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The running back position is immensely valuable in Fantasy Football, and securing star players at the position in your league in 2024 is of the utmost importance. However, the nature of the position leaves ball carriers vulnerable to injury, and you don't want a devastating injury to cost you your Fantasy Football league championship.
Therefore, drafting “handcuffs” at running back is a strategy to consider. Running back handcuffs are players who are not listed as the starter on their respective team's depth chart, but they are players who can make a big impact in Fantasy Football if they are thrust into a bigger role.
Handcuffs can take over starting duties if the running back that they share the backfield with gets hurt or because their talent will incentivize their respective teams to give them a bigger role. With that said, check out the gallery to see our five most valuable Fantasy Football running back handcuffs for the 2024 NFL season.
1. Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys
Rico Dowdle is a must-have on your Fantasy Football roster this year. Not only do we view him as the best running back sleeper in 2024 (his average draft position is 109), but we also think he is the best handcuff option at the position this season. Currently, Ezekiel Elliot is projected to start for the Cowboys this year, but we just can't see that lasting forever.
Elliot was once one of the best running backs in the league, but his best days are clearly in the rearview. The Ohio State product is now 29 years old, and running backs don't last forever. With age comes an increased risk for injury, and Elliot has already shown signs of regression.
He last made the Pro Bowl in 2019, and he was forced to split carries with Tony Pollard during his last stint in Dallas. The Cowboys were even comfortable enough to let him walk in free agency last season, and he ended up having an unproductive year with the New England Patriots. Elliot only ran for 642 yards last season, and further regression can be expected this year.
The Cowboys could be motivated to give Dowdle a shot, regardless of whether Elliot stays healthy or not. The 26-year-old has been learning the Cowboys system since 2020, and he seems destined for a breakout campaign this year. Dowdle's age means he is likely entering his prime, so he could absorb a heavy workload as a ball carrier.
Dallas' offense has always been high-powered with Dak Prescott leading the way, but he and CeeDee Lamb can't do everything. There aren't a lot of other big names on the Cowboys' offense, but Dowdle could step up as their next star, and he only has to get past the aging Ezekiel Elliot to do so.
2. Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals
James Conner, the starting running back for the Cardinals, never suits up for 17 games. He has missed at least two games in all seven of his NFL seasons, and he has missed at least three games in five of the seasons that he has been a professional. He is bound to miss time again, which means that Trey Benson will be the running back asked to step up.
The Cardinals just made Benson a third-round pick, so he could be in line to have one of the best rookie running back seasons this year. Benson could spell Conner when he needs a break or inevitably goes down with an injury, but he could also simply surpass him on the depth chart.
Conner has been league-average at best for around a half-decade, and although he is solid as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, Benson could bring even more on third downs. In Fantasy Football, third-downs are often times the money downs, especially in PPR formats. Benson is the running back of the future in Arizona, but you'd be smart to take him as a handcuff back this year because he could see lots of action sooner rather than later.
3. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers might grow tired of Rashaad White's inefficient rushing ability this season, and they have a handcuff running back waiting in the midst who could incentivize them to make a change in their starting backfield. That running back is Bucky Irving.
The Buccaneers drafted Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the potential ball carrier of the future in Tampa Bay. White ran for only 3.6 yards per attempt last season after running for only 3.7 yards per attempt the season prior. Irving is sure to surpass those marks if he is handed the reins.
Additionally, White had a huge workload last season, so the Buccaneers are desperate to give another running back more touches this year. If White were to go down with an injury, though, Tampa Bay has shown a willingness to use their running backs in a bell cow fashion. Irving would likely demand nearly all of the Buccaneers carries if he was named the team's starter due to injury.
4. Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
One-hit wonders are a real thing in Fantasy Football, especially for late-round/undrafted running backs. CJ Anderson, Justin Forsett, James Robinson, and Myles Gaskin are just a few players who weren't highly touted in the NFL, which led to them going undrafted or near the bottom of drafts in Fantasy Football. They all then had a big fantasy season, which led to them being high draft picks the following year, but they never went on to recreate their magical seasons.
While we aren't predicting a fall from grace for Kyren Williams, it certainly isn't out of the question, as he fits the description of the players listed above. Williams was a 2022 fifth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams, and he did next to nothing as a rookie. He then broke onto the scene last season, and he won a lot of people in their Fantasy Football leagues because of it. He is now (rightfully so) being drafted high in fantasy drafts, and while establishing himself as a star isn't out of the question, neither is a fall back down to Earth.
If this fall happens, then Blake Corum is the handcuff running back that you want. The Rams just took Corum in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, so they clearly value him, and they don't want that pick to go to waste. The running back from Michigan is fresh off of a national title, and he was arguably the best halfback in college football last year.
Corum is guaranteed to steal touches away from Williams, and because of how much they invested into acquiring him, they might want him to take over the reins at running back sooner rather than later. Not to mention, Williams wasn't flawless in his breakout campaign last year, despite having a great fantasy season. He missed three weeks because of injury and had another two weeks with fewer than seven fantasy points.
5. Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles
True handcuff running backs get thrust into action because the starter ahead of them gets injured, therefore opening up a spot in the starting lineup. The Eagles signed Saquon Barkley to be their bell cow back this year, but the former second-overall pick has been an injury risk throughout his career.
During his time with the New York Giants, Barkley only played in two games in 2020, and he missed at least three games three additional times. Lower body injuries have continuously limited Barkley's time on the field and forced his backups into action. His backup on the Eagles is Kenneth Gainwell.
Gainwell is one of the most talented backup ball-carriers in the NFL, and he should produce big numbers in the event that he takes over for Barkley. Even if Barkley remains healthy, the Eagles have preferred to utilize a running back by committee system in recent years.
Barkley is expected to take the vast majority of touches out of the backfield, but Nick Sirianni could be inclined to give Gainwell a fair share of touches even if he remains in backup duty.
