In the weekly RB Handcuff Rankings Report sent to subscribers yesterday, Jaleel McLaughlin actually fell six spots compared to last week, landing at #17. At the same time, I put in a waiver claim for a few of my favorite handcuffs. Who would I drop? Javonte Williams.
Normally, bearishness about a handcuff would signal bullishness about the starter. Or when a "handcuff" like McLaughlin gets 15 touches, one would think his value would rise at the expense of Williams.
Instead, this signals an overarching mistrust of Denver's offense, which hasn't been top 18 in NFL scoring in 10 years. They also haven't had a top 12 fantasy RB in 10 years. Their next nine games are vs. the Steelers, @Bucs, @Jets, Raiders, Chargers, @Saints, Panthers, @Ravens, @Chiefs. Maybe three fairly winnable games, and perhaps a lot of negative game scripts against some of the league's best defenses.
So in 12-team leagues with medium-sized benches, would you rather have Williams or, say, Tank Bigsby? Would you rather have McLaughlin or Jordan Mason? And I get it: there's been only one game. But it was a pretty painful beginning for an otherwise capable backfield duo. Neither RB broke a tackle on 18 carries. Both averaged zero yards after contact. They tallied a single yard on six receptions.
Surely there will be adjustments, though it might not matter. On July 19 I asked, "Is this the worst fantasy offense of the decade?" and then pointed out that they didn't have any players in ADP's overall top 90 and only two guys in the top 150. Their player with the third best ADP wasn't even a starter.
This period between Week 1 and Week 2 can feel unnerving. How many of you have already decided to bail on someone you drafted in the first 10 rounds? Or are you resigned to hold on, because they're already sunk costs, and you want to be there if/when they turn things around?
I'm finished with the Broncos not because they can't rebound, but because their realistic offensive ceiling is lower than probably 28+ other teams' offensive ceilings. Fewer yards, fewer touchdowns, and less favorable game scripts can make seemingly streamable RBs largely useless. It's not that McLaughlin (for example) can't be a top 40 RB. It's that his path to the top 40 is narrower than that of a dozen or more handcuff RBs -- many of whom are still on waivers.
If you're cutting a middle-round player loose, let's hear it. Why are you done with them, and who are you picking up in their place?
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