Cut the Handcuff for Better Value? (1 Viewer)

[JD8p]

So I am sure we have all been there...late in the season we make sure we have our necessary handcuffs in place, and may have even made some 2 for 1 deals to improve at one spot while freeing up another to add some of the backups to our marquee RB's.

But now there is only a week or two left, and while you have your necessary handcuffs a player or two pops up on the waiver wire.

Now you find yourself wondering if it is worth dumping your insurance policy for another guys who might actually be a bit more valuable.

Typically I find the notion of handcuffs to be a little overrated and go with the best value, but with so many injuries this year I personally find that I am a little reluctant.

So let's say you're a LeSean McCoy owner with Jerome Harrison occupying a roster spot...or a Chris Johnson owner rostering Javon Ringer...what do you do? Do you toss the backup to the scrap heap in order to add someone like Brian Westbrook or Toby Gerhart - or do you hold on to your backups just to be prepared for a worst case scenario?

 

[Captain Hook]

So I am sure we have all been there...late in the season we make sure we have our necessary handcuffs in place, and may have even made some 2 for 1 deals to improve at one spot while freeing up another to add some of the backups to our marquee RB's.But now there is only a week or two left, and while you have your necessary handcuffs a player or two pops up on the waiver wire.Now you find yourself wondering if it is worth dumping your insurance policy for another guys who might actually be a bit more valuable.Typically I find the notion of handcuffs to be a little overrated and go with the best value, but with so many injuries this year I personally find that I am a little reluctant.So let's say you're a LeSean McCoy owner with Jerome Harrison occupying a roster spot...or a Chris Johnson owner rostering Javon Ringer...what do you do? Do you toss the backup to the scrap heap in order to add someone like Brian Westbrook or Toby Gerhart - or do you hold on to your backups just to be prepared for a worst case scenario?

If you had written this last week, wouldn't you have put Gerhart in the group with Harrison or Ringer?The point is that the only handcuffs who have playable value are the ones that get to playBUT if you own both, there is lineup insurance value for the backup........................IF the guy is someone else's backup there is potential value that may or may not be realized.Obviously depends on both number of roster spots available and how solid your basic lineup is.Personally I wouldn't cut any of the ones you mention plus a few more Especially if your waiver options end/have ended

 

[JD8p]

Of course Gerhart would have been of little value last week...same goes for Westbrook, but I found myself deliberating this very thing last night before waivers, hence my posting on it this week.

For me...I thought it was best to forgo the greater value in favor of security - but I was wondering where others stood on this...

 

[tdhartis]

Come playoffs I generally cut any players I don't forsee playing at that point for any handcuffs I couldn't afford to secure during the regular season. If for some reason someone like CJ or AP went down week 14 you would be much happier that you secured Gerhart or Ringer than you would about keeping SEA Mike Williams as your WR4/5.

 

[solorca]

I am always willing to cut a handcuff if a better option presents itself, but at the same time, I am more likely to drop a player who has less value to me. Personally, I have sat on Willis McGahee on my bench for the entire season, just in case something happens to Ray Rice.

I decided to put in a waiver claim for Westbrook in my PPR league, and the only players that I was willing to part with were Beanie Wells, Pierre Thomas, Danny Woodhead, or McGahee. I decided to release Beanie Wells rather than the other options. My reasoning was that Pierre Thomas is the best back of the group when healthy, so I was willing to hang on to him due to the potential he could offer in the playoffs. In my league Woodhead is listed as a WR, and because of my relative lack of firepower at the RB position, I usually start 4 receivers (currently have six on my roster, with only Greg Jennings and Santonio Holmes being every week starters, along with Hines Ward, Mike Thomas, and the Mike X. Williams/Ben Obomanu combo). That brought the choice down to Beanie Wells vs. Willis McGahee. With Beanie Wells, I knew that he would be a huge gamble any week I had to play him because of his injuries and his overall lack of production. McGahee on the other hand, I felt could immediately contribute if I happen to need him in the playoffs. I had no intention of ever playing either guy for the remainder of the season unless something happened to either Ray Rice, Ahmad Bradshaw, or LeGarrette Blount, so I felt that dropping Beanie was the best choice because of the value that McGahee offers in a worst case scenario.

Basically, it came down to this...

If something happened to Ray Rice, I would prefer McGahee over Beanie Wells OR Brian Westbrook

If something happened to Ahmad Bradshaw or LeGarrette Blount, I would prefer Brian Westbrook over Beanie Wells

Every situation is unique, but that was my thought process around a handcuff spot.

 

[Hoosier16]

So let's say you're a LeSean McCoy owner with Jerome Harrison occupying a roster spot...or a Chris Johnson owner rostering Javon Ringer...what do you do? Do you toss the backup to the scrap heap in order to add someone like Brian Westbrook or Toby Gerhart - or do you hold on to your backups just to be prepared for a worst case scenario?

If you're not going to start the waiver guy over your starters, in this case McCoy or Johnson, then you have to compare the value of the waiver guy to the potential value of the handcuff. If the handcuff will produce nearly as well as the starter and better than the waiver guys, then I think you have to keep the handcuffs.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

I think that it really depends on who is the handcuff and what team it is. For example, I am not very bullish about Toby Gerhart’s ability to supplant ADP’s numbers even if he’s the main guy going forward. He seems to be an injury risk and I don’t see him putting up replacement value of what you would have expected from a healthy ADP. In the case of Javon Ringer, Derrick Ward, or Bernard Scott, I could definitely see the value, but they won’t produce like the studs ahead of them. Any one of them is a nice flex, maybe a solid RB2 if the starter goes down. But if the playoffs were on the line, I’d be a little hesitant to start them with confidence. It would depend on the matchups.

But I’d not cut a Mike Williams (Sea) until it’s clear he isn’t coming back soon. When healthy, he was a target monster, and those are the kind of guys that can easily score 20+ points and help you win your league. Of course, in my league, you can start 1 RB and 4 WR’s, so that changes things considerably.

As an ADP owner and my waiver wire cash gone, I can forget about getting Gerhart. But who would I have to cut to get him? I may not have tried hard to get him anyway, truth be told. I can still field a solid lineup with just one RB and pick from a solid corps of WR’s.

I don't value the handcuff as much as others. I think handcuffs are overrated, and I’d much rather have the quality depth at other positions since my lineup combinations in my league rules allow for creativity.

 

[PhilLynott]

Come playoffs I generally cut any players I don't forsee playing at that point for any handcuffs I couldn't afford to secure during the regular season. If for some reason someone like CJ or AP went down week 14 you would be much happier that you secured Gerhart or Ringer than you would about keeping SEA Mike Williams as your WR4/5.

Handcuffs are only worth value if they can step in and play as well as the starter. How many teams have that luxury? Most teams have geared their plays around QB1, RB1, and WR1.

 

[Macdaddy_2004]

I have CJ2K handcuffed with Ringer - I am contemplating cutting Ringer once the playoffs start - If CJ2K were to go down I'd pretty much be dead anyways - The guy I get by Cutting Ringer may be able to step into my starting lineup.

 

[lazyike]

The last handcuff I cut was Westbrook back in the beginning of the season. Now I don't have enough bidding bucks to nab him and even Dixon is on someone elses roster in this deep 20 man roster league.

 

[tietzjd]

The last handcuff I cut was Westbrook back in the beginning of the season. Now I don't have enough bidding bucks to nab him and even Dixon is on someone elses roster in this deep 20 man roster league.

I think there is few you should handcuffFoster with Ward (Ward has shown in small sample size he would do well)

AP with Gerhart (Gerhart will get 20 touches a game)

Rice with McGahee

CJ2K with Ringer (even though last week was scary)

Question to ask is would Ward/Ringer/Westbrook/McGahee/Gerhart out preform your depth.

As CJ2k and Foster owner, I can not see where my depth (LT/Greene) would do better than Ward... debating on Ringer.

 

[LC512]

I cut Gore's handcuff this past Sunday to pick up Gerhart (my biggest playoff threat has AP).

Luckily the handcuff I cut was Dixon and Westbrook looks to be the guy. I was able to pick him up.

But very narrowly avoided being an example of one case where someone got screwed by doing that.

Not sure what the takeaway is, other than if you do it and your guy goes down, you're going to feel awfully stupid like I almost did.