Spencer Ware (RB, KC) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Justin Carter profiles running back Spencer Ware as a waiver wire pickup for Week 12 of the 2018 NFL season due to Ware's upside as one of the NFL's top handcuffs.

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ANALYSIS: During the regular season of fantasy football, handcuffing can be a debatable strategy. On one hand, you give yourself a chance to replace one of your better players should an injury occur by also owning his backup. On the other, you miss out on owning players who could breakout regardless of an injury occurring.

But as the season wears on and the chances of a new guy emerging off waivers to save your season diminishes, handcuffing your best players can be a good hedge as you enter the final stretch of the year. That's where Spencer Ware comes in.

Ware only has double-digit touches once this season as the Chiefs have leaned on second-year back Kareem Hunt, and Ware wasn't used at all in the team's Week 11 loss to the Rams, finishing with just 11 offensive snaps. But Ware isn't some scrub; as the full-time starter in 2016, he rushed for 921 yards and added 447 receiving yards while totaling five touchdowns. He's more than capable of providing value for Kansas City should something happen to Kareem Hunt, and we may have reached the point in the season where Hunt owners in deeper leagues would be smart to roster Ware as a "just in case" option.

One other wrinkle: the Chiefs sit at 9-2 through 11 games and could end up locking up a first round bye early. Fantasy owners in leagues with a Week 17 championship game could find themselves in a situation where the Chiefs don't make much use of Hunt and instead turn to Spencer Ware. No one should play in Week 17 championships, but if one does, they should be keenly aware of how grabbing handcuffs from the league's top teams could come in useful when that week rolls around.