When preparing for your fantasy football drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy football rankings compared to fantasy football average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. And you can check out which experts are higher or lower than our expert consensus rankings using our Fantasy Football Rankings Comparison Tools. Let’s look at a few late-round running backs I’m targeting in fantasy football drafts.
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Late-Round Fantasy Football Draft Targets
Let’s dive into players I draft late as running back handcuff options.
Guerendo assumes the direct handcuff role for the 49ers in 2025 after Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell were jettisoned this offseason. Guerenedo earned this role last year when he was asked to assume the starting job. Guerendo had four games last year where he played at least 55% of the snaps, and he averaged 16.7 touches and 101 total yards. In weekly fantasy scoring in those outings, he finished as the RB10, RB2, RB25, and RB11. Guerendo was also an explosive player on a per-touch basis. Among 70 qualifying backs, he ranked sixth in explosive run rate and seventh in missed tackles forced per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Guerendo is arguably the most valuable handcuff in fantasy football because if Christian McCaffrey were to miss any time, we know what we’d be getting weekly, and that’s RB1 production.
Mason moves from San Francisco to Minnesota in an offseason trade to become Aaron Jones‘ running mate/handcuff. Mason sustained a shoulder injury and an ankle injury last year. The bum ankle ultimately ended his season. In the brief six games, he played 64% or more of the snaps as the starter for the 49ers, with an average of 21.3 touches and 111.8 total yards. He was a top-24 fantasy option at the running back position in four of those six outings and an RB1 in 50% of them. Mason finished top six among running backs last year in explosive run rate (second), missed tackles forced per attempt (sixth), and yards after contact per attempt (third, per Fantasy Points Data). Mason is a top-shelf handcuff again this season who could offer some stand-alone value in Minnesota’s high-scoring offense.
Charbonnet remains one of the elite handcuffs for fantasy football. Whenever he graces the starting lineup, he produces like a top-shelf running back. Last year, in the six starts he made, he averaged 18.3 touches and 100.3 total yards. Charbonnet was a top 24 back in weekly scoring in 83% of those games and an RB1 in 50% of those outings. Among 46 qualifying backs, Charbonnet ranked ninth in missed tackles forced per attempt and 26th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). If Walker misses any time, Charbonnet will be a locked-in RB1/2.
Tyler Allgeier remains an elite handcuff option with some standalone flex appeal. Allgeir was the RB45 in fantasy points per game, as he finished as the RB36 or higher in 41% of his games last year. Among 46 qualifying backs, he ranked 22nd in missed tackle rate and 20th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). If Bijan Robinson were to miss any time, Allgeier would immediately vault into RB1/2 territory.
Lloyd lost nearly his entire rookie season to injuries. First, he dealt with a hamstring strain during training camp and the preseason. That was followed by an ankle sprain in Week 2 and surgery to treat appendicitis after that. It was an unfortunate and insane runout for the former third-round pick out of USC. Don’t forget Lloyd is a ridiculously talented player who ranked 16th and 20th in yards after contact per attempt and fourth and 15th in elusive rating across his final two collegiate seasons (per PFF). The Packers didn’t add anyone to the backfield in the draft. Lloyd should be considered the favorite for the RB2/handcuff spot on the depth chart for Green Bay behind Josh Jacobs. We’ll see how much of a stand-alone role he has this season, but his handcuff value alone is solid.
After his breakout season, sadly, the Cowboys kicked Rico Dowdle to the curb. He signed with the Carolina Panthers and enters the year as the likely handcuff to Chuba Hubbard. Dowdle was awesome last year as the RB24 in fantasy points per game with 274 touches and 1,328 total yards. Dowdle could have had an even better season if Dallas had quit playing around with a rotation and leaned on him as “the guy” all year. In Weeks 9-18, Dowdler averaged 19.9 touches and 95.1 total yards (RB19), and he ranked 16th in explosive run rate and seventh in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). If Hubbard were to miss any time, Dowdle would be a plug-and-play RB2. He’s a strong handcuff option this season.
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