reserve player
Bench-sitting team member
A reserve player is an athlete on a team's roster who doesn't start games but may enter as a substitute.
Reserves provide depth, fill in for injured starters, or enter strategically: The coach brought in a reserve player to rest the starting point guard.
In fantasy sports, reserve players sit on a bench until activated.
- benchShared seating surface
- bench warmerSeldom-used team member
- substituteReplacement for another
- backupStored duplicate for recovery
- understudyBackup actor, ready nightly
squad · roster · sideline · warming · depth · deep bench · taxi squad · practice squad · callup · rotation · second-string · third string · waiting · pinch-hitter · reliever · swap · unused · drafted
- bench termssubstitute, backup, bench warmer, second string, third string
- backup rolesvice president, deputy, understudy, backup singer, second chair
- secondarysecondary, second fiddle, second string, second choice, second place
- backupsbackup copy, backup file, backup drive, backup system, backup generator
- roster spotsstarter, starters, roster, starting lineup, substitute
- underdogsunderdog, underdogs, Cinderella, sleeper, dark horse
reserve playerstarter
Initiator of action
regular · first eleven · mainstay · first string · fixture
reserve playerstar player
Team's premier athlete
key player · franchise player · team captain · MVP · cornerstone
reserve, player, reserves, reserved, reserving, reservation, reservations, reservist, reservists