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Where do you select handcuff running backs?

The Fanex Experts League draft ended. Finally. It’s been crawling along, it seems, for about three months. Arian Foster, recall, was selected in the second round in one of these leagues, just before he got hurt. But they’re over, and I can now try and attach some meaning to the results.

These are two separate 12-team teams, with each franchise selecting 20 players. It’s a PPR format, with three wide receivers and a flex, so it makes sense to carry 4-5 good wide receivers if you can get them.

Another key component, though, are backup running backs. With each franchise given a healthy number of backup slots, it makes sense to carry a nice supply of No. 2 running backs, knowing that chances are that are some point they’ll turn into top-10 players for at least a few weeks of the season.

But when to take these players? On the one hand, they’re really valuable. On the other, some of the good ones don’t even get selected. Robert Turbin, for example, is the current No. 2 running back in Seattle, and he wasn’t even selected (in either league). I expect he’ll continue to hold that spot. Christine Michael has had problems with fumbles and coughed it up again in their first preseason game.

Lorenzo Taliaferro is a great No. 2 back, I think. Not much different than Knile Davis and Jamaal Charles. I picked him up in in the 17th round in the National draft. He wasn’t selected in the other.

Other good No. 2 running backs not selected in the American League draft: Khiry Robinson, Denard Robinson, Terrance West, Damien Williams.

In the National League draft, Ronnie Hillman wasn’t selected. In addition to Turbin, I saw that as the big omission. I would have liked to select both, but instead went with Damien Williams with my final selection. I think Lamar Miller is more likely than Lynch or C.J. Anderson to get hurt, and Williams has shown he has some ability in the passing game (PPR format). Plus Williams I think is safer to remain in that role.

I’ve got all of the handcuff running backs in bold. While this position is important, you can see that it’s possible to address it in the late rounds.

For purposes of these chart, the first running back chosen from each team is considered the “starter”. Additional backs are in bold. (With some of these situations, like Ingram and Spiller in New Orleans, it’s clearly more of a one-two punch.)

Additionally, the players I selected for my own team are tagged with a black dot.

FANEX EXPERTS LEAGUES (averaged results)
Amer.Nat.PosTmPlayer
1.021.01RBMINAdrian Peterson
1.031.02RBPITLeVeon Bell
1.041.04RBKCJamaal Charles
1.061.03RBGBEddie Lacy
1.011.10RBCHIMatt Forte
1.071.05WRPITAntonio Brown
1.081.06TENERob Gronkowski
1.101.08WRNYG• Odell Beckham Jr.
1.111.07WRDALDez Bryant
1.121.12RBSEAMarshawn Lynch
1.052.02RBBUFLeSean McCoy
2.041.09WRATLJulio Jones
2.051.11WRDENDemaryius Thomas
2.022.01WRGBJordy Nelson
2.012.04RBDENC.J. Anderson
2.032.03RBPHIDeMarco Murray
1.093.04QBGBAaron Rodgers
2.072.06WRDETCalvin Johnson
2.082.05RBCIN• Jeremy Hill
2.062.11WRCINA.J. Green
2.092.10WRGBRandall Cobb
3.012.09RBSDMelvin Gordon
2.103.02WRCHIAlshon Jeffery
2.113.03QBINDAndrew Luck
3.022.12WRTBMike Evans
3.062.08RBBALJustin Forsett
3.043.01WRINDT.Y. Hilton
3.033.09WRNOBrandin Cooks
3.053.07WRHOUDeAndre Hopkins
3.083.06RBINDFrank Gore
2.124.06TESEAJimmy Graham
3.103.08WRDEN• Emmanuel Sanders
3.123.12WRCARKelvin Benjamin
4.043.05WRPHIJordan Matthews
3.074.04RBMIALamar Miller
4.063.10RBJACT.J. Yeldon
3.094.11RBWASAlfred Morris
4.024.02RBNOC.J. Spiller
4.034.01WRINDAndre Johnson
4.054.08RBNOMark Ingram
4.094.05WRNE• Julian Edelman
5.073.11WRSDKeenan Allen
3.115.12RBDALJoseph Randle
4.015.01RBSFCarlos Hyde
5.024.09WROAKAmari Cooper
4.105.02TEKCTravis Kelce
4.085.05RBOAKLatavius Murray
5.014.12WRKCJeremy Maclin
5.064.07WRDETGolden Tate
4.075.07RBSTLTodd Gurley
4.115.03RBDETAmeer Abdullah
5.085.04WRNYJBrandon Marshall
5.055.08TECAR• Greg Olsen
6.084.10WRBUFSammy Watkins
5.125.11TECHIMartellus Bennett
5.036.05RBARI• Andre Ellington
6.025.10QBPITBen Roethlisberger
5.116.02RBCINGiovani Bernard
7.114.03WRPITMartavis Bryant
9.072.07RBHOUArian Foster
6.105.06WRJACAllen Robinson
4.127.05QBDENPeyton Manning
5.106.10RBNYGShane Vereen
6.125.09WRWASDeSean Jackson
6.016.01QBSEARussell Wilson
6.046.03WRMIAJarvis Landry
6.056.07RBTBDoug Martin
6.076.06RBCARJonathan Stewart
6.096.08RBATLTevin Coleman
6.116.09WRMINMike Wallace
5.048.02QBDALTony Romo
6.037.08WRATL• Roddy White
6.067.07QBCARCam Newton
8.076.04WRNYJEric Decker
7.017.12WRTBVincent Jackson
8.026.12WRPHINelson Agholor
7.067.09QBNODrew Brees
7.127.06WRBALSteve Smith
5.099.10RBHOUAlfred Blue
7.028.04TEJACJulius Thomas
8.047.02WRMINCharles Johnson
7.058.05QBATL• Matt Ryan
7.038.08WRARIJohn Brown
7.108.01RBDETJoique Bell
8.117.01RBCLEIsaiah Crowell
7.078.10WRCHIKevin White
7.088.12QBNYGEli Manning
8.107.10RBNYJChris Ivory
9.106.11RBNELeGarrette Blount
7.099.01TEPHIZach Ertz
8.058.07WRARILarry Fitzgerald
8.068.06QBNETom Brady
9.097.04RBSTLTre Mason
9.057.11WRNEBrandon LaFell
8.019.02WRSFTorrey Smith
8.089.12WRNYGVictor Cruz
9.118.11RBNYGRashad Jennings
9.019.03WRSFAnquan Boldin
7.0411.01RBKCKnile Davis
9.049.07RBPHIRyan Mathews
10.088.03WRNYGRueben Randle
8.0310.11QBSDPhilip Rivers
9.069.08WRTEN• Kendall Wright
8.0910.08QBDETMatthew Stafford
9.089.11WRWASPierre Garcon
9.129.09RBTENBishop Sankey
10.128.09RBCLEDuke Johnson
9.0310.02QBMIARyan Tannehill
10.019.04WRNOMarques Colston
10.029.05WRARIMichael Floyd
9.0211.07WRGBDavante Adams
11.079.06RBATLDevonta Freeman
10.0510.12QBARICarson Palmer
11.0110.07QBSFColin Kaepernick
10.0911.02WRBALBreshad Perriman
11.0410.09TEMIAJordan Cameron
11.0910.04TECINTyler Eifert
11.0610.10QBBALJoe Flacco
10.0711.10WROAKMichael Crabtree
10.1111.07WRMIADeVante Parker
12.0410.06RBARIDavid Johnson
10.0412.08WRCHIEddie Royal
11.1011.04QBMINTeddy Bridgewater
10.0312.12TEDALJason Witten
10.1012.05RBMIN• Jerick McKinnon
11.0811.08RBSD• Danny Woodhead
11.1211.06QBPHISam Bradford
8.1214.08RBSFReggie Bush
11.0512.01QBCHIJay Cutler
11.1112.04QBCINAndy Dalton
12.0711.11RBTBCharles Sims
12.0811.12TETENDelanie Walker
12.0112.06RBTENDavid Cobb
13.0411.03RBNEJonas Gray
14.0710.01RBDALDarren McFadden
14.0610.05RBNE• James White
11.0314.03WRINDPhillip Dorsett
13.0612.03WRSEADoug Baldwin
13.0712.02WRSTLBrian Quick
12.0213.08TEMIN• Kyle Rudolph
13.0512.07RBOAKRoy Helu Jr.
13.0312.11WRCARDevin Funchess
15.1110.03WRMIAKenny Stills
12.1113.04RBPHIDarren Sproles
12.0613.12WRINDDonte Moncrief
12.0314.04RBNYGAndre Williams
19.067.03RBDETTheo Riddick
13.0813.02STSEASeattle
14.0112.09WRDALTerrance Williams
12.0914.02WRPITMarkus Wheaton
15.0211.09RBCARCameron Artis-Payne
13.1013.05TEINDDwayne Allen
13.1213.03QBOAKDerek Carr
10.0616.12TEDETEric Ebron
14.0912.11RBPITDeAngelo Williams
11.0216.02WRCINMarvin Jones
12.0515.01WRSTLKenny Britt
12.1015.02QBTBJameis Winston
14.0513.10TESDAntonio Gates
13.1114.09RBDALLance Dunbar
14.1213.11TEINDCoby Fleener
13.0115.06RBBUFFred Jackson
14.0214.10TENOJosh Hill
14.0314.12WRJACAllen Hurns
14.0414.11RBDENMontee Ball
15.1013.06WRSDStevie Johnson
14.1114.06TETBAustin Seferian-Jenkins
16.0913.01WRTENDorial Green-Beckham
15.1214.01TEDENOwen Daniels
16.0513.09RBINDDan Herron
13.0217.06QBTENMarcus Mariota
15.0415.07STHOUHouston
15.0515.12RBNYJStevan Ridley
12.1218.11WRCLEDwayne Bowe
16.0715.03STBUFBuffalo
18.0613.07WRDENCody Latimer
15.0316.11RBWASMatt Jones
16.0615.08STSTL• St. Louis
16.0416.06PKNEStephen Gostkowski
18.0514.05RBGB• James Starks
16.1016.01STNYJNY Jets
17.0715.10TESFVernon Davis
17.1215.05TEWASJordan Reed
15.0817.10QBSTLNick Foles
16.1216.08STMIAMiami
15.0917.12QBKCAlex Smith
14.1018.12RBBALJavorius Allen
16.0217.03TEPITHeath Miller
17.0116.05PKGB• Mason Crosby
15.0118.06QBWASRobert Griffin III
18.0915.04TENYGLarry Donnell
15.0618.09WRBUFPercy Harvin
16.0118.01RBSEAChristine Michael
17.0217.02PKINDAdam Vinatieri
16.0318.05RBARI• Chris Johnson
17.0817.05PKSEASteven Hauschka
17.0617.09TEBUFCharles Clay
19.1015.09WRDALCole Beasley
20.1214.07WRSEATyler Lockett
19.0216.04STGBGreen Bay
16.0819.04PKPHICody Parkey
18.0817.04RBSDBranden Oliver
19.0816.07RBHOUChris Polk
18.0118.03PKATLMatt Bryant
17.0419.01PKDALDan Bailey
18.0218.04PKBALJustin Tucker
17.1119.11STARIArizona
18.0319.07STPHIPhiladelphia
17.0320.11TESDLadarius Green
20.1017.07WRPHIJosh Huff
18.0420.04STINDIndianapolis
19.0719.12PKDENConnor Barth
19.0320.02PKMINBlair Walsh
20.0219.08QBNYJ• Ryan Fitzpatrick
20.0620.01RBUFARay Rice
20.0320.09WRNOBrandon Coleman
13.09---WRHOUJaelen Strong
14.08---WRPHIRiley Cooper
15.07---RBCHIKaDeem Carey
---15.11QBJACBlake Bortles
---16.03STNENew England
---16.09STDENDenver
---16.10WRBUFChris Hogan
16.11---WRKCChris Conley
---17.01RBNYJBilal Powell
17.05---STBALBaltimore
---17.08RBBAL• Lorenzo Taliaferro
17.09---TEOAKClive Walford
17.10---PKMIACaleb Sturgis
---17.11RBNOKhiry Robinson
---18.02RBCLETerrance West
---18.07WRATLLeonard Hankerson
18.07---TENYJJace Amaro
---18.08WRCLEBrian Hartline
---18.10RBJACDenard Robinson
18.10---WRSEAChris Matthews
18.11---STMINMinnesota
18.12---RBPITDri Archer
19.01---WRCINMohamed Sanu
---19.02WRHOUCecil Shorts III
---19.03WRKCAlbert Wilson
19.04---STDALDallas
---19.05STCINCincinnati
19.05---WRSDMalcom Floyd
---19.06STCARCarolina
---19.09RBUFAPierre Thomas
19.09---STTENTennessee
19.11---WRMIAGreg Jennings
19.12---STPITPittsburgh
20.01---WRBUFRobert Woods
---20.03RBOAKMichael Dyer
20.04---PKSTLGreg Zuerlein
---20.05RBMIA• Damien Williams
20.05---WRNONick Toon
---20.06RBNETravaris Cadet
---20.07PKBUFDan Carpenter
20.07---PKDETMatt Prater
---20.08TEGBRichard Rodgers
20.08---RBDENRonnie Hillman
20.09---RBMIAJay Ajayi
---20.10PKHOURandy Bullock
---20.10WRSFDeAndrew White
20.11---RBMINMatt Asiata
---20.12STTBTampa Bay

—Ian Allan

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