Fantasy Football: Second-Half Handcuffs

When you hear the word “handcuff” in fantasy football settings, you think of guys like Chester Taylor or Darren Sproles, the backups to your elite RBs. If everything goes well, they’re the guys that basically just sit on your bench all season, while you quietly hope to never see them active.

But, as the second half of the season rolls around, there are a few perhaps non-standard handcuffs that I (the Fantasy Football Librarian) think should be owned in almost every league. A few of those handcuffs are listed below. Enjoy!

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TE Billy Miller (New Orleans Saints)

This name might not be that much of an unknown anymore, now that he’s been consistently stepping up in lieu of Jeremy Shockey. Miller led the Saints in receptions in London last week, and while he probably won’t keep that trend up (um, as a Marques Colston owner, I certainly hope not...) for the second half of the season, he’s a great plug-in if Shockey continues to look less than healthy.

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RB Ryan Torain (Denver Broncos)

I have injured my ribs before, and it was not fun. Merely getting into bed and lying down was a brutal experience, so I can’t even imagine how Michael Pittman (and Jason Witten) is attempting to play through his rib injury. Pittman is likely to be questionable with bruised ribs and expected to play at least some against Miami on Sunday, but I think Torain’s coming-out party is just days away, and I for one can’t wait to see it (yes, live and in person, baby!).

So, if anyone out there owns Michael Pittman or Selvin Young, pick up Ryan Torain to cover your back. I can hear you all now: “Not a Denver back! No!” But yes, I really think Torain is the real deal. Try to ignore my uber-Broncos fandom when I say that of course.

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RB Fred Jackson (Buffalo Bills)

During the preseason, I remember reading hype about how Marshawn Lynch was a rarity in the league these days as the back in Buffalo; if there was one place not to worry too much about a RBBC (running back by committee) situation forming, it was Buffalo.

Well, funny how half a season can change things. My gut is not that high on Lynch right now—I feel like something is off. So, based on less than studly stats and my unhappy gut, I say Lynch will continue to lose carries to Jackson, and that a consistent 60-40 split within the next few weeks is likely. And, if Jackson starts to see more and more goal-line carries, I think Lynch owners (and those with RB holes) better get Jackson on their bench.  

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QB Daunte Culpepper (Detroit Lions?)
 
Oh, it amuses me to type his name here. Word on the street is that "The Pep" and the Lions are in the midst of negotiations. Now, I realize that Culpepper hasn’t been playing football for some time now, and you can’t just walk right in to a new offense without any growing pains, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that by the fantasy playoffs, Culpepper will be a serviceable fantasy QB.

If, for some reason, you have current quarterback, Dan Orlovsky, on your team, do us all a favor and 1) don’t admit it in public, 2) join a league with weaker competition next year, and 3) snag Culpepper if you have the roster room, which you probably do because if you have Orlovsky your whole lineup must be really whack.

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As always, remember to keep the handcuffs to your elite players waiting in the wings—just because we’re halfway through the season doesn’t mean an injury isn’t imminent. But, I do think there are lineup scenarios where the handcuff might be overly cautious.

Agree? Disagree? Let’s say L.T. goes down; if you have Sproles but wouldn’t consider starting him over your other RBs like say, Chris Johnson, DeAngelo Williams, or Steve Slaton...then is it really worth hanging onto Sproles? Just some food for thought.

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