You've heard me praise the strategy of handcuffing your top fantasy back with his second-stringer to insure yourself some protection in the case of significant injury. Sadly, the runner who ranks second in the NFL in rushing is very iffy for Week 11, and Clinton Portis owners may have little option behind him on the Redskins' roster.

In 2006, Portis missed eight games, and backup Ladell Betts broke out with a career-high 1,154 rushing yards, 445 receiving yards, and five total touchdowns. Unforunately, Betts himself is questionable for Week 11 and is only slightly more likely to play than Portis.

Behind him is former MVP fantasy stud Shaun Alexander. It's nostalgic to recall his 28-touchdown season of 2005. But then you notice his lofty 2.3 yards per carry as a Redskin and realize he's a shadow of his former self who would almost certainly need help from pedestrian special-teamer Rock Cartwright, who hasn't scored since 2005. 

As a Portis owner myself, I've pretty much written off the Redskins RB for this week. However, I'm investing in Betts long term because I feel (based on 2006) that he's the only Redskin backup capable of doing anything noteworthy for my fantasy team if given Portis' full workload.  

But the bottom line for Week 11: With a Sunday night kickoff between Washington and Dallas, you likely will have no idea if Portis (or even Betts) is active until long after all your backup options are gone. And at that point, you'll be none too happy to be forced to use Rock Cartwright with your Week 11 on the line. It's best to begin making plans to be without Portis on Sunday.