2009 Fantasy Football Handcuff Picks

Fantasy Handcuff pick: A player with good potential and high risk. Players in this category are usually backups to high profile running backs. It is unlikely that they will score a lot of points, but if the starter goes down they'll be a safe start for at least a few weeks. It is important to draft these players to hedge the bet on your starting RB getting injured. From our Fantasy Football Dictionary

We have classified the following players as fantasy handcuff picks for 2009. We will be updating this list throughout the pre-season.

Name	Pos	Team	Age	Yrs Exp.	Pos. Rank
Charlie Batch	QB	PIT	34	11	Unranked
Steelers re-signed QB Charlie Batch to a one-year, $895,000 contract. Batch is 34 and missed all of 2008 with a broken collarbone. He'll have to fend off rising second-year quarterback Dennis Dixon (could miss two weeks with a mild sprain of the A/C joint in his right shoulder) to back up Ben Roethlisberger. He is only an option in the deepest of leagues for thos... Read More
Ladell Betts	RB	WAS	30	7	RB - #21
With a quality running back like Betts on the roster, the Redskins would seem to be an ideal candidate to run the trendy two-back system (especially when the former Iowa Hawkeye generated 1,154 rush yards and 4.7 ypc filling in for an injured Clinton Portis during the '07 season). Yet Portis has totted the rock over 300 times in each of the last two seasons, while Bet... Read More
Ahmad Bradshaw	RB	NYG	23	2	RB - #37
Even though Brandon Jacobs is entrenched as the #1 RB, the Giants run the ball so often that there are plenty of opportunities for more then one running back on the team. Bradshaw was a 7th round pick by the Giants in 2007 and he didn't come along until late in that season, when the Giants' running backs were decimated with injuries. While playing #3 beh... Read More
Chris Brown	RB	HOU	28	6	RB - #60
This season will be Brown's sixth year in the NFL. In his first 5 years he never played in more than 12 games and that happened last year. The Texans signed Brown as a free agent last season with the hopes he would be the team's primary back. That never happened because once again Brown's back prevented him from playing. Once Chris was able to play, he carried the bal... Read More
Jamaal Charles	RB	KC	22	1	RB - #35
In his rookie season Jamaal carried the ball 67 times for 357 yards and he had 27 receptions for 272 yards and a touchdown. In the only game when Charles carried the ball more than 7 times, he finished the game with 18 rushing attempts for 106 yards. With a season under his belt, Charles should be a consistent contributor for the Chiefs this season. In fact, it wouldn... Read More
Tashard Choice	RB	DAL	25	1	RB - #44
Like the Giants' backfield from a season ago, the Cowboys could be looking at an "Earth, Wind and Fire" scenario with the shifty Choice taking on a more prominent version of the Ahmad Bradshaw role. Injuries moved the third-string rookie into the starting lineup and over the final five weeks, he delivered -- averaging 5.2 yards per carry on his way to 382 ya... Read More
Glen Coffee	RB	SF	22	R	RB - #56
Last year, DeShaun Foster had the privilege of being able to mostly sit back and watch Gore do his thing. As the backup, Foster only carried the ball 21 times in the first 12 games, then did a mediocre job when Gore eventually wore down late in the season. With Foster becoming a free agent, the team went out and drafted the man who passed Shaun Alexander for the Alaba... Read More
Kenneth Darby	RB	STL	26	2	RB - #82
Darby looks like the backup here, but, with just 149 career rushing yards, he's not the kind of handcuff that will instill confidence in Jackson owners. While he probably shouldn't be drafted in most fantasy leagues, Darby will be worth keeping an eye on only because of Jackson's injury history. Still, if Darby ends up as the starter, the Rams are truly in dire straig... Read More
Rashad Jennings	RB	JAX	24	R	RB - #71
It's not easy to make your mark when you're a 7th round pick and coming out of Division 1-AA Liberty University, but coming out of OTA's he was the best player on offense. He is a big strong powerf... Read More
Greg Jones	RB	JAX	28	5	RB - #87
With Fred Taylor gone, someone new will have to step into role as a change of pace runner to keep MJD fresh. 2nd year man Chauncey Washington and rookie Rashard Jennings will both get long looks, but don't be surprised if veteran Greg Jones get the nod as #2 on the depth chart. While MJD is small, fast and shifty, Jones is a big powerful runner who spent... Read More
Kevin Jones	RB	CHI	27	5	Unranked
Let me start by saying I am not a huge Kevin Jones fan. He has not had a season with over 1,000 yards rushing since 2004 and is injury-prone. Jones is your typical fantasy handcuff with Matt Forte as the Chicago starter. Jones does have experience and could perform if placed into the right set of conditions, but would not be my choice as a back-up. There are many runn... Read More
LeSean McCoy	RB	PHI	21	R	RB - #11
With Correll Buckhalter leaving via free agency -- combined with the inevitable Brian Westbrook injury -- the Eagles wisely grabbed McCoy in the second round to be both current compliment and bridge to the future for their offense. Similar to Westbrook in size and style, the 5'10, 198lb McCoy is a shifty speedster who is more effective in space than running up the mid... Read More
Darren Sproles	RB	SD	26	4	RB - #24
I hate to call Sproles a handcuff, but he is until LT gets hurt or is unproductive. This is just the reality for a player who is on any team with a star running back. I sincerely hope Sproles has a chance to spell LT more this season and consequently both backs will stay healthy and productive, but LT will likely demand carries and a chance to regain his composure fol... Read More
Chester Taylor	RB	MIN	30	7	RB - #57
One of the best backups in the NFL and a must have handcuff for all AP owners. In two seasons as a change-of-pace / 3rd down guy behind Peterson, Taylor has 13 touchdowns (seven rushing in 2007) and about 800 yards in 2007 and 2008. He caught 45 passes in 2008 and averaged four yards per carry. The 29 year old RB enters 2009 in a contract year, which should provide... Read More
Michael Vick	QB	PHI	29	8	QB - #39
Now that we are a few days past the shocking announcement that the Eagles signed Michael Vick, we have a little better understanding of how the coupling came to be and more importantly, how #7 will be deployed. First and foremost, there is no QB competition, nor should there be as long as Donovan McNabb (who pushed for the franchise to sign Vick) remains upright. Barr... Read More
Leon Washington	RB	NYJ	27	3	Unranked
Both Leon and Thomas Jones are unhappy with their current contracts. When the news hit that the Jets would be concentrating on running the ball better this season, both backs expressed their unhappiness. Washington is in the final year of his rookie contract and if the Jets fail to renegotiate with him he will become an unrestricted free ... Read More
LenDale White	RB	TEN	24	3	RB - #68
The thunder in this backfield is saying all the right things and even doing the right things for once. After reporting for an OTA at a downright svelte 238, White admitted to weighing over 260 lbs last year when he rumbled 80 yards. Maybe seeing Chris Johnson surpass him on the depth chart last year motivated him. Maybe it was the drafting of Javon Ringer or the fact ... Read More