Trashman’s 2023 Fantasy RB Handcuff Guide
Members of RosterWatch Nation looking to “handcuff” one of their front-line running backs (to handcuff means to draft or acquire a star player’s backup as insurance in case that player loses time do to injury or other circumstances) can check out Trashman’s Handcuff breakdown sheet below.
REMEMBER – you do not have to handcuff players you have drafted. If a player is labeled as a “Valuable Handcuff”, it only means that the player should probably be OWNED in most 12 team leagues due to his value should the starter go down. However, the decision to handcuff is always left up to you.
Please also note that “handcuffing” is not just for your own players. It is perfectly fine to draft the handcuffs of players drafted by other members of your league so as not to allow your league-mate to. This is a more aggressive and high-upside way of rostering backup running backs as you can technically add an extra viable starter to your roster WITHOUT LOSING ANOTHER, while traditional handcuffing is a more conservative tactic, as it basically only serves as insurance should trouble strike with one of your own key starters.
As for explanation of the tool: A few years back, one of our PRO members asked in the comments section of an article for a running back handcuff tool to use in drafts as a supplement to the cheat sheet. Since, Trashman has made this little sheet every year as a quick reference for the biggest final draft weekends of the preseason. It’s taken the top 25-or-so running backs and assigned each one a “level” of handcuff viability. The sheet should be pretty easily understood, but it basically lets you know if the running back you are considering has a “handcuff” you should aim to select at some point during the draft, and the general level of importance in aiming to secure that handcuff. The three levels are “valuable handcuff,” “might want to handcuff,” and “low priority handcuff,” along with a section with notes if there is no true handcuff. As with all supplemental draft tools, this is not a substitute for the cheat sheet and is merely reference material to aid in identifying whether or not to handcuff players. It is a personal decision depending on your risk aversion regarding how/when to handcuff as outlined above. If you must “reach” a small bit for certain players in the “valuable handcuff” cell, you are allowed to deviate ever so slightly from the sheet at the appropriate time to make that happen if you are dead set on making sure your important early round investments are insured to some degree.
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Trashman,
Nice job!
Thank you.
Mike E
PPR. One QB. Best value keeper. Deshaun Watson in the 11th or Pacheco in the 8th?
Thanks. Keep the Great content coming.
Think I might go with Pacheco there, good luck.
Good Morning!
Any chance the Best Ball sheets will be available again? I can’t seem to locate them on the RW Tools page.
Thanks!
No, the Best Ball Sheets go away for us in July because the ADPs are so drastically different from redraft. In the future, if there is enough demand (I suspect there will be) we’re going to talk about putting more resources to best ball in order to upkeep the sheet through redraft season, but will always get most all of our exposure and be most focused on Best Ball through the spring and early summer/OTA season for that format. We do appreciate hearing from you about your feedback and this is one thing, unlike IDP content and other requests, that we are indeed considering for next year.
Now that the pre-season is over what is your view of keeping DK Metcalf in the 6 round (9 teams .5PPR) . My concern is I also have a keeper in the 5 rd (Chase) so there is a big jump between picks, where I could lose out on a decent QB that may not be there in the 7th round. What do you think? If I keep DK there is also the option of taking a QB in the 4th round. thanks !
Hey guys…Team Name: DaPoohBears…..been a pro member going on four years now. Thank you for all the dirty work you gents do. Quick question before my draft Wednesday. It’s a new league with a bunch of yardage bonuses and six points for ALL touchdowns. How much does that touchdown scoring system increase the QBs value? Its a one qb ppr league. thats so much–George
Hey Pooh Bear, in this format, I would bump them up a little bit, but not in a totally major way. It also makes a little less seperation between the running guys like LJ etc. and the pure pocket guys like Burrow, Herbert, LAwrence, etc. Those guys are more valuable than usual in this format. Hope that helps and good luck man.
I have a dynasty league question. I am in win now mode and my only weakness on my team is TE (Higbee is my best). The Kelsey owner is looking to move him and wants future picks, his opening offer is two first, which I think is clearly too much. My question is what is reasonable? I am worried about injury and how much time he has left in the league. My current starters are hurts, JT, JK, Jacobs, Jjetta, aj brown, waddle, and higbee. Any thoughts on if it is worth making the trade at all and if so what would be fair?
If you are win-now, it’s going to have to settle on a first eventually. If your team is a winning team, I’ll bet you won’t have a high pick if you are in win now.
JA’Marr Chase is one of my keepers. In a couple of mock drafts using the RW maniacal cheat sheet Tee HIggins is next in line. What is your view of having the two top Bengal WRs on the same team? Thanks
I would take the next player down unless there is a large tier break, in which case I would just suck it up with the two guys on the same team and maybe angle for a trade, etc.
Trade question. I send Najee Harris and Cam Akers for Cooper Cupp. PPR
QB fields
RB
Ekler
N Harris
Dobbins
Akers
swift
Ro Johnson
Ken Miller
Antonio Gibson
Wr
AJ Brown
Amari cooper
Lazard
Jameson W