Running backs are often considered the most crucial position in fantasy football leagues, which is why they are selected early and often. Fogging on a running back early may feel like a death knell, but the option to select “handcuffs” as potential swings from home runs a viable strategy throughout the middle and late rounds.
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Some fantasy managers even implement a real handcuffing strategy by selecting both the start and the backup from the same roster. Others preach that just grabbing the handcuffs of other teams is a better strategy for maximizing the head.
Regardless of which strategy you adopt, the following are the five most engaging options for handcuffs for fantasy football in 2020.
5. Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals
Edmonds comes off a season in which he recorded just 72 total touchdowns (60 rushing attempts and 12 receptions) and 82.8 total fantasy points, but he still makes the list. Hy on average the most points per snap and the most points per touch among all cardinal running backs in 2019, while also ranking second in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt and first in yard after contact per attempt. In addition to Edmonds’ team-leading efficiency metrics, his workload should increase to some degree by 2020 – former starter David Johnson was traded away in the offseasons, leaving 130 total touches (43 total goals).
Kenyan Drake is the undisputed starter and will act as the featured runner. However, the Cardinals have a fantastic situation for every back, and Edmonds can certainly benefit as the handcuffs option. The team ranks 14th in scoring goals, sixth in explosive plays rushing (10-plus yards), 25th in run-games versus eight-plus defenders in the box and second in rushing yard for contact per attempt in 2019.
Finally, the Cardinals’ quarterbacks fielded a player once in a running tally 97 times in 2019 – that number ranked 17th in the NFL. We should always focus on running backpacks with receiving upside, as receptions and goal line attempts are the two most golden opportunities for the position.
PFF’s fantasy projections expect an RB67 season from Edmonds, which runs relatively low on the potential options for handcuffs. One key positive for Edmonds and his teammates is their fourth ranking back-to-back schedule, according to PFF’s strength of scheme (SoS) metric.
4. Latavius Murray, Saints of New Orleans
Among all the possible options for handcuffs, perhaps no one has a more solid role than the veteran Murray – he scored 28th in the relegation scoring last season (157.2) as part of a tandem Alvin Kamara. An injury-plagued season for Kamara may have skewed the numbers a bit, but Murray did not train the starter through many quick attempts (171 to 146). Finally, Murray was able to shake up 637 rushing yards and five touchdowns as a rusher, while averaging the same yard after contact per visit Kamara.
The use of Murray in the receiving department is also exciting, as he recorded 34 receptions on 42 total goals in 2019. With those chances, Murray was able to collect another 235 yards and receive one touchdown, even though he last ranked on ‘ the Saints’ roster in yards per route runs below their running back group.
We want to have some real estate in the Saints’ offensive line, and that could come in the form of starters or even an option for handcuffs like Murray. The offense ranked fifth in red zone games, 17th in goals and 14th in run-play percentage. The team scored as well fifth in the league in goals for players in a running match.
Murray is meant to have a strong workload, despite Kamara’s status. Head coach Sean Payton has deployed a punch of two while running many seasons. The main positive for Murray is that although he now has a solid workload, he could have a monstrous role if something were to happen to Kamara.
PFF’s fantasy projections expect a strong season from Murray, rank him as the RB46. PFF’s SoS metric shows some tough sledding for the Saints’ running back group, as their schedule is currently ranked as the ninth-most expensive in 2020.
3. Alexander Mattison, Vikings in Minnesota
Mattison is returning the quintessential handcuffs because his current workload in an RB2 role is pretty poor. But his potential volume as a starter would be astronomical within the first onslaught of the Vikings. In 2019, Mattison contributed a total of 110 touches 70.4 total points, which placed him at RB60.
Although Mattison did not rank incredibly high, he proved to be an effective player when given the chance. Mattison ranked first on the Vikings’ grid in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt (0.18) and second on yard behind contact per attempt (3.2). The main problem for Mattison is his lack of use of reception, as in 2019 he only counted 10 receptions on 11 goals in total. Not only was he used minimally, but he was stepped out and out-targeted by special teams Ameer Abdullah in the receiving department.
Even with his lack of use of pass play, Mattison could pay – the Vikings are just the kind of crime that still produces production on the ground. The offense ranks 10th in the red zone plays and plays third in the goal line. She also ranked eighth in explosive plays rushing (56), second in run-play percentage (48%) and sixth in rushing yard before contact per attempt (1.5)
While Dalvin Cook is the undisputed starter for the Vikings, Mattison delivers some value as No. 2 and much potential as one of the few handcuffs running on a potential smash spot should something happen to Cook.
PFF’s fantasy projections expect an RB54 finish for Mattison in 2019. The Vikings’ running schedule is just average, ranking as the 19th easiest in 2020, according to PFFs SoS metric.
2. JK Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens
We have officially reached the first potential timeshare. The Ravens have deployed veterans Mark Ingram, which is coming off a great season of 2019, but they have also invested a second round of support in the very talented Dobbins. While Dobbins is unlikely to outgrow Ingram on the in-depth chart, the two could find themselves in something akin to a timeshare, even if it’s a bit skewed in favor of the veteran.
Looking back at Dobbins’ 2019 campaign at Ohio State shows just how dominant a runner he could be. Dobbins scored seventh in rushing yard after contact and touchdowns, 22nd in missed tackles forced and 33rd in yard after contact per attempt under running backs with 100-plus rushing attempts. In addition to his work as a runner, Dobbins scored in 17 receptions on 20 goals.
While we have yet to see how Dobbins will translate to the NFL, he is checking all the boxes of a future clock. And we have not even mentioned the fact the Ravens live in a class of their own as a rushing attack in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman designed and deployed a running game that seemed unstopable at last season – they ranked second in red zone plays and third in goals, along with so many other highlights they require their own card:
Baltimore Ravens | 2019
| Category | Figure (Rank) |
| Rushing attempts | 596 (1st) |
| Rushing yards | 3,296 (1st) |
| Explosive plays rushing (10-plus yards) | 97 (1st) |
| Execute game percentage | 52% (1st) |
| Explosive run percentage | 17.5% (1st) |
| Rushing yards to contact per attempt | 3.0 (5th) |
| Rush yard for contact per visit | 2.3 (1st) |
PFF’s fantasy projections expect strong seasons from both Ingram and Dobbins and actually rank them side by side as RB31 (Ingram) and RB32 (Dobbins). There’s a good reason to rank both as high – PFFs SoS metrically, Ravens’ running schedule ranks as the fifth easiest in 2020.
1.Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
Although he only scored 89.2 fantasy points as a rookie, Pollard really separated him between all the options for handcuffs with his insane efficiency and playability. The total output of Pollard slotted him as the RB53, but he also scored 17th in points per snap among all running backs.
As the efficiency suggests, Pollard was immediately great on the field. He rang fourth in missed tackles forced per attempt (0.27) and first in yard after contact per attempt (4.5) among all running backs with 50-plus rushing attempts. In addition to his work as a runner, Pollard also proved to be lagging behind in pass-game use – he finished 11th in YAC per reception (9.3) and 23rd in yard per round run (1.32) among all running backs with 20-plus goals .
The Cowboys are a great offensive line to target in 2020, as they are likely to be one of the most productive – if not the most productive – teams on that side of the ball. Back to 2019, the Cowboys ranked 12th in rushing yard for contact (584), sixth in explosive play rushing (60) and sixth in explosive run percentage (14%), although they struggled in recording red zone plays (17th) and goal line game (25th). Both of these numbers are expected to increase significantly by 2020, as the Cowboys continue to invest in their offensive staff and coaching.
The main disadvantage to Pollard is the health and sustainability of starting running Ezekiel Elliott – He has only missed two games in his four-year career. While Pollard has no ton of stand-alone value with Zeke healthy and playful, he’s on a potential smash spot if anything should happen with the latter. And he could continue to factor as a change of pace back and record a decent amount of waste time.
PFF’s fantasy projections anticipate an RB55 season from Pollard, with the expectation that Zeke will play a full 16-game schedule. One of the players will be quitting his job because the Cowboys’ running schedule is running as the fifth-most expensive in 2020, according to PFFs SoS metric.
