Fantasy football running back handcuffs

Should New York Jets RB Breece Hall be handcuffed?

Is there a direct fantasy replacement should Hall miss time?

Most NFL teams have backup plans in case of injury to their primary running backs. Some opt for a timeshare that plays to the strengths of two or three guys. When there’s a clear lead back, many teams make sure they have an understudy waiting for his chance or a veteran with a history as Plan B.

The New York Jets have no such plan. Breece Hall is the clear-cut starter and a first-round fantasy pick. Hall has the potential to be a three-down dominator, but injuries happen in the NFL, and the Jets have three players with a combined 29 NFL touches in six games. There’s no Plan B in New York, except for these three unknowns….

Which RB should you handcuff to Nick Chubb in fantasy drafts?

This backfield is awfully murky behind the star rusher.

For most of his five NFL seasons, Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb has been backed up by Kareem Hunt, who provided Cleveland with a capable backup and quality option on passing downs. Hunt’s time with the Browns has come to an end, however, leaving the club to sort through new options to line up behind one of the NFL’s best backs.

As we enter August, the three players vying for that spot are RB Jerome Ford, a fifth-round pick a season ago, Demetric Felton, who is entering his third year with the Browns, and running back John Kelly, a former selection of the Los Angeles Rams who has bounced around the NFL since 2018. With Chubb being an elite fantasy back, securing his backup would be a savvy move for fantasy owners, so it’s a good time to look at the competition and who should be targeted as Cleveland’s RB2.

5 fantasy football RB handcuffs to target in 2023 drafts

Make sure to insure your top backs by handcuffing their backups.

With so many teams using the committee approach in their offensive backfields, the idea of handcuffing running backs has lost some of its importance over the years.

There are still some situations worthy of doubling down on, however, and listed below are our top five — please note we tried to avoid situations where the No. 1 back wasn’t a top-20 option, such as Denver Broncos RBs Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine, or where the expected workload split figures to be close, such as Detroit Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery or New Orleans Saints RBs Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams.

Fantasy Football: 5 important handcuff running backs for 2022

Alexander Mattison is the clear choice to top this list of running back handcuffs to target in fantasy football.

There are some NFL backfields with two fantasy-relevant running backs who have standalone value in fantasy football even if both RBs stay healthy.

And there are other backfields that feature a backup who doesn’t offer much standalone value but is still a must-roster player due to the workload he’d assume if the starter went down. That’s a handcuff running back, or an insurance running back, and these are five of the top candidates you should consider this season.