Thanks to that whole hindsight is 20/20 thing, The Fantasy Buzz was able to remind it voiced in the preseason the wisdom of drafting a team's backup quarterback if you were going to use a first- or second-round pick on one of the top guys at the position.
Of course, New England's Tom Brady then went down with an injury in Week 1, sending thousands of fantasy owners scrambling to the waiver wire in hopes of landing Patriots backup Matt Cassel.
The Patriots pair wasn't the only QB-handcuff combination that made sense before the season -- or that makes even more sense now.
Fresno Bee sports copy editor Delton Lowery had a couple of QBs he was eyeing in the later rounds of The Bee draft to be his team's starter, finally pulling the trigger on Arizona's Kurt Warner in the seventh round.
(GOTTA LOVE THIS VIDEO ON KURT WARNER'S STORY, GOING BACK TO THE GREATEST SHOW ON TURF.)
That has worked out well for Lowery, who has been lucky with respect to Warner avoiding the injury bug. But who knows if the 37-year-old Warner will stay healthy and since the Cardinals' skill players have the potential to make just about any quarterback look good, Lowery decided to employ the handcuff strategy for his team.
Yes, Lowery picked up Matt Leinart, if for no other reason than the Cardinals are playing the Cowboys this week and the Dallas defense has been known to lay the lumber on QBs. If Warner goes down in this or any other week, Leinart should become instantly viable as a fantasy starter.
The alternative, of course, was to have drafted a quality starter on another team. But for those teams that waited to draft QBs, that second quarterback may be shaky at best. In Lowery's case, that backup is Matt Schaub, who has been little better than mediocre for Houston.
With the bye weeks dwindling and therefore the need to have a starter on another team declining, now might be the time for similar moves in your fantasy league. Here are some of the other viable handcuff combos to consider:
Peyton Manning/Jim Sorgi: It's been weird to see Manning struggle, but The Fantasy Buzz doesn't think that'll be the case the entire season with the high-powered Colts offense. If Manning does go down, we think Sorgi still could find a way to get the ball to Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Anthony Gonzalez, Dallas Clark, Joseph Addai, et. al.
Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn: The Browns' offensive woes have been perplexing, and Anderson hasn't exactly starred. But, he probably was off the board by the end of the fifth round and it might not be a stretch to see Quinn excel if he takes over starting duties.
Philip Rivers/Billy Volek: Before the draft, The Fantasy Buzz wrote that it couldn't understand why people were down on Rivers, and it looks like those who felt he wasn't a top QB anymore were wrong. Lowery probably would've taken the Chargers QB if he didn't have his heart set on Warner. And, hey, Volek is a Fresno State guy, so then you really could root for your fantasy team.
Others to watch
1. Prior to this season's fantasy draft, The Fantasy Buzz suggested using a sixth-round pick on Oakland's Justin Fargas. The running back injured his groin in Week 2 but is back, and new Raiders coach Tom Cable has said Fargas will start ahead of Darren McFadden (injured toe, questionable) today against the Saints. Fargas is owned in 60% of CBS Sportsline leagues, so snag the ex-USC back if you can.
2. Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow remains hospitalized with an undisclosed illness, leaving his availability for Monday night as questionable. Steve Heiden probably would start in his place and is not a great option, but he did total 10 touchdowns from 2004-06.
3. Cincinnati kicker Shayne Graham (groin) is questionable. The Bengals are worried enough to have signed journeyman Dave Rayner, but who really wants any part of that offense right now?
4. Seattle's in a situation similar to the Bengals' but at quarterback. The Seahawks are set to start third-stringer Charlie Frye after Matt Hasselbeck (knee) missed Friday's practice.
Contact The Fantasy Buzz with your questions/comments on this blog or e-mail sports@fresnobee.com.
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