RB handcuffs can be controversial among fantasy football managers. The tactic of rostering the running backs that are handcuffs to your starters can bail you out in the event of injury but can also be a significant waste of a roster spot, especially in redraft leagues. The story in dynasty leagues is a little different because of the larger rosters, but in redraft, pinpointing which handcuffs are worth the investments and which are not is key. Let’s take a look at what RB handcuffs are and which players are the top ones to target in 2023.

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What Are RB Handcuffs?

For veteran fantasy managers, feel free to skip this section and get right to the specific players. But we like to cater to fantasy managers of all skill and experience levels. So, let’s start with a quick primer on what RB handcuffs are.

In its simplest form, a running back handcuff is a backup RB that would presumably become the starter if the lead back went down. More specifically, an RB handcuff is one without any real standalone value. He’s not someone you can insert into your lineup while the starter is healthy and active.

RB handcuffs have no actual fantasy value unless something were to happen to the starter. Correctly identifying the handcuff means pinpointing the running back who would stand to benefit from an increased role should the starter not be able to play for any reason.

Handcuff RBs To Target in 2023 Fantasy Leagues

In preparing for fantasy drafts in redraft leagues, regardless of whether you intend to handcuff your running backs, it’s important to know who the presumptive handcuffs are. I use the word “presumptive” because, historically, we’re not nearly as good as we think at projecting handcuff value.

To extract value from RB handcuffs, fantasy managers must go through two steps. First, you need to identify the running back on each team that you believe will benefit most if the starter were to go down. There are plenty of team situations where this player is someone who already has standalone value. In the case of a timeshare, the 1B back isn’t really a handcuff. The general rule of thumb is if the player had standalone value, he’s not a handcuff — he’s just someone you draft and start.

Second, you need to project what percentage of the starter’s work the handcuff is likely to take. If a team’s backfield will devolve into a timeshare, there’s no true handcuff. For example, over the past three years, Alexander Mattison has been a true handcuff to Dalvin Cook. He was the purest form of handcuff in that he had no standalone value but quite literally took over 100% of Cook’s workload when Cook didn’t play. If the back you are considering is not in that position, they’re often not worth the value they assume in drafts.

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The tough handcuffs to judge are ones with standalone value — the ones that aren’t true handcuffs as described above. For example, AJ Dillon is Aaron Jones’ handcuff, but his standalone value is so high that drafting both is a significant investment. Dillon would undoubtedly see increased volume if Jones got hurt, but Dillon isn’t a true handcuff because he’s someone you can start even when Jones is healthy.

Now that you have a better understanding of the type of players we’re looking for, let’s take a look at which backs are the clear handcuffs for fantasy managers to consider in redraft leagues in 2023.

Devin Singletary | Houston Texans

This is actually a difficult one to project. There’s no doubt that Devin Singletary is behind Dameon Pierce on the depth chart. But there’s certainly a scenario where Singletary sees more work than a pure backup.

Last season, Pierce saw a 73.8% opportunity share. While the clear starter, Singletary is a much more formidable backup than anyone on the Texans’ roster in 2022. Singletary could push Pierce’s workload down to the 60% range.

With that said, Singletary is the clear backup. If Pierce were to get hurt, Singletary would be the primary beneficiary. We can be reasonably confident in that. And he’s proven capable of being a feature back in the past. In Buffalo, Singletary had multiple games with over an 80% snap share.

We can certainly question the value of a backup RB on the Texans, but Singletary is very high on the list of handcuffs we’re confident are actually the handcuff to the starter and would assume nearly all of the starter’s workload.

Jaylen Warren | Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers’ backfield is as simple as it gets. Najee Harris is the starter. Jaylen Warren is the backup.

While Warren has more standalone value than your typical pure handcuff, he’s still nothing more than an RB4, at best, while Harris is healthy. Last season, Warren averaged just 5.8 PPR fantasy points per game.

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Given the nature of the Steelers’ depth chart, there is no one credible outside of Harris and Warren. Therefore, if Harris were to go down, we could project Warren to be a three-down back and take around 90% of Harris’ work.

Warren averaged 4.9 yards per carry last season and 3.82 yards created per touch, fifth in the league. He could produce in Harris’ stead and is absolutely one of the top handcuffs for 2023.

Tyler Allgeier | Atlanta Falcons

Arguably the top handcuff for 2023, Tyler Allgeier doesn’t even deserve his fate. Allgeier played well enough to be a starter last season, running for over 1,000 yards as a Day 3 rookie. Averaging 4.9 yards per carry, Allgeier’s 5.2 yards per touch were inside the top 20, and his 28.8% evaded tackles per touch rate was top 15.

Of course, the Falcons spent the eighth overall pick on Bijan Robinson, a true three-down back. Allgeier may still see 6-8 touches a game in the Falcons’ run-heavy offense, but make no mistake about it, this is Robinson’s backfield. Allgeier is just the backup.

With that said, Allgeier provided us with proof of concept. We’ve seen him be the guy. So if something were to happen to Robinson, we know he can step up. Allgeier’s production wouldn’t be anywhere near Robinson’s, but the workload would be that of a clear lead back.

Elijah Mitchell | San Francisco 49ers

Allow me to preface this by saying the 49ers’ backup RB often changes, usually due to injury. However, for as long as Elijah Mitchell is healthy, he’s the handcuff to Christian McCaffrey.

In fact, Mitchell is even more interesting because he likely has some standalone value. However, he’s not really viewed as a guy that does. It’s understandable because who wants the guy sharing touches with McCaffrey?

Mitchell actually averaged 9.75 carries per game — 9.9 points per game — in his four games with McCaffrey. Those are RB3 numbers. If McCaffrey were to go down, well, we’ve already seen what that looks like. In 2021, as the starter, Mitchell averaged 15 ppg and finished as the RB14. He’s someone I’m very interested in drafting in 2023.

Maybe RB Handcuffs, But Also Maybe Not

Let’s quickly rattle through some other backup running backs who would benefit from the starter going down but are unlikely to avoid a timeshare.

Gus Edwards | Baltimore Ravens

Gus Edwards is more of a 1B to J.K. Dobbins’ 1A, but he would stand to benefit the most if Dobbins went down.

Joshua Kelley | Los Angeles Chargers

If Austin Ekeler got hurt, someone would benefit. Right now, it appears as if the guy is Joshua Kelley, but this is a very uncertain handcuff situation.

Malik Davis | Dallas Cowboys

I would be surprised if the Cowboys went into the season with Malik Davis as their clear RB2 and only viable option behind Tony Pollard. But as things stand, Davis would project to see over a 50% snap share if Pollard got hurt.

Zach Charbonnet | Seattle Seahawks

To be fair, there’s a non-zero chance Zach Charbonnet is just a better fantasy asset than Kenneth Walker III. But he’s not being valued that way.

Walker remains the preferred option amongst fantasy gamers, but if he were to get hurt, Charbonnet is confidently the guy who would benefit. The reason he’s not a pure handcuff, though, is because he likely has standalone value.

How To Value RB Handcuffs in Dynasty Leagues

In redraft leagues, not every running back handcuff is rostered, nor should they be. The key difference in dynasty leagues is every RB handcuff is on a roster, and in most cases, so is the third-string back. Given the depth of rosters in most dynasty leagues, managers cannot rely on the waiver wire to fix in-season RB issues.

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In dynasty leagues, handcuffing your own running backs is far more important, especially in situations where you have a high degree of confidence in the backup. In redraft formats, you might not want to burn two roster spots on what is essentially one player, but dynasty leagues have 25+ roster spots. The opportunity cost of using multiple roster spots on one player is greatly reduced.

Every season, there are anywhere from 3-7 RB handcuffs that we know will be immensely valuable if they end up with the starter’s job. We know if the starter goes down, they’re the beneficiaries. If you roster any of the starters for those teams, it’s worth it to also take the handcuff.