try and handcuff McFadden with Bush it wouldn't be a bad idea at all.

Rams
Starter: Steven Jackson
Backup(s): Antonio Pittman, Kenneth Darby
Cuff? No. As I mentioned in the intro, neither Pittman nor Darby did anything to warrant fantasy consideration when Jackson was on the shelf last season. If you draft the beast that is SJax, you are gambling that you'll have him the whole way.

Ravens
Committee: Willis McGahee, Ray Rice, LeRon McClain
Thoughts: If you hear things from offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the three will all get about equal time in the backfield this year. If you remember the way things were last year, it was unpredictable as to who would get the work in any given day. Translation: Nightmare. You could leave 20 points on your bench or put zero in your starting lineup. We don't need those kinds of headaches. Pass, please.

Redskins
Starter: Clinton Portis
Backup(s): Ladell Betts
Cuff? Yes, but make it late. Betts was a stud with Portis hurt in 2006, so we know the potential is there. The past two years, though, Betts has wasted away on benches -- averaging only 270 yards and a touchdown per season.

Saints
Committee: Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.
Thoughts: They have quite the unique situation. They are technically both playing the same position (running back), but it's a generic title. They do two totally different things, therefore, they don't really infringe on each other's value much. When healthy, they can both be used as your RB2 -- especially if you have Bush in a PPR league.

Seahawks
Starter: Julius Jones
Backup(s): T.J. Duckett
Cuff? There isn't much value in grabbing both of these guys unless it's a bigger league. Jones will emerge as a decent RB3, with Duckett vulturing some short yardage scores. Assuming you have to handcuff either both of your top two running backs, Seahawks will comprise two of your six running backs. Like I said, this would apply to bigger leagues.

Steelers
Starter: Willie Parker
Backup(s): Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore
Cuff? Mendenhall is a must-cuff for Parker. Little Fast Willie has gotten banged up inside the tackles the past two seasons, and Mendenhall will be in line to take over should he fall injured again. He had enough talent for the Steelers -- an incredibly smart team -- to draft him in the first round, so we should trust him.

Texans
Starter: Steve Slaton
Backup(s): Chris Brown, Arian Foster
Cuff? Outside of the really large-sized leagues (like 18-plus teams), I wouldn't bother. Remember, you still have a waiver wire.

Titans
Committee: Chris Johnson and LenDale White. Quentin Ganther would be the third guy here, but he doesn't have any value as a handcuff unless both guys went down.
Thoughts: Both White and Johnson are going to touch the ball well over 200 times this season. You can count on lots more yardage from Johnson and lots more touchdowns from White. We like Johnson as a lower-tier RB1 and White as an RB3. If Johnson gets hurt, White moves into RB2 range and if White gets hurt, Johnson becomes an uber-elite back. They should be viewed independantly on draft day, because, like the Panthers duo, they both hold stand-alone value.

Vikings
Starter: Adrian Peterson
Backup(s): Chester Taylor
Cuff? Most definitely. Peterson has been physically strong his first two years in the NFL, but there's always that fear that your number one overall pick goes down to injury. Before the Vikes lucked into Peterson in the draft, Taylor was the every down back in Minnesota, and he accrued 1,216 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2006. If Peterson does go down, you can hope to at least stay competitive with Taylor.