We are getting down to the wire for the handcuff report in the 2025 season. Some playoff schedules begin this week, while most every league will be underway by kickoff on Thursday night of Week 16.
With that in mind, this will be the penultimate handcuff rankings article of the regular season. Next week will be the final report for the year as everyone prepares for playoff success.
- Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
This past weekend didn’t have any major injuries, although De’Von Achane did leave the Dolphins’ win over the New York Jets. Jaylen Wright becomes an interesting waiver wire target after he rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown.
A lot of Wright’s production was due to the blowout nature of the game on Sunday, but don’t forget he ran a 4.38 40 coming out of college, so there is plenty of juice there. Wright is someone to consider, especially with most waiver wires being dangerously thin right now.
As always, here are 10 backfields to monitor as we prepare for the playoffs:
- Denver Broncos: RJ Harvey had 100 total yards and a touchdown on 22 touches on Sunday. He saw eight targets out of the backfield. He is in one of the best situations in the NFL. If you hung onto him or grabbed him off waivers, you might have yourself a league-winner.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bucky Irving had 17 touches for 81 yards and a touchdown. It was a little annoying how the Buccaneers deployed their backfield, but they are still easing Irving into things. At some point, I believe they will hand him 20+ touches because their grip on the NFC South is all but gone, and they need their best playmakers to get the ball.
- Indianapolis Colts: Daniel Jones going on injured reserve (IR) is probably bad for the entire Colts’ offense, including Jonathan Taylor. The obvious upside is that he should be leaned on heavily down the stretch. The downside is that if Indianapolis doesn’t have a serviceable quarterback, Taylor won’t have much room to work with. They did sign Philip Rivers to their practice squad today, so maybe he can keep them afloat.
- Miami Dolphins: De’Von Achane got a little banged up, leaving Sunday’s game. It sounds like he should be good to go for Monday night in Pittsburgh. Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright would split the backfield as the committee if Achane were to miss.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Bhayshul Tuten is one of my biggest misses this year, as he has not been able to get any traction in the Jacksonville backfield. His two fumbles won’t do much to help his cause there, either.
- Los Angeles Rams: Blake Corum had his best game as a pro, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns in the Rams’ beatdown of the Cardinals. I don’t think Corum can be depended on for this type of weekly performance, but he is firmly entrenched as a top-two handcuff. I am not sure he is No. 2, either.
- Baltimore Ravens: Derrick Henry‘s 26 touches mean his volume is secure, although his 104 scoreless yards left fantasy managers feeling underwhelmed. Keaton Mitchell had six carries for 76 yards, including a 55-yard run. I like Mitchell as a playoff bench stash (health permitting).
- New Orleans Saints: Devin Neal handled 20 touches for 84 yards and had a nice touchdown run. Alvin Kamara looks like he will miss again this week, so Neal gets a good matchup at home against Carolina.
- Pittsburgh Steelers: I am mentioning the Pittsburgh backfield for two reasons. First, the production was awful on Sunday as the Steelers had 34 yards as a team. Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren both scored touchdowns, which helped their fantasy day, but it wasn’t a good outing. Second, this has turned into a straight-up committee, and it is hard to trust either running back right now.
- Houston Texans: Nick Chubb left Sunday night’s game with an injury. That opened the door for Woody Marks to handle 28 touches as the Texans leaned on their running game and defense to win at Kansas City. Marks finished with 76 yards and a touchdown. If Chubb remains out, Marks has one of the best touch shares in the league.
Fantasy Football Running Back Handcuff Rankings
- David Montgomery (RB – DET)
- Blake Corum (RB – LAR)
- Devin Neal (RB – NO)
- Kimani Vidal (RB – LAC)
- Kyle Monangai (RB – CHI)
- Emanuel Wilson (RB – GB)
- Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)
- Sean Tucker (RB – TB)/Rachaad White (RB – TB)
- Brian Robinson Jr. (RB – SF)
- Zach Charbonnet (RB – SEA)
- Jaylen Wright (RB – MIA)
- Kenneth Gainwell (RB – PIT)
- Keaton Mitchell (RB – BAL)
- Jordan Mason (RB – MIN)
At this point, almost any backup running back has some value. It really comes down to whether you have roster space to stash someone.
Thursday Night Football Handcuff Stash
Tyler Allgeier is probably rostered, as is Rachaad White. I would stash Sean Tucker if he is available, in the event Bucky Irving has a setback.
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Jason Kamlowsky is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @JasonKamlowsky.
