Best RB handcuffs for 2024

[wilwhite]

Who is the most important handcuff this year if you have the lead back?

And - maybe overlapping - which non-lead back would you most want, regardless of whether you have the top guy on that team?

 

[MilkSpiller22]

Who is the most important handcuff this year if you have the lead back?

And - maybe overlapping - which non-lead back would you most want, regardless of whether you have the top guy on that team?

how about this.... with the running back landscape, i think there is such thing now as WR handcuffs...

and i think that answer is Rome Odunze...

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Who is the most important handcuff this year if you have the lead back?

And - maybe overlapping - which non-lead back would you most want, regardless of whether you have the top guy on that team?

The Lions handcuff maybe? Opinions may vary on which RB is the backup. I like Panthers handcuff Jonathan Brooks chances to get opportunities. Browns handcuff Jerome Ford will be popular, but think I'd rather take a cheap flyer on Foreman. Brian Robinson backing up Ekeler is a good bet.

 

[leftypower]

Who is the most important handcuff this year if you have the lead back?
And - maybe overlapping - which non-lead back would you most want, regardless of whether you have the top guy on that team?

Well, the first question leads to a number of answers. ... and totally depends on roster space and format since it's almost every #2 in the league these days. But I'd seriously consider the following in team order; Benson, Alligeier, C. Brown, J. Ford, McLaughlin, Montgomery, Corum, Mostert, Chandler, Warren, Charbonnet, T. Spears, Robinson (though I think he actually leads in touches).
#2 question; Benson, Ford, McLaughlin, Montgomery, Warren, Charbonnet, Spears, Robinson.

 

[wilwhite]

Brian Robinson backing up Ekeler is a good bet.

Very true.

 

[TREFF]

The Lions handcuff maybe? Opinions may vary on which RB is the backup. I like Panthers handcuff Jonathan Brooks chances to get opportunities. Browns handcuff Jerome Ford will be popular, but think I'd rather take a cheap flyer on Foreman. Brian Robinson backing up Ekeler is a good bet.

I honestly view Ekeler as BRob's handcuff.

 

[MilkSpiller22]

The Lions handcuff maybe? Opinions may vary on which RB is the backup. I like Panthers handcuff Jonathan Brooks chances to get opportunities. Browns handcuff Jerome Ford will be popular, but think I'd rather take a cheap flyer on Foreman. Brian Robinson backing up Ekeler is a good bet.

is robinson a handcuff?? is Ford or hubbard??

thats actually an interesting question... if a player is expected to miss a few games in the beginning of the season, Like Brooks and Chubb, and their "handcuffs" start the season and should start a couple games... are they considered handcuffs?? certainly not on draft day they are not...

 

[wilwhite]

I honestly view Ekeler as BRob's handcuff.

That situation could easily make for 160 touches for both guys, with neither getting to 220. Same with the Bengals.

But if anybody's gonna start to dominate, I would bet the young guy in both cases.

 

[averagejoe]

I dont feel there are RB handcuffs anymore.

My view is most teams carry top 2 and they more or less give them a pitch count or use them situationally.

If one of those 2 go down, they exhaust the RB depth by using everyone, maybe going with the hothand approach.

Rumors in SF have CMC having his workload dialed back. How much is anyone's guess?

Feel the same about Barkley. Think owners will not like his touches.

 

[TREFF]

seems like there's multiple situations where there is no consensus on the lead back and his lesser running mate.

BRob/Ekeler
Mostert/Achane
Monty/ Gibbs
Pollard/Spears
Dobbins/Gus

just as the obvious examples. So obviously all of those would be my best bets as the 'best cuff to have', but best of luck as to which is the cuff and which is the lead. I know my opinion is that BRob, Mostert, Gibbs, and Spears are the hands down best bets on their respective teams to lead in FP's, but some of them sure aren't ranked that way as per 'experts' opinions. (I'm so over Dobbins and Gus, that I just don't care to comment on them anymore)



As to a little bit more cut and dry true 'cuff' situations, give me Chase Brown, Chuba, Charbonnet, Trey Benson, and Antonio Gibson.
Stand alone 'cuff-type' guy? Outside of those previously mentioned, Tyron Tracy?

 

[TREFF]

I dont feel there are RB handcuffs anymore.

My view is most teams carry top 2 and they more or less give them a pitch count or use them situationally.

If one of those 2 go down, they exhaust the RB depth by using everyone, maybe going with the hothand approach.

Rumors in SF have CMC having his workload dialed back. How much is anyone's guess?

Feel the same about Barkley. Think owners will not like his touches.

if CMAC gets his role dialed back, it'll only be because they passed more than they used to. NO other RB on that team is getting meaningful rushes or designed pass plays. Garbage time, sure, absolutely

If Barkley gets what Sanders did in 2022 (279 touches), or Swift last year (268 touches), it'll be his third highest touch total of his career. I can see no reason why they wouldn't do that, and I'm sure his owners would be plenty content, especially given the assumption that the touches in this eagles offense would likely be markedly more productive/efficient than the touches he got in NY.

 

[SmokingMonkey]

Corum is high on my cuff list.

Rams like to use bellcow and Kyren missed 4 games in his only season as a starter. Decent offense that also gets RB touches in passing game

 

[TREFF]

I dont feel there are RB handcuffs anymore.

I would have to pretty much %100 agree with that.
the instances where there are teams that have a TRUE lead back, are few and far between. And i would say a true lead back is someone you can reasonably expect to get at minimum, a 2 to 1 touch ratio over any other RB, or better. If there isn't one guy getting at least twice as many touches as the next dude, there ain't a lead back, it's a committee.

So we're talking
Derrick Henry
CMAC
Barkley
Breece Hall
Kamara
probably Bijuan Robinson
probably Josh Jacobs
probably Rhomandre
probably Mixon
probably Zamir White
and probably Zeke Elliott
maybe Aaron Jones
maybe Pacheco
maybe D. Singletary

In almost ALL of the cases above there is no ONE back up who I would reasonably expect to get a 2 to 1 ratio over anyone else if the 'lead' were to go down. So in the vast majority of cases where we actually have a lead, there is no actual cuff. And in the many cases where there is a solid #2, he's generally in a full blown committee already, so hard to call him a cuff, and he probably has plenty of stand alone value.

The few exceptions? ELijah Mitchell behind CMAC? Algier behind Bijuan? Gibson behind Stevenson, Mattison behind Zamir (but we already know he's supbar as a lead guy when given the chance, so why bother much?) beyond that, best of luck.

 

[TREFF]

if CMAC gets his role dialed back, it'll only be because they passed more than they used to. NO other RB on that team is getting meaningful rushes or designed pass plays. Garbage time, sure, absolutely

If Barkley gets what Sanders did in 2022 (279 touches), or Swift last year (268 touches), it'll be his third highest touch total of his career. I can see no reason why they wouldn't do that, and I'm sure his owners would be plenty content, especially given the assumption that the touches in this eagles offense would likely be markedly more productive/efficient than the touches he got in NY.

BTW, thats a lie..I didn't math right at all..but it's still plenty of touches to make a RB owner happy in these days

 

[wilwhite]

A guy who will never be great but could pop into a FF RB2 role is Justice Hill. I love Henry but he's 30 with 2K carries and we've never seen him outside of Tennessee.

That said, gotta be a deep bench.

 

[SmokingMonkey]

A guy who will never be great but could pop into a FF RB2 role is Justice Hill. I love Henry but he's 30 with 2K carries and we've never seen him outside of Tennessee.

That said, gotta be a deep bench.

Took a stab on Hill in one best ball league and the never-ending dynasty startup.

Cost was next to nothing and only him plus the rookie to spell Henry while Mitchell recovers from his late season injury

 

[eaglesnut]

I dont feel there are RB handcuffs anymore.

My view is most teams carry top 2 and they more or less give them a pitch count or use them situationally.

If one of those 2 go down, they exhaust the RB depth by using everyone, maybe going with the hothand approach.

Rumors in SF have CMC having his workload dialed back. How much is anyone's guess?

Feel the same about Barkley. Think owners will not like his touches.

Yeah, I don't think there are handcuffs anymore. There are so many guys getting used every week at the position across the league that your backups can fill in.

 

[averagejoe]

To be honest, i have fallen into the handcuff trap a season or 2. But if a league has a 5-man bench, its almost a liability to hold onto a RB that possibly pays dividends midway thru the season.

And if your team is .500 by the time your handcuff sees some action, chances are that your team is on the playoff bubble too.

Typing this when i am really tired.

 

[TREFF]

To be honest, i have fallen into the handcuff trap a season or 2. But if a league has a 5-man bench, its almost a liability to hold onto a RB that possibly pays dividends midway thru the season.

And if your team is .500 by the time your handcuff sees some action, chances are that your team is on the playoff bubble too.

Typing this when i am really tired.

5 man bench, id be going after as many 'lesser committee' backs as I could get, before going after a real cuff. Just to hard to use that type of space up with a guy who will never be of any help unless you're main starter goes down

 

[leftypower]

@TREFF is pretty spot on with his RB takes but I whole-heartedly disagree with Pancheco being a 'maybe' he as much as 'probably' as anyone on that list. CEH is trash and beyond that is Zammitt who is the definition of a longshot.
Jones should likely be a 'probably' as well - unless health gets in the way.