How Many Handcuffs Should You Draft?

Handcuffs — the backups who’d inherit a starter’s workload — are cheap insurance against the injury-prone reality of running back. But bench spots are limited, so the question isn’t just whether to draft handcuffs, it’s how many. Here’s the framework. (New to the idea? See handcuff strategy.)

Handcuff your own studs first

The single most valuable handcuff is the backup to your early-round running back. Protecting a first- or second-round investment matters more than speculating on someone else’s backfield. Start there.

Prioritize high-value handcuffs

A handcuff is only worth a spot if it would actually pay out. A clear backup to a bell-cow on a run-heavy team could step into feature volume; a backup buried in a committee just creates another committee. Draft the ones that would produce.

How many is right?

• Standard leagues: one or two — your own stud’s handcuff, plus maybe one high-upside speculative back.
• Deeper leagues and best ball: more, since bench depth matters and spike weeks count.
• Shallow benches: be ruthless — every handcuff competes with a startable flier.

Don’t over-handcuff

Filling your bench with backups who’d never see the field wastes spots better used on sleepers with standalone value. Insurance is good; over-insuring is a cost.

The takeaway

Handcuff your own stars first, prioritize backups who’d actually produce, and let league depth set the number. Quality of handcuff beats quantity every time.

Test how handcuffing changes your bench with mock drafts.