Why can't I have Five RBs! (Also, five Arbys!)

I cannot tell you how torn I am right now.

And it's all because I can't carry 5 Running Backs!

Here's the sich:

As I wrote earlier this week, I threaded the needle with my Indy RBs, starting Kenton Keith for injured Joseph Addai 7 minutes before the cutoff. Pretty freaking sweet: I know. Keith, who was actually from the CFL, a team called the Saskatchawan Rough-Riders, totally made my day by scoring something like 22 points.

This week Indianapolis is on a bye. Which means I can't play Addai or Keith (if Addai is still injured). Now, because Indy is on the bye, they are not required to be forthcoming about Addai's status. The common assumption is that Addai will be back next week, but no one knows for sure. Prudence would dictate that I keep Keith, just in case. (Plus, what if Addai gets hurt again?)

Here's the problem:

My other stud RB is Adrian Peterson of the Vikings. They are playing the Bears this week, which usually means bad stats for RBs. Peterson is such a workhorse that I don't know if I would have the guts to sit him.

But at this point it's moot because I still need two RBs!

Earlier this week I picked up on some gossip and snatched Kenny Watson off the waiver wire. He plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, and word was that Rudi Johnson might still be injured. But it's that old bye problem again. Cincinnati didn't practice Rudi all week, leading people to believe Watson would be the starter. Then comes Friday, "suddenly" Rudi practices, and now he's listed as "probable," which all but means he's playing. Of course, some experts recommend playing Watson anyway, saying they'll share carries, but that's quite a gamble to take when Peterson is already a question mark.

Oh, and I forgot to mention: all of this takes place on a week when I'm playing the ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM left in our league. Statistically my team is better so far, but because of luck I do have a defeat, and I can't afford another.

Anyway, just an hour ago I'm scouring fantasy sites, reading injury reports, even going to the "home town" papers online of the various backs, and I heard that Jamal Lewis (Cleveland's RB) isn't likely to play, making Jason Wright a value grab. And wonder of wonders, he's free in my league. So I should grab him, right?

Except, if you're scoring at home (or even if you're by yourself), I already have the maximum RBs!

Joseph Addai (Indy) - no way would I ever get rid of
Kenton Keith (Indy) - a good "handcuff," in case Addai gets or stays hurt, but also on a bye, and at this point just taking up space
Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) - No way would I ever get rid of
Kenny Watson (Cinci) - my sneaky pick up, except now he might not start.

As you can see, I have four RBs on the roster, leaving no room for Wright. If I pick him up I have to either drop Watson or Keith. I hate carrying two RBs on bye, but how stupid would I feel if Indy comes off bye and Addai is still hurt, or he gets hurt again? Suddenly I'm the guy who gave up this gem of a find, and someone else is scoring my fantasy points.

This actually happened to me several years ago. I had Priest Holmes, who was a total stud for Kansas City. An evil owner in my league picked up Larry Johnson. (This was in an age when no one knew of the term "handcuffing," which means picking your stud RBs back up just in case.) When Priest got hurt and Larry Johnson took over I suddenly had this huge drop off in points I wasn't able to recover from for several years!

It's that serious.

Sigh.

After much soul-searching, I just pulled the trigger. I replaced Kenny Watson with Jason Wright, and may the gods have mercy on my soul.......