I have Ekeler in a scoring system that is weighted more towards RB so I want to protect my investment. Is Justin Jackson “the” handcuff? I know there’s talk of Kelly and Rountree but sounds like maybe they’re fighting for the 3rd string spot?
Thanks
Eric
Last I heard, Jackson was kind of on the cut bubble due to his inability to stay healthy, and Kelly wasn’t really making the most of his opportunities, so Rountree, as the draft choice of the current administration, was seen as the favorite for the “thunder” role to Ekeler’s “lightning.” He did score like 40 TDs in college, so he’s got the pedigree.
It’s been at least a week since I’ve heard anything further though, so things may have changed.
I found this, but it says Kelly is more on the cut bubble than Jackson. Either way, it seems like Rountree is in the lead, but the race isn’t over yet.
Thanks for “clearing it up” LOL,… I currently have Kelly but all 3 are available on the WW. Thanks!
How is it possible that all 3 are on the WW, if you currently have Kelly?
Sorry… the other two are on the WW
I wouldn’t handcuff Ekeler at all, to be honest, and I do own him in my main dynasty league. Ekeler’s value comes from his receiving volume. I don’t see any of his backups scooping that up, should Ekeler miss time. And the rushing volume alone isn’t enough to make a Chargers back fantasy relevant, due to the lack of goal line carries.
Handcuffs only make sense if the backup can step into more or less the same role, in case the starter goes down. 2020 examples were Mike Davis in Carolina, or Wayne Gallman with the Giants. But when Ekeler was injured last year, none of his backups provided any notable fantasy value.
If you absolutely want to back him up, I’d recommend Rountree, as he offers the most upside.
But I’d rather look at players like Tony Pollard, Latavius Murray, Nyheim Hines, A.J. Dillon, J.D. McKissic or Gio Bernard. Sure, none of them will benefit from Ekeler getting injured. But they may still offer more standalone value even with their RB1s being healthy, than any of the Chargers handcuffs without Ekeler on the field.
I would drop Latavius Murray from that list, now that he’s been demoted to RB3 behind Tony Jones, Jr. (but I might add Jones to it).
Missed that info. You are completely right then, of course. And we don’t know yet what role Taysom Hill will play, now that Winston got the QB job. So even Jones looks like a rather speculative pick.
How about Philip Lindsay? I’ve been eying him a bit and he is available.
Hell no! The entire Houston team is a spectacular mess, and their backfield is the worst of it all. Johnson, Ingram, Lindsay, Burkhead, all sharing a backfield that will probably produce the least rushing yards of the entire league.
If anybody offers you a Texans RB, run. Run fast.
He’ll still have a package similar to his role behind Brees, so I don’t think that’s much of a concern. What IS a concern is how effective the offense in general can be without Brees and Thomas. Can defenses just sell out to stop Kamara and dare them to do anything else? We shall see…
I do think Winston will be good for Tre’Quan Smith. Winston had Smith stay at his house for a while in the offseason, working together, meeting the wife, etc… and as Smith reports…
““Jameis already told me, he was like 'man listen, when I got the ball, whatever you do, don’t stop running,” Smith said. " ‘Because you know, I’m looking forward to stretching the ball this year. So please don’t stop running on me. Don’t make me look bad if you not running.’ So I definitely think we’re looking to stretch the ball a lot this year.”"
Marquez Calloway has become kind of a sleeper darling lately, but Tre’Quan Smith is the one who will still have a job when Michael Thomas returns.
Well, anyway, this isn’t a Saints thread…
I agree. Scooped him up from the waiver wire 2-3 weeks ago whereever I could, hoping for Winston to get the nod.
I’d take a shot on him in best-ball PPR leagues, as he will probly be the pass-catching change-of-pace back regardless of who the “starter” is (currently Ingram)–but I wouldn’t want to trot him out on a weekly basis in any normal-sized league.
Cool thanks. Makes sense.
I’m not a huge fan of handcuffing my own RB’s. I’d rather have someone else’s cuff and hope that my guy doesn’t get hurt, if that makes sense. If Ekeler goes down, then you have his handcuff, which isn’t much of a gain. If you draft someone else’s handcuff and Ekeler stays healthy and someone else’s starting RB goes down, you now have Ekeler + the handcuff going weekly. Hope that helps. But to your question, I’d put my money on Kelley and possible Rountree for goal line looks.
Yeah I do like to gamble that way sometimes. Except there are definitely times where you should get your guy’s handcuff if it’s clear who it is and that they will be used the same way i.e. James Conner in 2018. This league scoring favors the running game so RB’s are just more valuable than WR/TE.
I ended up snagging Pollard then proceeded to let the Zeke owner he’s screwed if Zeke goes down LOL.
The only time I handcuff an RB is when they carry a large workload (see Derrick Henry), and therefore carry a larger injury risk.
That said, a slight injury risk like Ekeler does cause concern, but I wouldn’t get a handcuff for him. Rather, I’d just take the best RB available to stash on my bench, in case Ekeler gets hurt. Rountree is a nice pickup if you can’t get anyone else, and he does come with upside, but also question marks, hence it is better to get an established RB from another team as your insurance.