After taking Week 10 off due to a lack of relevant news, we are back. As we move deeper into the season and past bye weeks, now is the time to stash running back handcuffs in fantasy football.
While there is nothing major happening at the running back position in the way of injury, there are some situations to monitor. Here are 10 backfields I am keeping an eye on as we move through the week:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bucky Irving remains out, and Tampa Bay’s backfield looks messy. Rachaad White is losing his grip on the featured back role, ceding work to Sean Tucker. Tucker led the Bucs with 53 yards on nine carries and now gets a plus matchup versus Buffalo. He is worth a pickup this week.
- Arizona Cardinals: Emari Demercado had 104 total yards, including a nifty 55-yard run. He also added a 34-yard reception. Trey Benson‘s status for Week 11 looks iffy, at best, putting Demercado squarely in play as an RB2/Flex.
- Washington Commanders: Washington’s season is effectively over, and the Jacory Croskey-Merritt experiment might be as well. He averaged just 2.7 yards per carry (YPC), and the Commanders will need more out of their backfield with Jayden Daniels out for the year. Trouble is, I’m not sure any of the internal options give them much hope for increased production.
- Atlanta Falcons: Tyler Allgeier scored two more rushing touchdowns on Sunday, giving him three in his last two games. He is a viable Flex option in non-PPR leagues.
- San Francisco 49ers: Brian Robinson Jr. is no threat to Christian McCaffery, but he now has touchdowns in consecutive games. The San Francisco handcuff is one of the best in football, regardless of who it is, so Robinson is a must-have.
- New York Giants: Tyrone Tracy Jr. out-touched Devin Singletary 15 to 11, but Singletary had the better fantasy day on the back of a 3/53 receiving line. Neither back is anything more than a Flex play, and the Giants’ offense will undoubtedly take a step back if Jaxson Dart misses a considerable amount of time.
- New England Patriots: TreVeyon Henderson was finally given a chance to be a featured back on Sunday and responded with 150 total yards and two touchdowns. He looks like he’s earned a greater touch share moving forward, but we will see how Mike Vrabel handles the rookie.
- Los Angeles Rams: Blake Corum handled 13 touches on Sunday, spelling Kyren Williams in the Rams’ blowout win over the 49ers. Los Angeles has one of the more efficient offenses in the NFL, and Corum is a premium handcuff.
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Kaleb Johnson, not Kenneth Gainwell, received the only two non-Jaylen Warren carries on Sunday night. The Steelers would be wise to get Warren the ball more often, but it was interesting seeing Johnson get a few touches. I still prefer Gainwell, and I think the Steelers do as well.
- Houston Texans: Woody Marks appears to have seized complete control of the Texans’ backfield. He out-touched Nick Chubb 16 to 6 on Sunday and scored a touchdown. He is an RB2 moving forward, while Chubb is nothing more than a dart throw handcuff.
Fantasy Football Running Back Handcuff Rankings
Tier 1: Roster Everywhere
- David Montgomery (RB – DET)
- Zach Charbonnet (RB – SEA)
- Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)
- Blake Corum (RB – LAR)
- TreVeyon Henderson (RB – NE)
- Kyle Monangai (RB – CHI)
- Jordan Mason (RB – MIN)
- Brian Robinson Jr. (RB – SF)
- Rachaad White (RB – TB)/Sean Tucker (RB – TB)
- RJ Harvey (RB – DEN)
- Emari Demercado (RB – ARI)
- Kenneth Gainwell (RB – PIT)
- Tyjae Spears (RB – TEN)
- Chuba Hubbard (RB – CAR)
Tier 2: A Tier Below But Still Worth Stashing
- Emanuel Wilson (RB – GB)
- Jaret Patterson (RB – LAC)
- Isaiah Davis (RB – NYJ)
- Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAX)
- Tank Bigsby (RB – PHI)/Will Shipley (RB – PHI)
- Devin Neal (RB – NO)
- Keaton Mitchell (RB – BAL)
- Devin Singletary (RB – NYG)
Tier 3: Best of the Rest
- Brashard Smith (RB – KC)/Kareem Hunt (RB – KC)
- Raheem Mostert (RB – LV)
- Dylan Sampson (RB – CLE)
- Ray Davis (RB – BUF)/Ty Johnson (RB – BUF)
- Tyler Goodson (RB – IND)
- Nick Chubb (RB – HOU)
- Jaylen Wright (RB – MIA)
- Jeremy McNichols (RB – WSH)/Chris Rodriguez (RB – WSH)
Thursday Night Football Handcuff Stash
The Patriots’ running backs are most likely rostered in your league, but Isaiah Davis makes for an intriguing pickup ahead of Thursday night. He is probably rostered in 15% of 12-team leagues, but he is the only other running back to receive touches for the Jets besides Breece Hall. Snag him for free ahead of Thursday night.
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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.
