Best running back handcuffs for 2026 fantasy football

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 04: Tank Bigsby #37 of the Philadelphia Eagles rushes for yards during the second quarter of the game against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on January 04, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. | Getty Images Running backs get hurt, but each season is different, and the percentage of early round backs who lose significant time to injuries fluctuates year to year. The last couple seasons have been good for running backs, as injuries to the top players have been down. But, that could easily change and we need to be ready. There are only a few players who can truly call themselves three-down running backs who also get a majority of the work around the goal-line and passing game. And since those players are limited in number, they are going to take good early round picks. And, since they are complete players, who can excel in multiple scenarios, they usually can’t be replaced by a single player if an injury forces them to miss time. First off, when looking to draft backup running backs or “handcuffs” as we’ve termed them in fantasy, you have to look at multiple factors. 1. Will the running back likely take over as a three-down back? This is a rarity, but there are a few and their ADP bears that fact out. 2. If they aren’t going to be a three-down back, what role will they probably take? 3. Take a hard look at the team’s offense. Will the backup back get strong fantasy chances or is the offense just a quagmire to avoid? 4. Is there another back besides the direct backup who might be better suited to put up fantasy points if the lead back goes down? Will that back form a committee with the new “lead” back, spreading the fantasy points too thin? Blake Corum, Rams Corum proved last season that he is on par with starter Kyren Williams. He is one of the few players we can point toward and say, yes, if the starter goes down, he can take over and be a bell-cow, league winning back. Unfortunately, that is already baked into his ADP. You will need to give up a good pick to get him, but his ceiling is so high in that Rams offense that he will be tempting. But, since you have to grab him as RB36, you’ll also need to hope he gets enough work with Williams healthy to be a flex play. He should be, but it’s not a lock. Keaton Mitchell, Chargers The Chargers have two good running backs in Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal, so the newly acquired Mitchell isn’t going to be in line for a big workload anytime soon. But, we’ve seen Mitchell show his explosiveness on the field and when you combine that with a Mike McDaniel offense, there is inherent upside. We saw in Miami that McDaniel wasn’t afraid to use the smallish De’Von Achane as a lead back. We can’t expect that, but we know he won’t shy away from giving Mitchell work if it is warranted. The upside is going to be tough to reach, but even on 8-10 touches a game, Mitchell would be flex worthy. Tank Bigsby, Eagles Saquon Barkley has plenty of mileage on his body and in limited work last season, Bigsby played well, averaging 5.9 yards per carry on 58 attempts. Bigsby would likely cede work in the passing game if Barkley were to go down, but his upside would be great in the Eagles offense. We may see more passing out of the Eagles this year, but they’re still going to be a run-heavy team. Sure, Jalen Hurts can hurt a running backs’ touchdown opportunities, but his ability to run will help whoever is at running back. Bigsby won’t have standalone value since he’ll need a Barkley injury, so if you do draft him, you need to keep him on your bench, which means I’d rather draft him in leagues I have deeper benches. Marshawn Lloyd, Packers Update: Lloyd gets a bump due to Packers RB Josh Jacobs being put on the commissioner’s exempt list while the league investigates his domestic abuse charges. At this point it is a guessing game, but don’t let Lloyd slip too far in your drafts. Lloyd is a huge injury risk, but his upside in a good run offense in Green Bay is great. If healthy and if Josh Jacobs doesn’t hold up, Lloyd is a possible league winner. There are a lot of ifs and possiblies in there, but this isn’t just some joe-schmo off the street. Lloyd has been getting a lot of training camp praise and Jacobs is dealing with legal trouble and nagging injuries, so Lloyd is getting some ADP rising hype. He could steam too high for my liking, but if he’s there late and not down with a season-ending injury, I’m hitting the draft button. Ray Davis, Bills I’ve been drafting Davis the last two seasons, but I haven’t been able to use him due to James Cook staying healthy. That might happen once again, but there’s no doubt that Davis would be in a great situation if Cook were to miss time. Because Cook has been healthy, Davis’ ADP is RB64. Again, if you have short benches, it’s tough to keep these backups rostered as you work the waiver wire, but if you have room, these guys are true lottery tickets. Kyle Monangai, Bears There is a lot of hype for this Bears offense and it could very well be warranted. We know they’ve got a strong run game and if Ben Johnson can get his offense humming even close to what he did in Detroit, D’Andre Swift’s backup could be in line for big touchdown numbers. We saw what David Montgomery did in Detroit and Swift isn’t the talent Jahmyr Gibbs is. Monangai also proved he could put up good numbers with Swift sidelined in his rookie year. If you are buying the Bears, which I am, you want to get that offense on your fantasy team. (Monangai is dealing with a hyperextended knee, so keep an eye on his status.)

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