Handcuff running backs aren't created equal in fantasy football land.

Sure, the allure of newfound upside from someone who previously was simply a backup is always enticing, but differing usage, scoring environment and personal ability are just a few factors that make it tricky to project second-string RBs thrust into starting roles.

But was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? That's what I thought: What follows is my best effort at ranking the fantasy upside of every handcuff RB ahead of 2024.

I focused on the following four key categories when putting together the below tiers:

  • Likelihood of a featured role: Whether it's because of a soft depth chart or past evidence: What are the chances that the No. 2 RB will be given a fantasy-friendly workhorse role?
  • Theoretical three-down ability: Regardless of whether or not the RB is positioned to be given a true three-down role, does he possess the size and skill needed to stay on the field in clear run and pass situations?
  • Scoring upside of offense: Does the RB play in the sort of scoring environment capable of providing bunches of goal-line opportunities during any given week?
  • Standalone value: Is this an offense that already utilizes enough of a committee system to hopefully supply some usable fantasy weeks from the No. 2 RB even without an injury occurring?

Note that RBs are listed in order by ESPN average draft position (ADP) inside each individual tier. Every team's No. 2 RB is simply who is going second in ADP at the moment.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

Tier 1: Studs who are already in your lineup anyway (3)

Each of Montgomery (RB15 in PPR points per game), Warren (WR30) and (especially) Mostert (RB4) were regular staples in starting lineups last season and are once again expected to serve as de facto co-starters in 2024. Each is accordingly priced up and ranked inside Fantasy Life's top-26 RBs; it feels weird to even call these guys "handcuffs", although there's little doubt each would immediately slide into the position's top-12 weekly options if their respective backfield's technical No. 1 RB were to miss any game action.

Tier 2: One injury away from being a fantasy RB1 (6)

Titans RB Tyjae Spears

Tyjae Spears was one of just three RBs to post PFF grades north of 70 in rushing, receiving and pass blocking last season. Only Jaylen Warren (36%) forced a missed tackle on a higher percentage of his touches than Spears (35%); the rising second-year talent is certifiably good at football inside of an offense that considers him "interchangeable" with starter Tony Pollard. 

Oct 29, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears (32) runs after the catch during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

While the relatively small size (5-foot-10, 201 pounds) could perhaps limit the potential of Spears ever receiving 20-plus carries over the course of a 60-minute football game, there's enough big-play and receiving ability on hand for the 2023 NFL Draft's 81st overall pick to potentially emerge as a middle-class man's version of prime Austin Ekeler should Pollard miss any time.

Rams RB Blake Corum

Blake Corum's third-round draft capital immediately lands him as the expected No. 2 RB on a soft depth chart that only features Boston Scott, Ronnie Rivers and Zach Evans as direct competition behind 2023 breakout star Kyren Williams. While Corum has similar receiving concerns to Williams, this is an expected top-10 scoring offense that was more willing to feature a true workhorse RB than most last season.

Standalone value is unlikely, but Corum looks like a good bet to immediately soak up the heavy majority of Williams' touches should the often-injured starter miss more time. This role produced the second-most expected PPR points per game at the position in 2023.

Cardinals RB Trey Benson

Like Corum, Trey Benson's Day 2 draft capital sure seems like it will immediately position him as the next man up behind incumbent workhorse James Conner. Also like Corum, this offense has the potential to be a legit top-10 unit — after all, that's exactly what they were after Kyler Murray returned from injury last season.

Benson is an explosive high-end athlete with the ability to work across all three downs; beat writers have already speculated a true every-down role could emerge should Conner miss time. That very role has helped Conner rip off RB8, RB9 and most recently RB13 finishes in PPR points per game since he joined the Cardinals in 2021 — it really might be as simple as crossing out Conner's name and writing in Benson as a top-12 RB in the weekly ranks should the veteran RB be sidelined at any point in 2024.

Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet

Zach Charbonnet was by all accounts the superior RB compared to Kenneth Walker last season. While it's far from guaranteed the team's new coaching staff cares about the advanced numbers, Charb proved capable of working across all three downs on his way to handling 21, 18 and 20 touches during his three games with Walker sidelined.

The 6-foot, 214-pound talent's backup competition has a total of *zero* combined NFL touches. Charbonnet possesses sneaky-solid standalone potential and sky-high handcuff upside due to the likelihood that he'd inherit something close to a true workhorse role should Walker miss any time.

Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier

Tyler Allgeier was one of three RBs to rack up 200-plus touches without losing a fumble or dropping a pass last season. He joined Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears as the league's only three RBs with PFF grades north of 70 in rushing, receiving and pass blocking. As good as Bijan Robinson is, Allgeier's own rookie numbers stack up favorably.

The former fifth-round pick racked up 24 touches in that one game Robinson played just 11 snaps last season and worked as the overall PPR RB5 during the final four weeks of 2022 when featured as the lead back. Don't count on Allgeier stealing nearly as many touches away from Robinson as he did last season, but his sky-high handcuff upside hasn't gone anywhere.

Patriots RB Antonio Gibson

Antonio Gibson signed a three-year, $11.25 million contract to work as Rhamondre Stevenson's backup in New England. Nobody is expecting the ex-Commander to vie for the starting job, but Gibson is certainly the favorite to assume the majority of Ezekiel Elliott's vacated 235 touches.

The 26-year-old talent didn't rack up over 1,000 total yards with double-digit TDs in back-to-back seasons to start his career by accident, and there's enough receiving ability here to believe some serious full-PPR goodness would be on the table should Stevenson hit the sideline … like he's done for five games in two of his three career seasons.

Tier 3: One injury away from being a solid fantasy RB2 (7)

Commanders RB Austin Ekeler

Friendly reminder Austin Ekeler is *one* year removed from an overall PPR RB1 finish. We've all seen the long run against the Packers when Ekeler reached just 13 miles per hour, but he looked plenty spry before a Week 1 high ankle sprain, notably hitting 19.6 miles per hour on this screen.

Perhaps Ekeler turns this Washington backfield into a fairly evenly split committee; there's potential here for him and Brian Robinson to both finish inside the position's top-24 fantasy options — a feat that has occurred on average 1.9 times per season over the last decade.

Still, targets and goal-line opportunities don't figure to be overly fruitful in an offense led by a rookie dual-threat QB, and it wouldn't be overly surprising if the absence of Robinson more so led to increased early-down work for third-stringer Chris Rodriguez than a role overhaul for Ekeler.

Browns RB Jerome Ford

Jerome Ford proved to be a walking big play on his way to racking up 1,132 total yards and nine TDs in 2023. While he wasn't exactly a staple inside the RB1 ranks with Nick Chubb sidelined, give the RB14 in total PPR points during Weeks 2 through 18 credit for providing some solid handcuff upside during his time as the Browns' No. 1 RB.

Dec 28, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (34) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest concern with Ford's potential to truly take over this backfield is his boom-or-bust rushing style — no RB had a higher percentage of their carries (27%) result in a loss or no gain last season. Ford would certainly be expected to work as the lead back if Chubb misses another chunk of time, but guys like D'Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines would probably be just enough involved to keep him out of must-start territory.

Vikings RB Ty Chandler

Ty Chandler racked up 27, eight, 13 and 15 combined carries and targets in his four starts to end 2023 — not exactly the sort of workhorse role to freak out about in fantasy land, although only the former game featured Alexander Mattison truly inactive.

While we haven't seen enough of Chandler to be certain he possesses a true every-down skill set, the Vikings didn't add any additional depth at the position throughout the offseason, leaving his only real competition as Cam Akers, who is far from guaranteed to even make the roster following his second torn Achilles.

Ultimately, what Chandler lacks in potential three-down ability and offensive upside he makes up for in lack of backfield depth — and we also shouldn't completely rule out some level of standalone value here.

Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle

Rico Dowdle has just 113 career touches to his name but flashed in 2023 — particularly in the passing game, where he posted top-10 marks at the position in yards per reception (8.5) and yards per route run (1.35).

It's unlikely Rico ever seizes full control of the backfield; just realize double-digit combined carries and targets per game inside a likely top-10 scoring offense could go a long way in fantasy land.

While Ezekiel Elliott isn't a lock to completely control this backfield, he does profile as the lead short-yardage and pass-pro option, making his absence a likely requirement for Dowdle to find his way into the RB2 picture. Even then, guys like Royce Freeman and Deuce Vaughn threaten to stay involved enough to limit Dowdle's weekly 20-plus touch upside.

Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard

Chuba Hubbard racked up an NFL-high 277 touches without losing a fumble or dropping a pass last season. He finished with eight consecutive performances between the PPR RB6 and RB28. Pretty, pretty, pretty good some might say.

While Hubbard's average of 4.1 yards per touch (48th among 56 qualified RBs) reflects the reality that he didn't always make the most out of his opportunities, the former fourth-round pick deserves credit for proving capable of earning a true every-down role — something that could again be on the table should rookie Jonathon Brooks miss time either to start the season or beyond.

If only the Panthers offense were, you know, expected to be any good

Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Clyde Edwards-Helaire is tentatively the next man up behind Isiah Pacheco due to the continued absence of current free agent Jerick McKinnon.The former first-round pick's modest advantages in snaps (67 vs. 50), carries (24 vs. 8) and targets (8 vs. 7) over the pass-catching veteran in two games with Pacheco sidelined last season could be amplified in 2024.

Nov 20, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25) runs the ball against Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nicholas Morrow (41) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Consider: CEH and McKinnon racked up 57.8 PPR points in Weeks 14-15 last season — just 0.2 fewer fantasy points than what CMC averaged during that stretch. That sort of weird shit can happen for RBs inside one of the league's most fantasy-friendly offenses led by Mr. Patrick Mahomes.

Note that Rugby star turned NFL-er Louis Rees-Zammit tentatively profiles as more of a special teams weapon than legit backfield competition at least in 2024. Nobody behind Pacheco on this depth chart has anywhere near the level of NFL experience and familiarity with this offense as CEH, mediocre real-life ability be damned.

49ers RB Elijah Mitchell

Elijah Mitchell didn't always put his best foot forward in 2023 (3.7 yards per carry), but that didn't stop head coach Kyle Shanahan from clarifying who his No. 2 RB was last November:

“We look at more than stats. Mitchell’s our number two back. He’s done some pretty good things here and JP’s our three, he’s been our two at times. But it’s how most cases are in the NFL.”

The Athletic’s David Lombardi backed up this notion earlier this offseason.

Reminder: Mitchell was the RB15 in PPR points per game as the team's starter in 2021 and even ripped off PPR RB19 and RB14 finishes in his two games with extended action in 2023. Mitchell earned 32 of the backfield's 41 total touches during the second half of Week 17 and Week 18 while CMC was dealing with a calf injury.

History tells us the 49ers don't overly care about featuring Mitchell in the passing game, but we still have essentially 16 games worth of evidence that he’s good enough to offer upside RB2 production anytime McCaffrey isn’t around thanks to the fantasy-friendly nature of this perennial top-tier scoring offense.

Tier 4: You could imagine, but there's at least one red flag (8)

Bengals RB Chase Brown

The bull case for Chase Brown comes down to the reality that he can absolutely fly, and the 2023 fifth-round pick isn’t small enough (5-foot-10, 209 pounds) to necessarily be pigeonholed for just pass-down work. Kudos to Brown for making the absolute most out of his opportunities through the air as a rookie:

Brown among 67 RBs with 15-plus targets:

  • PFF receiving grade: 81.1 (No. 4)
  • Yards per route run: 4.46 (No. 1)
  • Targets per route run: 42.9% (No. 1)
  • Passer rating when targeted: 132.2 (No. 2)
  • Yards per reception: 11.1 (No. 1)

Of course, a LOT of that production is skewed by a pretty wide-open 54-yard screen that he took to the house against the Colts. His pass-game usage did seem to almost fully be of the designed variety, which is perhaps an indictment of the pass-blocking ability on hand. Overall, Brown was only asked to pass block on eight total snaps last season.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) carries the ball in the fourth quarter during a Week 14 NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

This latter point is the primary problem here and what could determine whether Brown ever gets a real chance to consistently work across all three downs. There have already been murmurs about the Bengals still searching for a third-down back — Brown's fantasy upside would take a serious tumble should Cincy reunite with Samaje Perine or add a similar pass-pro-friendly option to the equation.

Saints RB KenDre Miller

KenDre Miller just turned 22 and certainly seems to have the most juice of any RB in New Orleans. This didn't lead to much work in 2023, but he did suffer patella, hamstring and ankle sprains throughout his injury-riddled rookie season.

Of course, the second-year talent was selected 71st overall in the 2023 NFL Draft for a reason; there's enough size (6-foot, 220 pounds) and theoretical pass-down ability here to believe Miller could seize control of this backfield should Alvin Kamara be forced out of action.

Then again, the Saints gave Jamaal Williams a three-year, $12 million contract for some reason last offseason, and the Pokemon fanatic accordingly worked well ahead of Miller pretty much anytime the two happened to both be healthy in 2023. Miller thus might actually be multiple injuries away from reaching the top of the depth chart, although the expectation that he leads the way on pass-downs continues to make him the prioritized handcuff ahead of Williams.

Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd

MarShawn Lloyd earned a "thicker Duke Johnson" comp from the great Dane Brugler and was one of the draft class' more productive receiving backs. Packers OC Adam Stenavich sure seemed to indicate that the USC product should be used early and often this season:

"No, I would like to get him out there as much as possible. He’s got a skill set that’s a little bit different than AJ’s, as far as his speed… It’ll be nice to get him the ball in space and just see what he can do, ‘cause I think he’s gonna add a good explosive element to the offense, for sure.”

LaFleur echoed the sentiment shortly after the draft: Lloyd is a legit threat to steal a decent amount of pass-down work inside of an offense that wasn't exactly overflowing with fantasy-friendly RB opportunities last season in the first place.

That said, LaFleur has typically leaned on committees during his time in Green Bay, and the return of A.J. Dillon (200-plus touches in three straight seasons) could complicate the potential of Lloyd seeing a true three-down role if Josh Jacobs was forced out of action. Like with Miller, Lloyd's pass-game ability makes him the preferred handcuff, but it's unlikely we'd get an immediate 80%-plus snap workhorse role in the absence of Jacobs.

Giants RB Tyrone Tracy

Tyrone Tracy did indeed pull off some cool shit on his 146 collegiate carries, and the early word out of Giants camp is that he's ready to contribute in both the passing and return games from day one.

It's scary to put too high of expectations behind a WR-convert, but then again this is a 5-foot-11, 209-pound explosive talent with all the pass-catching chops a fantasy manager could ever desire. Throw in a soft depth chart behind No. 1 RB Devin Singletary, and at a minimum Tracy looks like a strong candidate to vie for the backfield's lead in touches — if not take the whole damn thing over — should Singletary miss any time.

Of course, Tracy did fall to pick No. 166 for a reason, and Day 3 picks seldom produce elite results in fantasy land. Throw in an offense that hasn't supplied many fantasy-friendly opportunities to its RBs in recent years, and we're putting a lot of eggs into the basket of Tracy simply having that dog in him (which hey, maybe he does). 

Bills RB Ray Davis

Ray Davis was one of college football's more productive receiving backs over the past two seasons and also offers the sort of stocky build (5-foot-8, 211 pounds) that could lead to short-yardage usage after the Bills declined to bring back Latavius Murray this offseason. 

While nobody is debating James Cook's standing as this team's No. 1 RB, it'd make sense if Davis is the next man up ahead of journeyman veteran Ty Johnson. Like the other rookie RBs in this tier, this would be a much easier handcuff projection had the team spent more than Day 3 draft capital here.

Bears RB Khalil Herbert

Khalil Herbert has regularly found himself near the top of the NFL's leaderboard in rushing yards over expected per carry during his short career, and he's periodically laid claim to a true three-down role in Matt Eberflus' offense.

Still, a mix of injuries and Roschon Johnson limited Herbert to a snap rate south of 55% in each of his final seven games of 2023, meaning even an injury to D'Andre Swift might not necessarily result in featured back treatment.

The REAL allure here for early drafters would be a trade to a certain depleted backfield in Dallas, but does it make sense for the Bears to part ways with cheap RB depth if they don't have to? I don't believe so, but hey, it's rare to find potential *good* RBs in a technical next-man-up position this late in drafts.

Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving

Bucky Irving scored more PPR points per game from purely receiving production (7) during the 2022-23 seasons than any other prominent RB in his draft class. The pass-catching prowess and elusiveness at hand are a large part of why Irving was considered a dark horse by some to be one of the draft's first backs selected.

It'd be surprising if Irving takes away many, if any, snaps from No. 1 RB Rachaad White, but veteran RB Chase Edmonds and second-year former UDFA Sean Tucker hardly look like steep hurdles on the depth chart.

Perhaps the biggest thing holding back Irving from commanding a workhorse role in the absence of White is his less-than-ideal size (5-foot-9, 192 pounds). There's also the reality that this offense didn't provide all that many fantasy-friendly opportunities for its RBs last season — Irving would NEED to dominate usage in a similar manner as White to come close to replicating his high-end production.

Jets RB Braelon Allen

Braelon Allen is already being called the frontrunner for the Jets RB2 job behind Breece Hall, and the rookie's status as a massive human being (6-foot-1, 235 pounds) adds credence to the idea that he might be able to carve out some level of standalone value as a short-yardage complement.

While it's unclear if the Jets view Allen's explosiveness and pass-down ability to be worthy of featured back treatment, his primary competition almost solely consists of fellow youthful Day 3 talents. This makes the fourth-round draft capital a bit easier to stomach, and the Fantasy Life Rookie RB Super Model certainly seems to be a fan.

Allen joins Tracy and CEH as my favorite final two-round handcuff picks in best ball drafts.

Tier 5: Technically the next man up, but even then: Meh (4)

Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins

It'd be awesome if J.K. Dobbins gets back to 100% following last year's devastating Achilles injury. That said, the history of RBs coming off an Achilles tear is absolutely brutal, and the early word from the Chargers beat is that Gus Edwards is the clear lead back. The money given to both in free agency really hammers this point home.

It'd make sense if Dobbins wins the backup job over sixth-rounder Kimani Vidal and incumbent backups, but that's not a given, and we could sadly see greatly reduced efficiency from the ex-Raven either way.

Raiders RB Alexander Mattison

The Raiders only gave Alexander Mattison a one-year, $2 million deal in free agency, so he's hardly guaranteed much, if any, work inside this likely bad Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell-led offense.

Still, a similar sentiment is true for the rest of the depth chart behind presumed starter Zamir White, as 31-year-old veteran Ameer Abdullah is more of a pass-down specialist than legit handcuff threat, and rookie Dylan Laube fell to the sixth round of last April's draft for a reason. 

Mattison was not good in 2023, but we did see the ex-Viking supply plenty of volume-induced handcuff goodness behind Dalvin Cook in past years. Of course, those Vikings offenses also carried quite a bit more scoring upside than what the 2024 Raiders are expected to contribute.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce

Dameon Pierce started the first seven games of last season but never received the same three-down opportunity as Devin Singletary — as evidenced by the rising third-year RB never reaching even 60% snaps in a game.

Electric as a rookie, Pierce was almost entirely phased out of the offense down the stretch and received just three total touches during the team's final three games. The kick return TD was cool and all; just realize we're talking about Next-Gen Stat's third-worst RB in rushing yards over expected per rush attempt as well as the league's least-efficient RB in raw yards per carry (2.9). 

An injury to Joe Mixon would probably elevate Pierce back to RB1 status, but even then there's a good chance guys like Dare Ogunbowale and Jawahar Jordan split things up enough to keep the rising third-year talent outside of must-start territory.

Jaguars RB Tank Bigsby

Tank Bigsby averaged 2.6 yards per carry last season and wound up with three or fewer carries in all but three games despite plenty of offseason speculation that he'd help complement Travis Etienne. Bigsby's receiving work in particular was a f*cking horror movie.

And yet, the Jaguars didn't add any meaningful backfield competition this offseason, and more positive coach speak sure seems to indicate Bigsby will be ETN's direct backup in 2024.

Still, brutal pass-down ability and likelihood for more meh efficiency behind the league's single-worst reigning offensive line in yards before contact per carry makes the 2023 third-rounder more of a TD-dependent low-end RB2 sort of handcuff at best as opposed to someone fantasy managers will be dying to squeeze into the starting lineup.

Tier 6: Unlikely to be overly leaned on even with an injury (4)

Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin

Offseason hype has almost solely centered around Jaleel McLaughlin, who worked as the star of OTAs and minicamp. Still, this sort of non-contact environment greatly benefits an undersized — yet explosive — RB like McLaughlin; it remains to be seen if the Broncos really trust him to hold up in obvious pass-down situations because they sure didn't in 2023.

Pass-blocking snaps in 2023:

While Jaleel deserves credit for posting top-five numbers in PFF receiving grade and yards per route run, Perine was even better. New undrafted free agent darling Blake Watson adds additional competition to passing downs, while Audric Estime looks a lot like the next man up for early-down work behind Williams.

Maybe McLaughlin works his way to the top of the depth chart in clear pass-first situations, but it seems unlikely that he ever earns a consistent 60%-plus snap lead-back role here.

Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell

Keaton Mitchell is a strong candidate to start the season on the PUP list. Once healthy it's still difficult to envision him as more than a change-of-pace option even in the absence of Derrick Henry.

The Ravens have been no strangers to bringing in veteran free agents to fill holes during the regular season over the years, and Justice Hill remains fully cemented as the offense's primary pass-down back. Consider: Mitchell was trusted to pass block on just 12 total snaps last season; it's unlikely the Ravens view the 5-foot-8, 179-pound talent as a legit every-down option even when healthy.

Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell

Kenneth Gainwell is the tentative No. 2 RB in a Philly backfield that has produced the fifth-fewest expected PPR points per game over the past two seasons due to Jalen Hurts: 1.) Leading the league in TDs from the one-yard line, and 2.) Typically scrambling instead of checking down.

Throw in the newfound presence of fellow receiving-friendly RB Will Shipley and early-down complement Tyrion Davis-Price, and this profiles as an ugly three-back committee should workhorse Saquon Barkley miss any game action.

Colts RB Trey Sermon

Trey Sermon is technically the No. 2 RB behind Jonathan Taylor at the moment, but the offense's willingness to lean on Tyler Goodson as the preferred pass-down back over Sermon down the stretch of 2023 reflects the reality that the former third-round pick isn't exactly looking at a three-down role should this depth chart remain unchanged.

Throw in similar concerns in Indy as there are in Philly when it comes to life as an RB in an offense led by a high-volume dual-threat QB, and Sermon's best-case upside might simply be around 15 carries between the 20s per week — not exactly a role to overly excited about in fantasy land.