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If You Draft Foster Is Handcuffing Tate A Must? (1 Viewer)

R

RalphMouth

Footballguy
Tate is trending as a 6th-7th round pick according to Mock Drafts.

That's a rather valuable slot for a handcuff.

Knowing this would you be more inclined to draft McCoy or Rice?

 
Not a big fan of handcuffing in general.

But I don't think this is a typical handcuffing situation. I believe Houston will run the ball enough where you could use Tate as a solid bye week fill in or even a flex. So I'd consider drafting Tate in that respect, that he happens to give an added bonus to the Foster owner, is just that...an added bonus.

 
I would be happy to have one elite RB position completely locked down, even if I had to give my 1st and 7th to do it. And yea, Tate is still valuable as a bye-week filler or flex in deeper leagues (scored 9 PPG in PPR even when Foster was healthy).

Given that Foster's PPG in PPR is much higher than even Rice or McCoy (with his absurd TD season) I would still easily classify him as the best RB to take in re-drafts, even with having to take Tate early.

So my view is that no, it doesn't matter.

If you wanted to determine whether you are -EV for not taking Tate as handcuff, you'd just have to calculate the odds he misses whatever number of games and your expected point totals under each scenario.

 
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Donald Brown

Denarius Moore

RG III

Stevan Ridley

James Starks

a few names of players you would probably miss out on if you grab Tate as a handcuff-

 
'RalphMouth said:
Donald BrownDenarius MooreRG IIIStevan RidleyJames Starksa few names of players you would probably miss out on if you grab Tate as a handcuff-
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I dont think Id be worrying about it, besides RG3 Im not thrilled about any of them and he's a rookie and wont live up to that draft position
 
So lets look at it this way-

Foster goes down - Tate is a #1RB

Rice goes down - ???

McCoy goes down - ???

Point is handcuffing is not exactly that great of an idea, would rather spend my very limited bench space in re-draft on someone who could break out, why worry about worst case?

If Rice goes down my season is shot probably

If McCoy goes down my season is shot probably

Foster goes down and I have Tate I am still ticking, with somewhat a loss but still #1RB numbers from Tate

 
Not at his current RB33 price, IMO. Yes, he filled in admirably when Foster was out, but he ranked 50th(!) in RB PPG weeks 4 - 16 when Foster was playing. Additionally, he doesn't catch the ball near as much as Foster does, so even if Foster's out, he's likely closer to RB10 than being the best overall player in fantasy, as is Foster.

At his ADP, you're taking him over guys like Donald Brown and Peyton Hillis, who are guys almost certain to get enough touches to be viable starters barring injury. DeAngelo Williams is a better "hope for injury" lotto pick going half a round later.

Handcuffing makes sense at the right price, which is not the 6th or 7th when you're still grabbing every week flex starters

 
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Bizarre arguments in here. Tate could be as good as RB10 if you lose Foster. And yet he's not worthy of hand cuffing. That makes no sense to me. Granted, Tate is not Foster but he's alot better if needed than most bench players.

I think the top few rb's should always be hand cuffed. :shrug:

 
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'Coeur de Lion said:
Not at his current RB33 price, IMO. Yes, he filled in admirably when Foster was out, but he ranked 50th(!) in RB PPG weeks 4 - 16 when Foster was playing. Additionally, he doesn't catch the ball near as much as Foster does, so even if Foster's out, he's likely closer to RB10 than being the best overall player in fantasy, as is Foster.At his ADP, you're taking him over guys like Donald Brown and Peyton Hillis, who are guys almost certain to get enough touches to be viable starters barring injury. DeAngelo Williams is a better "hope for injury" lotto pick going half a round later.Handcuffing makes sense at the right price, which is not the 6th or 7th when you're still grabbing every week flex starters
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That is where I disagree, I am very against hand-cuffing though. If I am going to hand-cuff my top RB I want know he is going to putting up startable numbers. If your passing on Tate that is fine but you don't pass on Foster because of this.What backup RBs out there can start and put up RB2 numbers even? You should always go for talent not based on if he is #2 in the depth chart behind your guy. This strategy does change with very very deep leagues though where you can't find a serviceable RB on the cheap or on the waiver wire, like Kuhn last year that you could at least gamble he might get a TD or a couple points.
 
In my recent dynasty league Tate went mid 6th. Other guys taken around him were FJax, Bradshaw, Finley, SJax, S Smith, T Smith, Vick. I drafted Foster and then Bradshaw as my RB2. So I would have had to take Tate as my RB2 in order to handcuff Foster.

 
That's almost as high as LJ was in handcuffing Priest(6th round). Priest was older and coming off a serious hip injury.

In a dynasty I don't have him handcuffed but start other players if he gets hurt. He's pretty durable though. I wouldn't do it that soon.

 
'Funkley said:
Bizarre arguments in here. Tate could be as good as RB10 if you lose Foster. And yet he's not worthy of hand cuffing. That makes no sense to me. Granted, Tate is not Foster but he's alot better if needed than most bench players.I think the top few rb's should always be hand cuffed. :shrug:
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In a vaccum, sure. But considering Tate's ADP it's not such an obvious move.
 
Depends on how the rest of the team is constructed, scoring, league size.

> 12 teams, dont handcuff him. you pay far too high of a price for a semi decent flex option most weeks and likely dont have either a RB2 or a WR2 if you take him.

PPR i dont handcuff him. He is about a highish end RB 2 if Foster goes down, might be unplayable as a flex. Other guys near his draft position should give more value (Stewart, Spiller) on a weekly basis and dont require the main back to go down.

10/12 team standard scoring: I personally roll the dice and pick him provided im going with a TE commitee or QB committee (if its necessary based on who has been drafted)

 
Depends on how the rest of the team is constructed, scoring, league size.

> 12 teams, dont handcuff him. you pay far too high of a price for a semi decent flex option most weeks and likely dont have either a RB2 or a WR2 if you take him.

PPR i dont handcuff him. He is about a highish end RB 2 if Foster goes down, might be unplayable as a flex. Other guys near his draft position should give more value (Stewart, Spiller) on a weekly basis and dont require the main back to go down.

10/12 team standard scoring: I personally roll the dice and pick him provided im going with a TE commitee or QB committee (if its necessary based on who has been drafted)

 
In general, I don't think handcuffing is the way to go. In general.

However, there are a few exceptions to this general rule and they are fueled by both the talent of the handcuff and the system being used by the team. That said, I think Tate is a MUST handcuff if you own Foster. He is a very good back and if forced into a full time role, can excel. He probably won't be = to Foster, but he'll be pretty darned good.

The flip side to the argument is someone like the Vikings. If AP were healthy, I wouldn't advocate handcuffing Gerhardt. He can fill in for a few games and be adequate, but the Vikes wouldn't use him nearly the same way they use AP. The offense would change. In that situatuion, if I owned Peterson, I would lok for value and/or another rb and wouldn't go for Gerhardt. I'd also pray every night that AP stays healthy!

Just my two cents.

 
'Bronx Bomber said:
In my recent dynasty league Tate went mid 6th. Other guys taken around him were FJax, Bradshaw, Finley, SJax, S Smith, T Smith, Vick. I drafted Foster and then Bradshaw as my RB2. So I would have had to take Tate as my RB2 in order to handcuff Foster.
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In my dynasty draft earlier this year, I got Foster at 1.4, and managed to wait until mid-8th round to take Tate. I thought THAT was early, but the 6th? I definitely would not have gotten him if that was the case in my league.
 
Gerhart is a completely different handcuff though, he goes low, usually undrafted if AP is healthy. If you are in a league with 20 man rosters, getting gerhart in the 17th round is reasonable to expect and you don't give up much for him, or you can roll the dice if AP goes down that you can get him on waivers.

Tate will be taken regardless of fosters health. And you give up a decently high pick as well. He has value as a bye week player or possible flex play or injury fill in because of scheme. You almost have to draft knowing if you are taking Tate as a foster owner because of how high a pick he is. To me, unless it's a 10/12 team standard scoring league it's not worth it. Waivers are too shallow and you put too many eggs in one basket too early when there are players around Tare that will be more solid flex plays at the same position. (Hillis/Stewart/Brown types)

 
'chickensoup said:
Depends on how the rest of the team is constructed, scoring, league size.> 12 teams, dont handcuff him. you pay far too high of a price for a semi decent flex option most weeks and likely dont have either a RB2 or a WR2 if you take him.PPR i dont handcuff him. He is about a highish end RB 2 if Foster goes down, might be unplayable as a flex. Other guys near his draft position should give more value (Stewart, Spiller) on a weekly basis and dont require the main back to go down.10/12 team standard scoring: I personally roll the dice and pick him provided im going with a TE commitee or QB committee (if its necessary based on who has been drafted)
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Another to consider is IDP. Our top shelf LB#1's are still coming off the board in round 6-7 and no way would I pick Tate with with my starting LB still on the board. Plus the fact that IDP pushes other position deeper in the draft, it's a lot to give up for a handcuff that early.
 
I only believe in handcuffing key positions, and if there is a obvious handcuff who is fantasy relevant if the starter goes down, and with my #1 RB, I'll probably attempt to handcuff. I might not handcuff, if I already have a lot of good depth at that position.

In the case of Foster and Tate, I would want both of them assuming I can get them at reasonable value.

Tate would probably go after several RB with a good chance of starting or getting a lot of touches, so I would believe he can be had for reasonable value.

If McCoy, Rice, or any top STUD went down for a prolonged period of time, that owner will probably be hurting, with Foster and Rice, there isn't that large risk of loss of ff scoring or RBBC replacing the injured starter.

Also, I would tend to handcuff more in a dynasty leagues than a redraft leagues.

 
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Foster is the top talent at RB this year but the Houston running scheme is a solid one. If Foster goes down, Tate showed last year that he can more than handle the load and perform well. Even at a 6th or 7th rounder, I think its worth it just to know you have the best RB situation in the league tied up.

 
If I draft Foster there's no way I take Tate anywhere near his current ADP. But I will plan on trying to trade for him after a couple games where he does nothing. Maybe even target a Felix Jones/Jaquizz Rodgers in later rounds if the guy who took Tate took Demarco/Turner earlier.

 
Nothing is a must, but its certainly a good idea. Especially now, considering the way teams are using RBs, having a monopoly over as many situations as you can is the key(at least for me).

I throw Tate in the same discussion as Jonathan Stewart, I would be drafting him right around there, those two are the lottery tickets that win you championships if they hit.

A lot of you say handcuffing is overrated, but what about guys like Darren Mcfadden.

the fact that I have confidence in the ability of Mike Goodson to produce in the absence of McFadden, changes my perspective on where I draft and rank McFadden.

I would draft McFadden as my #4 back right now, because I know when he goes down, I wont get elite production, but I wont be stuck with nothing either.

To put it simply, its kinda like buying insurance, sure, you dont have to and things be most likly will be alright, but what if something goes wrong?

If you don't believe in Tate's ability, then stay away. But, if you do, your one big hit away from having a top back in the best running offense in the league.

If I draft Foster, I'm getting Tate, no doubt about it.

 
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'Insein said:
Foster is the top talent at RB this year but the Houston running scheme is a solid one. If Foster goes down, Tate showed last year that he can more than handle the load and perform well. Even at a 6th or 7th rounder, I think its worth it just to know you have the best RB situation in the league tied up.
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:goodposting:
 
'CalvinJ55 said:
Handcuffing is overrated
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I've known a few women that might disagree, but I digress...I always (try to) handcuff when I think the scheme is right and the backup is talented. I would target Tate in this instance. Sure, the price is steep but you are insuring your #1 RB. I have enough confidence to mine some gems later in the draft to offset the mid round pick to grab Tate.
 
Normally, I am not a fan of handcuffing, usually because you are either taking a vastly inferior RB who is a backup for a reason or simply taking two RBs from the same team who will split time all year (like the Carolina RBs in recent years), but in the case of Foster and Tate, taking Tate, too, is protecting your investment, that investment being a RB who was likely the 1st or 2nd pick in the draft. Tate didn't score a lot last year, but his yards and YPA were more than good enough to show that he could be a top 10 RB in Houston's high-powered offense if Foster were to go down.

 
I would not say hancuffing with Tate is a must, but at the point you are looking at drafting Tate, you are looking at retreads or players who need a break to put up any kind of numbers. Tate is no different. he will put up 4-500 yards and a couple of TD's unless Your man Foster gets hurt. That being the case he could put up good enough numbers to be worth your while. He wont be much use if anyone else on your team gets hurt, but if you are worried about Foster, he definitely covers the bases.

Of course, it all depends on who is left. I would take any RB in a starting role over Tate, but he has to be one of the top ranked backups in the NFL, so I really dont see any downside to grabbing him (unless you overpay and draft him too early)

 
This is a lot like Holmes/Johnson a few years back, except that Priest was always one clean hit away from a season ending injury. Foster however is not the injury risk Holmes was. Sure, he could get injured just like any other RB, but he doesn't have concussion/neck injury problems. He had a hamstring issue last year which seems to have people freaking out now to the point that they'll draft a backup really early. As good as the Houston ground game is, Tate isn't going to put up Larry Johnson numbers if he gets his shot. I've edited the post below so that I agree with it (I don't just not want RGIII, I'm avoiding him). Don't waste a 6th on Tate unless you are a bad FF player - you basically know you aren't a good drafter and you need to get lucky. If that's you, then Tate is your 6th round lottery ticket. But if you know what you're doing then you don't want to draft a guy in the 6th that isn't likely to see your starting lineup.

'RalphMouth said:
Donald Brown

Denarius Moore

RG III Hillis

Stevan Ridley

James Starks

a few names of players you would probably miss out on if you grab Tate as a handcuff-
Click to expand...
 
'FF Ninja said:
This is a lot like Holmes/Johnson a few years back, except that Priest was always one clean hit away from a season ending injury. Foster however is not the injury risk Holmes was. Sure, he could get injured just like any other RB, but he doesn't have concussion/neck injury problems. He had a hamstring issue last year which seems to have people freaking out now to the point that they'll draft a backup really early. As good as the Houston ground game is, Tate isn't going to put up Larry Johnson numbers if he gets his shot. I've edited the post below so that I agree with it (I don't just not want RGIII, I'm avoiding him). Don't waste a 6th on Tate unless you are a bad FF player - you basically know you aren't a good drafter and you need to get lucky. If that's you, then Tate is your 6th round lottery ticket. But if you know what you're doing then you don't want to draft a guy in the 6th that isn't likely to see your starting lineup.

'RalphMouth said:
Donald Brown

Denarius Moore

RG III Hillis

Stevan Ridley

James Starks

a few names of players you would probably miss out on if you grab Tate as a handcuff-
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Well, Starks is supposed to be the starter, so if he is available you take him ahead of Tate every time.it's rumoured that Donald Brown & Stevan Ridley will also start.

If this comes to pass, you should value all of these players higher than your Tate handcuff and if they are available at the time you are thinking of going down this road, you need to wait a round or two before grabbing him

 
Let someone else take Tate at his current ADP and wait a few weeks for him to either hit the WW or come at a big discount. If he starts dropping to rounds 9-10, I'd consider him, but no sense in burning a draft position where you should be getting a starter with upside.

 
'johnadams said:
Let someone else take Tate at his current ADP and wait a few weeks for him to either hit the WW or come at a big discount. If he starts dropping to rounds 9-10, I'd consider him, but no sense in burning a draft position where you should be getting a starter with upside.
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now this is a good plan, if you take foster, you dont have to draft him in round 6 or whatever, but just simply wait for the jerk who CB'd ya to cut him, or make a small trade for him when the value his dropped
 
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