Fantasy Football Running Back Handcuff Rankings: Week 1 (2025)

Running back is often the most divisive position in fantasy football, and for good reason. Finding a true workhorse back, one that has over 300 touches in a season, is rare. In 2024, there were only nine running backs who eclipsed 300 touches. As the saying goes, volume is king, and with volume comes upside. But with all that upside comes volatility.

Running backs, by far, take the most hits each week. Their touches are not typically ones where they are able to get to the sideline or even be tackled by a defensive back. Running backs get hit 15-20+ times a game, often by a defensive lineman or linebacker. As a result, they face constant injury risk and their hold on a starting spot can be fragile. That fragility creates opportunity for others, though. When a starter goes down, the handcuff often slides into fantasy relevance overnight. If you want proof, 27 running backs saw at least 200 touches last season. In the end, a running back’s season-long value isn’t just about their role in the offense. It’s also about injury luck and being able to suit up for 17 games.

Today, we are looking at the first set of handcuff rankings. These are backs who probably do not have a clear path to 300 touches, but may end up being in a situation where they are getting 18-20 touches per game if the starter goes down. For this article, we are not looking at committee situations like the ones in Pittsburgh, New England or with the Jets. We are looking mostly at running backs who will have a clear-cut role in the event of an injury. While this is never something we root for, we do need to be prepared to face life without a starting running back at some point. This will be a weekly article through Week 12, then it will taper off as we enter the playoffs. For now, football is back, so let’s get to it.

Running Back Handcuff Rankings

Tier 1: Don’t Leave Your Draft Without Them

Kenneth Walker‘s injury history is extensive, and he missed time in the preseason due to a sore foot. Zach Charbonnet started six games for Seattle in 2024, finishing with over 900 total yards and nine touchdowns. Seattle should be one of the most run-heavy teams in the league this year. Should Walker miss time again, Charbonnet becomes a borderline RB1.

David Montgomery doesn’t fit the mold of a classic handcuff. His touchdown upside alone gives him weekly Flex appeal, but we’ve also seen the Lions use him as a featured back in the absence of Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery finished as an RB2 last season on the back of 12 touchdowns and an increased role in the passing game. I’d prefer to roster him on teams where I don’t have Gibbs, using him in my Flex spot without worrying about how the two cannibalize one another.

Aaron Jones is 31 and coming off a season where he had a career-high 306 touches. While he has played all 17 games in two of the last three seasons, his age and durability are in question. Jordan Mason was one of the better handcuffs in football last year, rushing for 789 yards in 12 games for San Francisco. While the change of scenery to Minnesota probably doesn’t put him in a better offensive environment, per se, he may have a role similar to David Montgomery. If so, Mason is one of the better running back values heading into the season.

I am a little higher on Bhayshul Tuten than the consensus, but for good reason. Let’s start with the fact that Liam Coen has no attachment to either Travis Etienne (a preseason trade candidate) or Tank Bigsby. While both of those backs are currently ahead of Tuten on the depth chart, Coen selected Tuten in his first draft as head coach. Tuten is also a far superior athlete to both, and I have a lot of optimism that he may lead the Jaguars in touches by the end of the season. Ranking Tuten here is less about the health of the Jaguars’ starters and more about my optimism that he will take the starting job.

Tyler Allgeier is the least sexy player in Tier 1, but we know what we are getting here. Bijan Robinson is coming off a 365-touch season. He should once again be close to the league lead in that category. Barring something catastrophic, Allgeier is insurance for Robinson and not much more. That said, I like to be insured. If I took Robinson with the 1.01 or 1.02 pick, I’d want Allgeier late in the draft.

Tier 2: A Tier Below But Worth a Swing

I teetered on putting Cam Skattebo ahead of Tyler Allgeier. That is probably a bit aggressive, but Skattebo has the same opportunity as Bhayshul Tuten in that he could take the starting job at some point this year. Skattebo is a battering ram who should be a better inside runner than Tyrone Tracy, and he is deceptively good as a receiver. One problem with Skattebo: The Giants will be playing from behind a lot this year, which may limit his overall volume and touchdown opportunities.

Assuming RJ Harvey is the starter in Denver, J.K. Dobbins can officially be called a handcuff. Oddly, if it were the other way around, I would have Harvey in the top four of this list. As it is, Dobbins is more of a bet on volume than he is anything else. He won’t give you a lot in the passing game, but he will have early-down and short-yardage appeal in a very good Denver offense. He’s less of a gamebreaker these days, but he won’t crater your roster.

After falling out of favor in Washington, Brian Robinson Jr. ended up in San Francisco. This has been a spot in Kyle Shanahan’s offense that has been plug-and-play. Robinson is probably going a little bit overlooked, but with Isaac Guerendo sidelined and Christian McCaffery coming off a major injury, he is more in-play than most people realize. Robinson is more limited athletically than Jordan Mason, but this is a system that got almost 1,000 yards out of Elijah Mitchell in 11 games two years ago.

I want to be higher on Ray Davis than this, but I worry Ty Johnson will prevent him from being a three-down back. The good news is that Davis saw 85% of the touches in the one game James Cook missed last year, so if I thought that would be the norm, he would probably be ahead of Tuten. I like investing in good offenses, and Buffalo certainly checks that box.

Trey Benson is the No. 2 RB behind James Conner, who has been remarkably dependable despite his age. Despite that, Conner turned 30 this offseason and is coming off a 283-touch season. Benson was one of my handcuff darlings last year, and that didn’t work out, but I am willing to go to the well again. I have to believe the Cardinals would utilize him as a three-down back in the event of a Conner injury. At his average draft position (ADP), Benson is worth taking a swing on if comes to fruition.

Tier 3: Best of the Rest

I think Jaydon Blue will start for Dallas at some point. It’s just a matter of how much they trust him early in the season. He is being slept on in drafts.

Coming off a 1,000-yard season for Dallas, Rico Dowdle finds himself as Chuba Hubbard‘s handcuff. There are worse spots to be for fantasy purposes.

If Bucky Irving goes down, this probably becomes a committee. Of the two, I prefer Sean Tucker, but Rachaad White does have a 1,500 total yard season on his resume.

De’Von Achane has a soft tissue injury he is playing through and Jaylen Wright is also banged up. Ollie Gordon was the best running back in college football in 2023, and he’s looked reasonably good in the preseason.

Kendre Miller had some flashes last year and was a fantasy darling during the 2024 preseason. There isn’t much else behind Alvin Kamara, although the Saints will be in the bottom third of the league offensively.

I am grabbing Woody Marks with my last pick in most drafts leading up to Thursday. Nick Chubb isn’t going to last a full season with his injury history. Marks has more burst and is a better receiver.

Jerome Ford should start Week 1, but Dylan Sampson is an elite athlete. The real question is whether or not Sampson can handle 15 touches in an NFL game.

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Jason Kamlowsky is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @JasonKamlowsky.

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