In the fun activity that is fantasy football, the art of drafting the best team possible is not a true science, as personal feelings and thoughts about players supersede rankings from national correspondents and writers. And while certain people remain better at it than others as the years go by, everyone still keeps coming back for more, regardless of how well or how poorly things seem to go.
Big boards, positional rankings, and spreadsheets are all valuable tools that can help set the differences between the players up in a very organized manner, yet when it comes to drafting, certain elements always seem to fall through the cracks. But there is one element that can help set a good fantasy football team owner aside from a great one – running back handcuffs.
In a sense, people can attach negative connotations to handcuffs, as they are seen as potentially wasting a roster spot, just in case there is that injury to a star running back that immediately thrusts a backup into a starting role and into the spotlight. But as is proven with star backs, their heavy snap counts and touches for sure take a toll over the course of an NFL season.
For the 2020 season, there are certain running backs that have extremely valuable fantasy football handcuffs, whether it be due to the fact that they have demonstrated that they have serious injury/durability concerns, or just the fact that their backup is good enough to earn a sliver of playing time, regardless of the health of the RB ahead of them on the depth chart.
Here are the five most valuable fantasy football running back handcuffs for the 2020 NFL season, in order of least to most important. As a note, all projected average draft positions (ADP) figures are pulled from the database over at FantasyPros, when looking at point-per-reception league projections.
J.K. Dobbins & Kareem Hunt
Okay, I lied – this list includes the six top handcuff options. But this section includes two, simply because they both will see carries from day one.
For the Baltimore Ravens, their offense is borderline perfect as is, being led by 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson. With wide receiver Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown and tight end Mark Andrews primed to lead the receiving unit yet again, and with the offensive line set up for another road-paving year, the only question revolves around their running back depth.
Incumbent starter Mark Ingram II is the locked-in starter, at least for the first week of the season. But due to the lack of offseason structure and any sort of preseason work, Ingram more is the default starter in this offense, because the 2020 NFL Draft brought a collegiate stud into the running for lead back next to Jackson.
J.K. Dobbins, the former Ohio State University stud, arrives in Baltimore as the second back on the list, but will absolutely fight for carries and touches in his first NFL action. With Ingram used to playing in a tandem, 1-2 running back allotment (see his time spent in New Orleans with Alvin Kamara), he is best suited as a member of a strong two-back grouping, instead of being the sole lead back.
Dobbins has the abilities to challenge for both rushes and receptions in day one, as he was able to put both of his abilities in those categories to the test in college. Plus, the Ravens would not have used a second-round pick on him just to sit, so expecting (at most) 10 touches per game out of Dobbins is a very safe amount.
Projected ADP – 8th round (#83 overall player)
The other member of this section is the handcuff that seems to be the highest-projected drafted back out of the bunch, Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt. The former Kansas City Chiefs back is a high-value RB2 for the Browns that looks to be operating more as a RB 1B than an RB2 in ‘20, especially with new head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offensive scheme favoring a heavy zone-running outlook.
With starter Nick Chubb currently in the concussion protocol after being tackled around the neck by linebacker and teammate Mack Wilson in camp on Monday, Hunt’s role grows even more, and if Chubb has lingering issues that last into the season, the ADP for Hunt grows exponentially.
But if Chubb is able to return to his lead-back role, that only slightly diminishes the expected production of Hunt this year, as Hunt can be expected to produce RB22 overall numbers, which is what he ended up hovering around last year, as Chubb came in as the RB18.
Projected ADP – 6th round (#71 overall)
Chase Edmonds
When Arizona Cardinals’ running back David Johnson went down last year, backup Chase Edmonds was given the keys to try and take hold of a sputtering offense. And while he did end up showing some flashes of long-term potential, Edmonds did not show anything close to what a lead back should have, which is what forced their hand for them to go out and trade for then-Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake.
Drake, who was an absolute revelation for the Cardinals once he joined the team, is the clear-cut RB1 for AZ, who looks to pair him with QB Kyler Murray and receivers DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald, and Christian Kirk, to form one of the more formidable offensive attacks in the league.
But Drake has shown a history of not staying healthy, and even with the seventh-round selection of Arizona State RB Eno Benjamin, Edmonds looks to be the guy that the Cards would turn to if any sort of injury would pop up for Drake.
The nice thing about Edmonds is that his low ADP provides huge value and a nice handcuff, especially in deeper leagues that have huge benches or in dynasty fantasy football leagues. If you are looking for a late-round lottery ticket on a player that could surprise, then Edmonds is a superb choice for that role.
Projected ADP – 16th round (#176 overall)
Latavius Murray
A former starter that has taken a backseat to RB1 Alvin Kamara in New Orleans, Latavius Murray is probably the most valuable handcuff on this list if the starter ahead of them remains healthy, as odd as that sounds.
Murray holds standalone value as it currently stands, as the injury history of Kamara combined with the demand of the Saints’ offensive scheme calls for Murray to be regularly featured in the play calls. Murray projects to hold a similar role to what Hunt does for the Browns, but albeit it on a bit of a smaller scale.
If Kamara stays healthy, then taking him anywhere from 1.3 – 1.5, depending on how the rest of your league values him, is exactly where he should fall. But if taking Kamara, then you should also pay Murray a close look as well later on, even if just so no one else in your league grabs him.
Mike Tagliere of FantasyPros provided a nice look into what Murray can produce with Kamara being out, as 307 total yards and 4 total touchdowns were put up by Murray against the Bears and Cardinals, showcasing that Murray still has solid value as is, even if you are not a Kamara owner.
Yes, Murray is capable of vulturing some goal-line touches from Kamara, and while that happens from time to time, that does not take enough value away from Kamara. Use one of your final single-round fantasy football selections on Murray, as his standalone value gives him great potential this late in the draft.
Potential ADP – 9th round (#132 overall)
Alexander Mattison
As the backup to one of the most heavily-targeted backs in the top-to-middle portion of round one, Alexander Mattison is a curious case of weighing potential versus wasting a roster spot (spoiler – it is the former and not the latter).
With Cook holding a 1.6 ADP in most fantasy drafts, Mattison holds nothing more than a simple handcuff value that should not be looked to anywhere before the 10th round. But there are a few exceptions that can justify spending up on him.
Mattison is solidly entrenched as the RB2 for the Minnesota Vikings, and if anything happens to Cook, which has proven very possible in the past, then Mattison immediately flies up into the RB1 tier, based solely on the fact of how the MIN offense is so run-heavy in nature.
With new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak taking over the recently-departed Stefanski, his zone-blocking scheme will remain implemented as the heavy focus for this offense, relying on play-action elements to help break open the defense and open up running lanes for an offensive line that is in dire need of a healthy season by its five starting members.
For Mattison, he does not have a ton of potential to vulture any sort of meaningful carries with Cook being healthy (as Cook is a clear workhorse), but if Cook were even to miss a game or two with an injury, Mattison’s value would skyrocket to the point where he would immediately become the hottest waiver pickup across all leagues – so why worry about fighting through waiver orders and potentially overpaying in a trade when you could just draft him outright instead?
So if you have Cook, spending a ninth-round selection on locking up his handcuff is a smart play, even if it is two rounds above his projected ADP. That sense of security can make the difference between winning your league and missing the playoffs if Cook goes down.
Projected ADP – 11th round (#125 overall)
Tony Pollard
The most valuable handcuff on this list is probably a name that has been thrown around a bunch – Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard. And for his projected ADP value, he could amount to an absolute steal if thrust into a starting role.
The 23-year-old posted three games of 17+ PPR points in ‘19, and all three of those games were with Ezekiel Elliott on the field – so, Dallas has a case of the 1-2 punch on its hands, right?
Wrong – but only to a point.
Elliott is not going anywhere as the RB1 in Dallas. With new head coach Mike McCarthy relying on incumbent OC Kellen Moore to continue to run the offense that helped feed Dak Prescott, Elliott, and Amari Cooper semi-equally, Pollard is going to have to look elsewhere for regular touches.
Reports of using Pollard as a wide receiver more in certain sets this upcoming year is certainly a development to keep on eye on, but until anything concrete materializes from that, the role for Pollard can be seen as very similar to last year, in how he was the handcuff for Elliott that saw enough playing time to almost put him in the Murray category of backup RBs.
Pollard has some standalone fantasy football value, but is best served being drafted by the Elliott owner as protection, and his ADP value could fluctuate more than most handcuffs if the heavy WR usage comes true.
Projected ADP – 12th round (#155 overall)
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