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As the fantasy football playoffs near, it becomes increasingly important to make sure that an injury doesn't derail your season. If you've been riding Christian McCaffrey to a top seed, stashing Elijah Mitchell turns into a must as the season winds down and managers need less roster flexibility.
Determining which running back will carry the bulk of the work if the starter gets injured isn't always black and white. Just a few weeks ago, rookie Zach Evans was third on the depth chart when Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers were placed on injured reserve. Instead of turning to the unproven back, the Rams brought in free agent Darrell Henderson Jr. and let him lead the way.
Which running backs are worth stashing as insurance, and which backfields aren't as clear? We'll dive into every backfield below.
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Handcuff Running Backs Of The AFC North
- Baltimore Ravens - Justice Hill / Keaton Mitchell
- Cleveland Browns - Kareem Hunt / Pierre Strong Jr.
- Pittsburgh Steelers - Jaylen Warren
- Cincinnati Bengals - Trayveon Williams
Kareem Hunt and Jaylen Warren are already widely rostered. If Warren is available, he's the immediate handcuff to Najee Harris and will get the lion's share of the touches if Harris misses any time.
The running backs worth targeting are Keaton Mitchell (a hot commodity on the waiver wire heading into Week 10) and Trayveon Williams. Mitchell exploded for 138 yards and could be climbing the Baltimore depth chart. Williams spells Mixon whenever he needs a rest. If Mixon were to get hurt, Williams would probably share work with Chris Evans, but the Bengals will throw far more often than run with either of those two in the backfield.
Handcuff Running Backs Of The AFC West
- Kansas City Chiefs - Jerick McKinnon / Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- Los Angeles Chargers - Joshua Kelley
- Denver Broncos - Jaleel McLaughlin / Samaje Perine
- Las Vegas Raiders- Zamir White / Ameer Abdullah
In Kansas City and Las Vegas, there will be defined running and pass-catching roles should Isiah Pacheco or Josh Jacobs get hurt. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Zamir White will play early downs, while Jerick McKinnon and Ameer Abdullah will get snaps on third downs.
That also may be the case in Denver but Jaleel McLaughlin will see more targets than his AFC West counterparts. Samaje Perine already has an established role as a third-down back.
The clean handcuff in this division is Joshua Kelley. We've already seen the 25-year-old receive a full allotment of snaps when Austin Ekeler missed time. The unknown is whether he can be productive with those touches. The results were mixed in the first four weeks of the season.
Handcuff Running Backs Of The AFC East
- Miami Dolphins - De'Von Achane / Jeff Wilson Jr. / Salvon Ahmed
- New England Patriots - Ezekiel Elliott
- Buffalo Bills - Latavius Murray / Leonard Fournette
- New York Jets - Dalvin Cook / Michael Carter
De'Von Achane is nearing his return to the Miami lineup, which will mean he and Raheem Mostert will divvy the majority of the carries. Jeff Wilson Jr. and Salvon Ahmed are already splitting reserve snaps behind Mostert. They aren't worth rostering.
Latavius Murray takes the goal line snaps and some other plays from James Cook. If Cook were to suffer an injury, Leonard Fournette would be active on game days and split work with Murray. Michael Carter will own the passing game in New York but Dalvin Cook would see some early down work if Breece Hall gets banged up.
That leaves just one clear-cut handcuff in the AFC East, Ezekiel Elliott. He's already in a roughly 60/40 division of labor with Rhamondre Stevenson.
Handcuff Running Backs Of The AFC South
- Houston Texans - Devin Singletary
- Tennessee Titans - Tyjae Spears
- Jacksonville Jaguars - Tank Bigsby / D'Ernest Johnson
- Indianapolis Colts - Zack Moss
This division is the gold mine of insurance running backs.
Devin Singletary played 75% of the snaps in his first game without Dameon Pierce in the lineup. Was it productive? No, but the Houston backfield hasn't been productive all season. The sheer amount of touches makes Singletary worthy of a roster spot.
Zack Moss was splitting touches with Jonathan Taylor but the latter is taking command of the Colts' backfield as he gets healthier. Moss may be the best handcuff in the entire league but he's already widely rostered. The same can be said for Tyjae Spears. The Titans love utilizing him in passing situations but he's proven to be an efficient runner as well. He'd be a league-winning player if Henry misses time.
The Jacksonville backfield is seemingly simple but I don't expect rookie Tank Bigsby to be given the keys to the Jaguar. He'll get a majority of the carries, sure, but veteran D'Ernest Johnson will be involved.
Handcuff Running Backs Of The NFC North
- Minnesota Vikings - Ty Chandler
- Green Bay Packers - A.J. Dillon
- Detroit Lions - Craig Reynolds
- Chicago Bears - Roschon Johnson / D'Onta Foreman / Darrynton Evans
Ty Chandler and A.J. Dillon are the clear-cut backups on their respective franchises. Cam Akers (Achilles) is on injured reserve, making Chandler the reserve to Alexander Mattison. Dillon has filled in for Aaron Jones already this season, albeit to poor results.
Craig Reynolds is third on the depth chart. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs would both have to go down for Reynolds to take over the backfield. They are both heavily rostered.
The Chicago Bears' backfield will be a mess. Khalil Herbert (ankle) may return in Week 10, relegating D'Onta Foreman back to reserve duty. Roschon Johnson will be active on game days and play a third of the snaps. Worst-case scenario, the touches are split into thirds between Herbert, Johnson, and Foreman.
Handcuff Running Backs Of The NFC West
- Seattle Seahawks - Zach Charbonnet
- Los Angeles Rams - Royce Freeman
- San Francisco 49ers - Elijah Mitchell / Jordan Mason
- Arizona Cardinals - Emari Demercado
Two games in a row, rookie Zach Charbonnet has outsnapped Kenneth Walker III. Both game scripts were completely different, so this could be a change of the guard or a pure coincidence. Regardless, he's the immediate insurance back to Walker. Elijah Mitchell is the top handcuff to Christian McCaffrey but it won't be a 1:1 replacement in terms of usage. Jordan Mason will fill in for spurts to keep Mitchell, who has a lengthy injury history, healthy.
Currently, Royce Freeman is the backup to Darrell Henderson Jr., although both are receiving a fair amount of carries. However, Kyren Williams is expected back in Week 12, making Henderson and Freeman the new handcuffs. Emari Demercado is the lead running back right now in Arizona but James Conner (knee) could return this week. The rookie will then shift to the reserve role and remain a solid handcuff to the injury-prone starter.
Handcuff Running Backs Of The NFC East
- New York Giants - Matt Breida
- Dallas Cowboys - Rico Dowdle
- Washington Commanders - Antonio Gibson / Chris Rodriguez Jr.
- Philadelphia Eagles - Kenneth Gainwell
There are three clear backups in the NFC East: Matt Breida, Rico Dowdle, and Kenneth Gainwell. The trio won't command a full snap share if their starter gets injured, but they will see the majority. Both Gainwell and Dowdle are elite handcuff options because of their respective high-powered offenses. The Giants' offense is going nowhere, and we saw Breida suffer earlier this season.
In Washington, Antonio Gibson will get the first crack as the lead running back but the coaching staff still views him as primarily a third-down option. His carries will see a bump if Brian Robinson Jr. goes down but rookie Chris Rodriguez Jr. will also be involved.
Handcuff Running Backs Of The NFC South
- New Orleans Saints - Jamaal Williams / Kendre Miller
- Atlanta Falcons - Tyler Allgeier
- Carolina Panthers - Miles Sanders
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ke'Shawn Vaughn
New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller is being checked out for an ankle injury right now, meaning Jamaal Williams is the immediate backup to Alvin Kamara. Williams' greatest attribute has been his knack for finding the end zone in short-yardage situations. The Saints instead opt to use Taysom Hill in those scenarios.
Tyler Allgeier is already receiving a workload as big (if not bigger) than starter Bijan Robinson. He's widely rostered and isn't a handcuff candidate. The same could be said for Miles Sanders, who lost his job to Chuba Hubbard. Fantasy managers may still be holding onto Sanders but he would regain his starting status if anything were to happen to Hubbard.
In Tampa, Ke'Shawn Vaughn has logged the second-most carries behind Rachaad White thus far. However, Chase Edmonds and possibly even rookie Sean Tucker would be involved if White gets hurt. All three of the reserve running backs are averaging two yards per carry or worse.
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