Handcuffing wr's ? (1 Viewer)

[ROCKET]

Would you draft a rookie wr in a pass happy offense to go along side an established wr to ensure getting the recieving points that inevitably will be put up? The scenario I'll use is with Colston and Meachem. Assuming you have Colston and you also have the option of Meachem, Bowe, Jarrett etc. in a rookie draft then who do you take? And if you had Steve Smith do you target Jarrett?

How many people target Bowe who has a great shot at the #1 spot in a run first offense in KC and forget about handcuffing another wr? How much emphasis do you put on backing up your #1 wr's and how heavily does the offense a wr will be in effect where you value him or do you strictly draft by how talented you think a wr is? Thoughts?

 

[-OZ-]

Haven't really thought about it except in the top passing offenses, like Indianapolis, Cincy and New Orleans. And then it's not so much that I need to "handcuff", it's that if Marvin/Housh/Colston got injured, Gonzo/Henry/Meachem should take off.

So to answer your questions:

Handcuff: no, I don't have any of my WRs backups.

Offensive scheme plays a good role, but talent comes first. I won't be drafting Steve Breaston ahead of Jason Hill, even if he is in Arizona. But, I probably rank him ahead of Laurent Robinson.

 

[ROCKET]

Haven't really thought about it except in the top passing offenses, like Indianapolis, Cincy and New Orleans. And then it's not so much that I need to "handcuff", it's that if Marvin/Housh/Colston got injured, Gonzo/Henry/Meachem should take off. So to answer your questions:Handcuff: no, I don't have any of my WRs backups. Offensive scheme plays a good role, but talent comes first. I won't be drafting Steve Breaston ahead of Jason Hill, even if he is in Arizona. But, I probably rank him ahead of Laurent Robinson.

So in a top passing offense like N.O. would you take Meachem over a player like Bowe if you were a Colston owner? What about the situation where Steve Smith is in Carolina? If Smith goes down is it worth having Jarrett as insurance? Or would you rather roll the dice and go after Bowe or someone else? I'm only referring to the top tier rookie wr's as I realize guys like Laurent and Breaston are reaches to step right in soon.

 

[-OZ-]

So in a top passing offense like N.O. would you take Meachem over a player like Bowe if you were a Colston owner? What about the situation where Steve Smith is in Carolina? If Smith goes down is it worth having Jarrett as insurance? Or would you rather roll the dice and go after Bowe or someone else? I'm only referring to the top tier rookie wr's as I realize guys like Laurent and Breaston are reaches to step right in soon.

I'll get more in detail after my draft (there are a few players I'm targetting which will answer this in more detail, but tip my hand to the league.)For now, I'll just say I want to put myself in a position to win games with the best players.ETA: don't confuse a rookie WR with an automatic handcuff. Jarrett is not Smith's handcuff, they're completely different players, complimentary even. Drew Carter might be a good late target for the SS owner.

 

[Christo]

Would you draft a rookie wr in a pass happy offense to go along side an established wr to ensure getting the recieving points that inevitably will be put up?

I don't think you do it with the first round because of the WR bust %. But last year I did draft Demetrius Williams in the third round because I had Derrick Mason on my roster. Granted, the Ravens aren't the Colts, but it looks like it might work out.

 

[redman]

I don't handcuff WR's for a couple of main reasons.

First and foremost, their risk of injury has always seemed lower to me than RB's. There are fewer collisions and opportunities for the types of injuries that cause them to miss games. Obviously, there are exceptions, but if you look at the WR's who are considered elite (and therefore theoretically worth handcuffing something to them) they mostly don't miss games. Holt, Harrison, TO, Wayne, CJ, etc. all either regularly play in all 16 games, or else miss only one or two games in a season at most.

IMHO the WR position is even less based upon "situation" than is the RB position. At RB, if the team has a respectable offense and run blocks well, you can get guys like Reuben Droughns, Ladell Betts, Mike Anderson, Chester Taylor, Lamont Jordan or Thomas Jones to perform well or even at an elite level during the course of a season. If an elite WR falls to injury, however, it's less likely that his replacement is simply going to step in and more or less replicate his performance.

I therefore ignore handcuffs and simply draft for quality, figuring that quality will create its own opportunity. BTW, I don't tend to let the fact that a rookie player is on the same team as one of my players turn me away, e.g. if I'm at the right spot in the draft this year I won't avoid drafting Meacham if I already have Colston. The best passing teams can certainly support more than one good fantasy WR.

 

[patrickmcgroin]

Maybe if you could have a really big roster.