Questions
mike judge
RB handcuffs in 2014. What does it all mean?
Jeremy Hill, Devonta Freeman, Carlos Hyde, Terrance West, Bernard Pierce, etc. Does it seem like this year's draft is putting a lot of emphasis on RBs that aren't currently the #1 on their team's depth chart? How are you guys playing this situation? Are you guys targeting the official 1's such as Ray Rice, Tate, or Steven Jackson? Or are are you avoiding and taking their backups later? Are any of you considering "cornering the market" on a team's backfield and perhaps taking Jackson and Freeman late? Or Tate and West? Obviously doing that guarantees you at least one bust on your roster, so I've never been one to handcuff in the past. But this year just seems like there are so many backfields in flux that it might make sense to do that as long as your backup falls enough that it doesn't hurt you much in other areas of your roster. What do you think?
Steven Jackson
No Recent News
Ben Tate
No Recent News
Terrance West
No Recent News
Devonta Freeman
No Recent News
Steven Jackson
No Recent News
Ben Tate
No Recent News
Terrance West
No Recent News
Devonta Freeman
No Recent News
Even if you can't get your own handcuff, it may pay dividends to obtain a different backup. Disallowing another owner to obtain said handcuff may be valuable as well.
Also, not all of those guys are being paid attention to for the same reasons. Terrance West is being looked at as someone who is bound to get starter-level opportunity because a lot of folks view Ben Tate as a virtual guarantee to get injured at some point...meanwhile, Bernard Pierce is going to get at least two games of starter-level work just by default, so I think some folks are seeing that as worth at least a late-round flier just to kick the season off.
I've never been one to handcuff by default. Just because I picked a team's #1 guy, doesn't necessarily mean it's the best thing for my team to go out and get his backup, especially if it means jumping up a couple of rounds just to guarantee he doesn't get snaked away from me. I actually just did a mock draft where, in round 10, there was a run of backup RBs being drafted....but when it finally got to me, I had a choice between Devonta Freeman and Lamar Miller. Personally, I'm going to pick the guy like Lamar Miller in those kinds of situations all day - he may not be the trendier pick, but there's really no denying that picking someone who we already know has greater opportunity is more valuable than picking someone who MAY have great opportunity at some point, if that makes sense.
Ultimately, I try not to lock in to a particular strategy before the draft even starts. A lot of things can happen, and in most leagues, what you may have expected or prepared for doesn't pan out. In that case, sticking to a predetermined strategy may sink you, or be worthless.
A lot of folks, around draft time, tend to lose focus over just how much is going to change once the draft is over and teams build/change through the Waiver Wire. Yes, there are a lot of backfields in flux at the moment, but that doesn't mean any of us are any closer to know how things will work out...tough stuff to predict, especially when, during the preseason, the depth charts are all wonky (at least 1 of the guys you listed isn't even currently listed as his teams #2 RB, even though everyone is assuming he is)
I would rather pass on a potential draft bust, fill my roster with guys who for all intents and purposes are known commodities at this current moment, and then work the waiver wire like a pro. This is why Free Agency Bidding is the best system, by the way.
So...TL:DR, Handcuffing, as usual, can be a fool's errand as it applies to most situations, and I think draft picks are better spent on proven commodities.
Also, not all of those guys are being paid attention to for the same reasons. Terrance West is being looked at as someone who is bound to get starter-level opportunity because a lot of folks view Ben Tate as a virtual guarantee to get injured at some point...meanwhile, Bernard Pierce is going to get at least two games of starter-level work just by default, so I think some folks are seeing that as worth at least a late-round flier just to kick the season off.
I've never been one to handcuff by default. Just because I picked a team's #1 guy, doesn't necessarily mean it's the best thing for my team to go out and get his backup, especially if it means jumping up a couple of rounds just to guarantee he doesn't get snaked away from me. I actually just did a mock draft where, in round 10, there was a run of backup RBs being drafted....but when it finally got to me, I had a choice between Devonta Freeman and Lamar Miller. Personally, I'm going to pick the guy like Lamar Miller in those kinds of situations all day - he may not be the trendier pick, but there's really no denying that picking someone who we already know has greater opportunity is more valuable than picking someone who MAY have great opportunity at some point, if that makes sense.
Ultimately, I try not to lock in to a particular strategy before the draft even starts. A lot of things can happen, and in most leagues, what you may have expected or prepared for doesn't pan out. In that case, sticking to a predetermined strategy may sink you, or be worthless.
A lot of folks, around draft time, tend to lose focus over just how much is going to change once the draft is over and teams build/change through the Waiver Wire. Yes, there are a lot of backfields in flux at the moment, but that doesn't mean any of us are any closer to know how things will work out...tough stuff to predict, especially when, during the preseason, the depth charts are all wonky (at least 1 of the guys you listed isn't even currently listed as his teams #2 RB, even though everyone is assuming he is)
I would rather pass on a potential draft bust, fill my roster with guys who for all intents and purposes are known commodities at this current moment, and then work the waiver wire like a pro. This is why Free Agency Bidding is the best system, by the way.
So...TL:DR, Handcuffing, as usual, can be a fool's errand as it applies to most situations, and I think draft picks are better spent on proven commodities.