What is a surrogate?

What is less negatively sounding might perhaps be just substitute.

Often times the state is in this situation and can provide a “Stand-in” for the job. “Stand-in” applies because the person is a temporary measure and therefore they are not the ideal person for the job.

Is the person really called a second stringer? I like the term “athletics” but I find it sometimes misses out. Second string refers to players who are used as alternates (for sports that use alternates). There’s less of a negative connotation. With the introduction of strings, they often seem very good players. But if they

do play, are they actually the best?

I like backup for a person and generic for a product.

There is a phrase, a poor second that conveys some aspect of this concept

a long way behind the winner in a race, competition etc. There is a sentence, a poor second that conveys some aspect of this concept a long way behind the winner. My horse came in a poor second

Also consider the A-Team

A second-rate problem-solving team sent in because more qualified personnel (the A-Team) are unavailable or unwilling to deal with a given problem. Why do A-Team members feel that the problem is unworthy of them?

What are the best ways to save money in India?

Consider:

stopgap : someone or something that is intended to be used for a short time and then replaced by someone or something better

makeshift : a usually crude and temporary expedient. substitute

quick-fix : an expedient usually temporary or inadequate solution to a problem

fill-in: someone who fills in for someone else pinch hitter : any substitute for anything, esp.

in an emergency

body double : a movie actor that substitutes for a leading performer, especially in distance shots or scenes not involving the face, such as close-ups of a portion of a body.

in a video and film of body double in general, or from distance, as in a shot of the body (images).

What are some reasons to consider some of these concepts.
• understudy, “a performer who understudies; a standby”. One sense of the verb understudy is “to study or know a role; to the extent that to be able to replace the usual performer when required.” Understudy usually refers to a substitute less capable than the normal performer but sometimes the understudy is quite capable.
• stand-in (already mentioned in other answers) means “A person of similar size and shape to an actor that “stands-in” for the actor during the lengthy process of setting up a shot, who, unlike a double, does not appear in the film” and ordinarily is a person less talented than the actual performer.
• deputy, “One appointed as the substitute of another, and empowered to act for him, in his name or his behalf; a substitute in office…” •
substitute, “A replacement or stand-in for something that achieves a similar result or purpose” • knockoff, “An imitation of something, particularly a well-known product, usually lower in quality and price than the original”