There’s 5 types of bench spots I can think of:

1. Handcuffs for your own star players
2. Handcuffs for other teams’ star players
3. Players who aren’t set and forget and who you don’t start except for byes or injuries (ex. boom/bust players or players that get 5 points every week)
4. Potential breakout players
5. Stashed players for future weeks in streaming positions (ex. defenses for playoffs)

5 seems the most common, but 1-4 seems the most interesting to me.

For 3, do you start to drop these players in favor of other bench spots? If you’re never going to start someone because you have better players, is it better to make room for a playoff defense or a late season breakout?

For 1 and 2, do you hold on to your handcuffs through playoffs? Do you start to let go of other team’s handcuffs in favor of keeping your own? The other way around?

For 4, do you keeping late season breakout candidates? Add more? Or let go because even if they break out they’re too risky to play?

In general as you approach playoffs, does your bench makeup change? How?