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Best RB Handcuffs 2024

Nailing The Best RB Handcuffs Can Supercharge Your Fantasy Season

RB fantasy production is incredibly volume-driven. A backup RB can often produce 80%, 90%, or even 100% of the starter’s fantasy points on the same workload. (Shoutout to the “RBs don’t matter” crowd.)

And therein lies the power of RB handcuffs.

How Do We Find The Best RB Handcuffs In 2024?

This is not your typical article on the best RB handcuffs. We’re not arbitrarily ranking the backups based on gut feel. We’re taking a scientific approach to pinpointing the top handcuffs to target in your fantasy draft.

Let’s start by defining what makes a top handcuff. The ideal handcuff:

1. Is talented
2. Is the clear No. 2 RB on his team
3. Plays in a strong offense
4. Is backing up a high-risk starter

Let’s score each handcuff on a scale of 1-10 in each of those categories. We’ll then average those scores to come up with handcuff rankings.

Best RB Handcuffs, Ranked 1-32

Note 1: Players marked with a * are third on their team's depth chart behind a true committee. This has been factored into their Depth Chart and Starter Risk scores.

Note 2: Trayveon Williams was cut, but I'm expecting him to re-sign with Cincinnati before Week 1.

Top 5 Handcuffs For 2024

1. Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams

Corum stands alone as the best RB handcuff in 2024. He checks all the boxes we’re looking at.

Talent: The Michigan product racked up 2,708 rushing yards and 45 TDs over the last two years and was the third RB off the board in this spring’s draft.

Depth Chart: With only Ronnie Rivers behind him on the depth chart, Corum is locked in as the Rams’ No. 2 RB.

Offense Strength: The Rams have finished top eight in points in four of HC Sean McVay’s seven seasons.

Starter Risk: Our Injury Predictor gives Kyren Williams an 88.7% chance of injury this season and 3.5 projected games missed. Those are the fourth-highest and highest marks among all RBs.

A Williams injury would turn Corum into a likely fantasy RB1.

2. Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers

Mason emerged as the favorite for the 49ers' No. 2 RB job over the second half of August. He's now locked into that spot after Elijah Mitchell landed on season-ending IR.

Mason had a buzzy camp and strong preseason, carrying 14 times for 76 yards (5.4 YPC) and two TDs. His 86.3 Pro Football Focus preseason rushing grade ranked second among 175 RBs.

Although he's only carried 83 times across his first two NFL seasons, Mason has averaged a huge 5.6 yards per attemp. That ranks second among 78 RBs with 80+ carries over that span.

His talent plus HC Kyle Shanahan's scheme would make Mason an easy fantasy starter if RB Christian McCaffrey misses time this year. Our Injury Predictor projects CMC for 3.0 missed games this season.

3. Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals

The rookie started Arizona's first two preseason games and then rested during the third. He's won the No. 2 RB job -- as expected.

RB James Conner remained productive when on the field last year, but he missed another four games with injury. He's never played a full NFL season in seven tries. Our Injury Predictor gives him an 88.4% chance of injury this season and 2.8 projected games missed. Those are the fifth- and 12th-highest marks among RBs.

It's unclear if Benson would get a three-down role if Conner misses time again this season. He ceded passing-down snaps to RB Emari Demercado this preseason. But the rookie would undoubtedly dominate carries for a Cardinals running game that was very productive last year under OC Drew Petzing.

4. Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks

Charbonnet earns strong marks in the Talent and Depth Chart categories. 

The 2023 second-round pick had a nice rookie season, averaging 4.3 yards per carry and catching 33 balls. His draft capital – plus a weak depth chart behind him – has Charbonnet locked into the No. 2 RB job.

Charbonnet sits second in these handcuff rankings only because:

1. The Seahawks are implied for just the 20th most points this season.
2. Ken Walker is in his prime at 23 years old and has a relatively low (41.8%) chance of injury.

Still, a Walker injury would make Charbonnet a good bet for high-end RB2 or low-end RB1 production this year.

5. Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings

Chandler flashed his upside as a lead back down the stretch last season. Over the final five games of the season, he averaged:

• 13.0 carries
• 58.6 rushing yards
• 2.6 targets
• 2.2 catches
• 15.2 receiving yards
• 0.4 TDs

Chandler ranked 22nd among RBs in PPR points during that stretch.

The Vikings signed RB Aaron Jones to step in as their lead back this season. But he looks like one of the riskiest starters in the league. Jones will turn 30 in December, has missed multiple games in five of seven NFL seasons, and has an 87.6% chance of injury this year, according to our Injury Predictor.

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Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and My Team tools. He currently ranks 1st among 133 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.