Take a look back at the first two rounds of your fantasy draft. Notice anything odd? \nDuring week five, four almost-consensus Top 15 running backs were outscored by their backups. If you bought one of those preseason magazines, you would have found that one of the most important tips the so-called “experts” suggested was to take advantage of “handcuffing” your running backs.\nHandcuffing a running back is drafting that player’s backup in later rounds to secure the player’s numbers in the event that the starter is injured, suspended or ineffective. Some think handcuffing is a risky play, because you lose valuable substitutes during bye weeks. But if you have room on your bench, it’s wise to leave a spot for a guy that will only play in case of an emergency. \nGoing back to week five, running backs Kenton Keith of the Indianapolis Colts, Brian Leonard of the St. Louis Rams, Sammy Morris of the New England Patriots and Michael Turner of the San Diego Chargers all scored more points than the starters in front of them on the depth chart. Remember, in a 10-team league, that is 20 percent of the draft picks in the first two rounds yielding points to guys who either went undrafted or were picked up in the last few rounds. All of the aforementioned players are worthy of a start when their numbers are called.\nWeek five provided a perfect example of why drafting backup running backs is essential to the success of a dominant fantasy football team.
Week 5 Studs:\nKenton Keith, running back, Indianapolis Colts – For those lucky enough to have made a late-afternoon substitution of Keith for the injured Joseph Addai, you would have played the highest point scorer of the week. Keith gave Addai owners a scare by proving his talent, making it likely the Indianapolis offense will give him at least 10 carries a game for the remainder of the season to preserve Addai’s legs.\nBuffalo Bills’ defense – Are you kidding me? Buffalo was easily the worst-ranked defense in the league coming into week five. They forced former leading fantasy scorer and Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Tony Romo to commit six turnovers Monday night.
Two to Start:\nLarry Johnson, running back, Kansas City Chiefs – Hello, anyone home? Johnson might as well have stayed in bed last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, netting himself only 15 total yards. Cincinnati is terrible. Expect LJ to finally break out of his slump.\nWillis McGahee, running back, Baltimore Ravens – McGahee should run wild against St. Louis. Hopefully for owners, he doesn’t yield his touchdown to backup Musa Smith like he has on occasion this season.
One to Sit:\nEvery player on the Atlanta Falcons – Even big-time tight end Alge Crumpler is no longer worth a play, unless you like your tight ends to have two catches for 4 yards. Last week’s offensive leader for Atlanta – wide receiver Roddy White – had a whopping five points. Sit ’em all.
On the Wire:\nSelvin Young, running back, Denver Broncos – Speaking of handcuffs (no pun intended), Travis Henry could be booked by the NFL police for having traces of marijuana in his system. If guilty, Henry faces a yearlong suspension. Picking up Young gives you the backup that will replace the NFL’s second leading rusher.\nKurt Warner, quarterback, Arizona Cardinals – Warner plans to party like its 1999 after quarterback Matt Leinart went down with a broken collarbone. If you need a backup or drafted a guy like Vince Young or Drew Brees, give Warner a shot.
