There is no simpler way to land a league-winning player in fantasy football than by hitting on a running back handcuff (if you’re unfamiliar with the term handcuff, check out the FantasyPros Handcuff Chart for a quick definition).
Of course, that’s easier said than done, and the vast majority of players drafted as handcuffs never end up contributing. Some never get an opportunity because their team’s No. 1 RB stays healthy; others win the injury lottery but don’t actually step up into workhorse roles.
The goal of today’s article is to separate the true handcuffs with weekly starter potential from the fool’s gold. Whether you’re looking to add safety by grabbing the handcuff of your RB1 or swing for the fences with a high-upside option behind an opponent’s top back (I strongly recommend the latter), these are the names you need to know.
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Fantasy Football Running Back Handcuff Rankings
Tier 0: Standalone Value
This article is all about handcuffs, but this first tier will consist of players who don’t actually fit the strictest definition of the word. A true handcuff is a player with negligible fantasy value while their team’s No. 1 RB is healthy. That’s not the case for these backup ball-carriers, many of whom can be credibly argued to be their team’s top backs right now.
With that in mind, these backs will have inflated an average draft position (ADP) compared to their value as pure handcuffs. If you’re selecting these players, you’re paying for the possibility that they contribute to your roster even without an injury. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have extra upside if their team’s current top backs go down.
Targeting backs in ambiguous situations with both standalone potential and injury-based upside is historically an effective strategy, so these players are definitely worth considering if they fit your roster builds.
Without further ado, here (in ADP order) are the backs that fit this tier. If you think some of these players are actually starting running backs, don’t blame me — every player in this tier (and this article) is their NFL team’s No. 2 RB by ADP in early best ball drafts.
- Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE)
- Rico Dowdle (RB – PIT)
- Kyle Monangai (RB – CHI)
- J.K. Dobbins (RB – DEN)
- Kenneth Gainwell (RB – TB)
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. (RB – JAX)
- Rachaad White (RB – WSH)
- Aaron Jones Sr. (RB – MIN)
- Jonathon Brooks (RB – CAR)
- Tyjae Spears (RB – TEN)
Tier 1: Plug & Play
OK, now we’re really at the meat of this article. If backfields shake out as we all expect (which they won’t, of course, but that’s a problem for another day), none of the backs remaining on this list will be startable in average-sized fantasy leagues without some help from an absence higher up the depth chart.
With that in mind, I’m ranking the remaining running backs based purely on how excited you should be to start them if you hear that their team’s usual starter is taking the week off for a spiritual trip to Disney World.
And we’re starting with the cream of the crop. Tier 1 handcuffs can be expected to become genuine workhorses and borderline fantasy football RB1s in weeks they start. There are just two members of this tier, but that only further reinforces how valuable they can be if they get a chance.
1. Blake Corum (RB – LAR)
You could definitely argue that Blake Corum actually has standalone value, as his role expanded down the stretch for the Rams last season.
But the former third-rounder still averaged just 5.5 half-PPR points over the Rams’ final five contests (playoffs included), so I’m comfortable calling him a pure handcuff.
However, he is the best pure handcuff in the league, as he would step right into Kyren Williams‘ fantasy gold mine of a role in the case of an injury.
2. Zach Charbonnet (RB – SEA)
This ranking assumes health for Zach Charbonnet, who is going to miss time to start the season recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the Divisional Round of last year’s playoffs. Like Blake Corum, there’s a chance Charbonnet (once healthy) will carve out a fantasy-viable standalone role in Seattle’s offense — he did last year, splitting the workload nearly 50/50 with Kenneth Walker III.
But coming off an injury and with a shiny new first-round pick in front of him, I’m betting Charbonnet reverts to handcuff status in 2026. Thankfully, he’s already shown that he is the exact type of volume consolidator to be a top-tier handcuff: He averaged 21.9 half-PPR points in six games missed by Walker in 2023 and 2024.
As long as he doesn’t lose too much juice in his ACL recovery, Charbonnet will be a no-brainer elite handcuff once he is back on the field.
Tier 2: Should Lead a Committee
While the dream is to have a handcuff who will be a legit three-down back when opportunity arises, those situations are rare in today’s NFL.
Most handcuffs, even those we can be relatively confident about, would be committee members if their team’s top back went down. This tier is for those players.
If you told me these players were getting a random start in Week 10, I’d feel OK starting them in the FLEX, but I wouldn’t expect workhorse volume or production.
3. Brian Robinson Jr. (RB – ATL)
The Falcons’ other B. Robinson, Brian Robinson Jr., wouldn’t step right into Bijan Robinson‘s shoes if he were to miss time. Brian Robinson proved in his time in Washington that he is a competent enough early-down runner, but he’s not a pass-catcher.
If Bijan Robinson misses time, we shouldn’t be shocked if *checks depth chart* Tyler Goodson leads this backfield in passing-down snaps. Still, Brian Robinson should at least be a solid fantasy option in that scenario thanks to early-down volume.
4. Ray Davis (RB – BUF)
Ray Davis could have possibly been in Tier 1, as he racked up over 150 scrimmage yards in his one career game without James Cook (Week 6 of 2024).
However, even in that game, he had just a 58% snap share, with Ty Johnson remaining involved. The veteran passing-down back is still on Buffalo’s roster, so Davis wouldn’t be a no-brainer workhorse if Cook were absent.
5. Tyler Allgeier (RB – ARI)
Poor Tyler Allgeier. After a 1,000-yard rookie season, he found himself stuck behind the aforementioned Bijan Robinson for three years. This offseason, Allgeier signed with the Cardinals, presumably hoping to be their No. 1 RB, only for them to draft Jeremiyah Love third overall.
With that said, Allgeier has consistently posted impressive rushing efficiency metrics. His lack of pass-catching chops and Arizona’s lack of a competent quarterback keep him from ranking higher, but he would be a playable option if the superstar rookie were sidelined.
6. Keaton Mitchell (RB – LAC)
Keaton Mitchell is a massively explosive athlete, and his upside in a Mike McDaniel system is tantalizing. But he’s also tiny, measuring just 5-foot-8 and 179 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine before going undrafted in 2023.
Especially given Kimani Vidal‘s solid performance when Omarion Hampton went down last year, it’s hard to see Mitchell ever really consolidating volume. Still, I’d be very excited to plug him into my lineup with Hampton out, even if his touch floor would be much lower than most in this tier.
7. Samaje Perine (RB – CIN)
Samaje Perine is the opposite of Keaton Mitchell. With size and passing-down ability, the veteran has the theoretical profile to consolidate volume. But it’s hard to see any NFL team resigning itself to 20+ touches a game from a 31-year-old back who wasn’t particularly explosive early in his career.
Perine would see a valuable lead role in the Bengals’ offense if Chase Brown missed time, but I’d expect the Bengals to also find someone else (Tahj Brooks, maybe?) to provide a bit of juice.
8. Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB – NYG)
I’m maybe being a little harsh on Tyrone Tracy Jr. here. On paper, he checks all the boxes to be a potential three-down player if Cam Skattebo misses time, with good-enough size, speed and passing-down ability.
But Skattebo missed time last season, and Tracy wasn’t a workhorse — he was the 1A to Devin Singletary‘s 1B. Singletary is still in the Big Apple, so it’s hard to get too excited about Tracy’s handcuff potential.
9. Woody Marks (RB – HOU)
On the one hand, Woody Marks was the Texans’ starting running back for the majority of his rookie season. On the other hand, he was also supremely ineffective in that role, ranking 52nd out of 58 qualified backs in Pro Football Focus (PFF) rush grade.
If David Montgomery misses time, Marks should step back in as the Texans’ lead back, but it’s not likely to be pretty.
10. Dylan Sampson (RB – CLE)
If we only look at his competition on the Browns’ depth chart, Dylan Sampson’s situation is excellent. With Jerome Ford now in Washington, Cleveland’s only other non-Quinshon-Judkins running backs are 2025 undrafted free agent Raheim Sanders and 2026 undrafted free agent Ahmani Marshall.
Sanders saw some work on the ground when Judkins went down last season, but he’s not a pass-catcher. The real issue here is that Cleveland’s offense looks liable to be truly putrid once again. Sampson may be the best bet in this tier to see 70%+ of his backfield’s expected fantasy points, but that 70% is likely to be worth less than other teams’ 50%.
11. Braelon Allen (RB – NYJ)
Like Dylan Sampson, Braelon Allen is on a team that is set to be, yet again, terrible. Unlike Sampson, Allen isn’t likely to dominate touches.
When Breece Hall has missed time over the past two years, Allen has consistently ended up in a relatively even split with fellow 2024 draftee Isaiah Davis. That’s not a recipe for handcuff success.
Tier 3: Zeroes or Heroes
This is the mystery box tier of handcuffs. Some could be genuine league-winners, with three-down upside, excellent offensive situations or both. But what separates this group from Tier 2 is that, for each of these players, there’s a real chance they wouldn’t be useful even if their team’s No. 1 RB went down.
There are two hurdles between these running backs and fantasy value: First, they need to be their team’s No. 2 RB; second, they need the starter to be absent.
With that said, there’s tons of upside here. The names in the top half of this tier all have more upside than many of the backs in Tier 3. At least one of these players will probably have a stretch of excellent fantasy production sometime this season.
However, a handful more will turn out to be a figment of the fantasy community’s collective imagination, even if things break right for them on the injury front.
12. Alvin Kamara (RB – NO)
Alvin Kamara was once a fantasy stud and is still a potential three-down back thanks to his ability in the receiving game. But his rushing efficiency has been putrid for years now, and there’s a non-zero chance the 30-year-old calls it quits rather than taking a pay cut or playing for a team outside of New Orleans.
If Kamara is still on the Saints’ roster by Week 1, though, Kamara will shoot to the top of Tier 2 as a high-value handcuff behind new signing Travis Etienne.
13. Kaelon Black (RB – SF)
We know that running backs in Kyle Shanahan’s offense are fantasy gold, and we know that Christian McCaffrey is injury-prone. The problem is accurately diagnosing who the 49ers’ No. 2 RB is.
Right now, third-round pick Kaelon Black probably has the inside track to that job. He obviously won’t fill McCaffrey’s shoes as a receiver, but he could be a solid No. 2 RB if he actually is the 49ers’ backup option and McCaffrey misses time.
14. DJ Giddens (RB – IND)
Jonathan Taylor is one of the NFL’s remaining true workhorses, so we didn’t see much of DJ Giddens as a rookie. But his prospect profile was exciting, and he is now essentially alone behind Taylor on the Colts’ depth chart (with all due respect to seventh-round rookie Seth McGowan).
I’m very tempted to rank Giddens even higher than this, but he’s too unproven to move up further. Still, given his super-late fantasy football ADP, Giddens is a great target as a stash in deep formats.
15. Emmett Johnson (RB – KC)
Sticking with the trend of completely unproven players in exciting offenses, we have Chiefs rookie Emmett Johnson. As a fifth-round pick, there’s a real chance Johnson never makes any NFL or fantasy impact.
But Johnson has some intriguing analytical green flags in his profile, and Kansas City’s depth chart, for now, is pretty empty behind Kenneth Walker III. The return of Kareem Hunt looms as a real possibility.
16. Jaydon Blue (RB – DAL)
Jaydon Blue was a popular sleeper last season, as the speedy, versatile rookie was a much more exciting option than his seemingly dusty veteran counterparts of Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders.
However, Williams turned out to be far less washed than he seemed, while Blue struggled consistently to make the Cowboys’ active roster. Heading into his sophomore year, Blue’s traits still come with upside. But there’s also a real chance that, even if Javonte misses time, he would end up playing second fiddle behind 2022 undrafted free agent Malik Davis.
17. Tank Bigsby (RB – PHI)
Tank Bigsby’s not a pass-catcher, but Philadelphia’s offense is good enough that he could provide real value as a two-down back if Saquon Barkley missed time.
The issue is that even a two-down workload is by no means guaranteed for Bigsby, who often found himself seeing less work than Will Shipley in 2025.
18. Isiah Pacheco (RB – DET)
Things change fast in the NFL, especially at the running back position. Isiah Pacheco was the young, exciting No. 1 RB for the Super-Bowl-winning Chiefs just a few seasons ago. Now, I’m not even sure he’s ahead of converted linebacker Sione Vaki on the Lions’ depth chart.
It’s tempting to say that, another year removed from his fractured fibula, Pacheco could regain fantasy relevance on an elite Detroit offense if Jahmyr Gibbs missed time. But given he was losing work to Kareem Hunt’s corpse last season, I can’t see Pacheco remaining the Lions’ No. 1 RB for long if Gibbs misses extended time.
19. Mike Washington Jr. (RB – LV)
Mike Washington Jr. is very big, and he’s very fast. He’s also a rookie, which means he’s high-variance. In an upside case, his athleticism translates and he racks up points as Ashton Jeanty misses time.
In a worst-case scenario, Washington’s lack of college production shows through, and he fails to even beat out Dylan Laube for the Raiders’ No. 2 RB spot.
Tier 4: Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?
Like the running backs in Tier 3, these Tier 4 players are by no means locked in as top backups. But adding insult to hypothetical injury, it’s hard to see much upside for them, even if everything breaks right.
These backs are safely left on the waiver wire in all but absurdly deep leagues, as they have incredibly slim paths to ever providing meaningful fantasy value.
20. MarShawn Lloyd (RB – GB)
Does MarShawn Lloyd actually exist? Since the Packers selected him in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the former Trojan and Gamecock has recorded just six touches in only one career game, missing the majority of two seasons with a multitude of leg injuries.
For now, Lloyd is healthy, and he’s second among non-Josh-Jacobs Packers in ADP. Given Matt LaFleur’s track record of success, he does actually have some upside, so I considered putting him in Tier 3. But who knows how long his health will last, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he loses out to Chris Brooks and/or Pierre Strong Jr.
21. Ollie Gordon II (RB – MIA)
There are two massive issues with Ollie Gordon II’s handcuff viability. For one, Jaylen Wright is arguably more likely to be the Dolphins’ starter than Gordon is if De’Von Achane misses time.
When Achane exited Miami’s Week 14 contest early last season, Wright finished with 24 carries to Gordon’s five. Even if Gordon beats out Wright for the job, he will run into the second issue: The Dolphins are going to be terrible this year.
22. Justice Hill (RB – BAL)
Justice Hill isn’t really a handcuff. He has a role as the Ravens’ passing-down back, and that role is unlikely to change even if Derrick Henry misses time. I did consider putting him in Tier 0, but 5.5 half-PPR points per game in 2025 doesn’t exactly scream standalone value.
Although Hill makes this list because he is Baltimore’s second-highest back in ADP, the veteran third-down back doesn’t really have any injury-contingent upside. I don’t know if Rasheen Ali, Adam Randall or someone not even currently on the Ravens’ roster (Najee Harris?) would sit on King Henry’s throne in his absence, but it’s unlikely to be Hill.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.
