2024 Fantasy Football Handcuff Picks

Fantasy Handcuff pick: A player with good potential and high risk. Players in this category are usually backups to high profile running backs. It is unlikely that they will score a lot of points, but if the starter goes down they'll be a safe start for at least a few weeks. It is important to draft these players to hedge the bet on your starting RB getting injured. From our Fantasy Football Dictionary

We have classified the following players as fantasy handcuff picks for 2024. We will be updating this list throughout the pre-season.

Name	Pos	Team	Age	Yrs Exp.	Pos. Rank
Cam Akers	RB	MIN	25	4	RB - #73
Akers once again defied odds to make Houston's roster. He looked quite good in their preseaon games and could emerge as Houston's RB2 at some point this season. The Texans will lean heavily on Joe Mixon, but Akers might play his way into fantasy relevancy at some point. He's a name to keep in mind at the back end of deeper drafts. ... Read More
Braelon Allen	RB	NYJ	20	R	RB - #59
ADVICE: A sizable power back, Allen is only 20 years old. Allen will compete for the No. 2 job behind Breece Hall and could factor in as a short-yardage option with underrated pass-catching skills. A solid late-round handcuff target. ... Read More
Tyler Allgeier	RB	ATL	24	2	RB - #47
Allgeier saw a big reduction in yards and was less elusive in his sophomore season. He forced less missed tackles and only had three breakaway runs after scampering for 13 in 2022. Now, Atlanta has a new staff who is on record as saying that they need to get Bijan Robinson more touches. Allgeier is one of the better backups of football and capable of being a weekl... Read More
Trey Benson	RB	ARI	22	R	RB - #44
Trey Benson has elite speed (97th percentile) and excellent size (6-0, 216), but it's the gaudy metrics that have dynasty enthusiasts excited. Benson set a record for broken tackles forced in a season (77 in 2022) per PFF and he profiled very well as a receiver and in pass protection. Benson is also not afraid to run over opponents downfield. He also landed in a s... Read More
Ty Chandler	RB	MIN	26	2	RB - #51
Ty Chandler's considerable sleeper appeal took a big hit when the Vikings signed Aaron Jones. But there still may be enough meat left of the bone for Chandler to have some value. Jones has always been used in a timeshare and tends to be more effective in the 14-17 touch range. That leaves plenty of opportunities for Chandler to carry over his solid play down the s... Read More
Zach Charbonnet	RB	SEA	23	1	RB - #45
As predicted, Zach Charbonnet assumed a supporting role in his first season. He accumulated 671 total yards and averaged 6.6 fantasy points per game. However, in the three games where he played more than half of the snaps, he averaged nearly 20 touches and 75 total scrimmage yards, with two top-20 weekly showings. Charbonnet was just as effective as Ken Walker as ... Read More
Blake Corum	RB	LAR	24	R	RB - #43
Kyren Williams dominated touches out of LA's backfield but Blake Corum has the chance to come in and play an immediate role. Corum profiles as a power back who breaks tackles and moves piles. He's not as good of a receiver as Williams but could potentially reduce the amount of hits Williams takes on early downs. Corum was highly productive at Michigan and being se... Read More
Ray Davis	RB	BUF	25	R	RB - #50
ADVICE: Davis has the size to factor in on early downs and in short yardage right away. Buffalo had 21 RB carries inside the 5-yard line last season and James Cook only commanded five of those. Excellent late-round sleeper with RB2 value if Cook misses time. ... Read More
Clyde Edwards-Helaire	RB	KC	25	4	RB - #71
ADVICE: CEH is one play away from a significant role in one of the NFL's best offenses. He's one of the top late-round handcuff backs to target in the waning rounds of the draft. ... Read More
Jerome Ford	RB	CLE	25	2	RB - #28
Ford filled in admirably for Nick Chubb, posting RB16 overall numbers. Chubb suffered a complex knee injury, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Ford retain a significant role even if Chubb is cleared for Week 1. Ford ranked second among all running backs with five TD grabs. We can't count on that again, but Cleveland ranked 12th in rushing and 10th in scoring last... Read More
Kenneth Gainwell	RB	PHI	25	3	RB - #66
ADVICE: Gainwell logged a career-best 84 carries last season, but with Saquon Barkley now in the fold, will likely see a drop in opportunities. Gainwell should be viewed as a low-end handcuff with minimal weekly value. ... Read More
Bucky Irving	RB	TB	22	R	RB - #57
ADVICE: Rachaad White ranked second with a massive 73.9% snap share last season for a Tampa offense that ranked last in rushing. A fourth-round rookie out of Oregon, Irving has a real shot at having a significant role immediately, especially in the passing game. ... Read More
MarShawn Lloyd	RB	GB	23	R	RB - #40
Many NFL Draft analysts ranked MarShawn Lloyd as a top-3 running back in this class and his landing spot could hardly be better. The Packers love using multiple backs and Lloyd will fit right in as the change-of-pace option behind Josh Jacobs. Lloyd is an elusive runner with excellent breakaway ability and burst. He ranked third in FBS in PFF's Elusive Rating in 2... Read More
Jordan Mason	RB	SF	25	2	RB - #84
With Elijah Mitchell set to miss the entire 2024 campaign, Mason becomes THE handcuff to target in San Francisco, Mason has outplayed Mitchell this summer and shown some burst when given opportunities. He averages a healthy 5.6 yards per rush figure in two seasons. Considering McCaffrey's workload last year, Mason is one of the top handcuffs to target in all forma... Read More
Kendre Miller	RB	NO	22	1	RB - #61
Injuries sabotaged Miller's rookie season, limiting him to just eight games. However, he looked solid with one spot start in the season finale, turning 13 carries into 73 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and his lone touchdown. Miller also hauled in 10 of his 11 targets, which puts him in a position to be the Saints' primary running back if Alvin Kamara misses time. He... Read More
Dameon Pierce	RB	HOU	24	2	RB - #68
Pierce is not a good fit in Bobby Slowik's zone scheme. He averaged an abysmal 2.9 yards per carry last season- the worst in the league for any running back. With workhorse Joe Mixon now ahead of him on the depth chart, Pierce is unlikely to get anywhere near the 158 touches he got last season. If he remains in Houston, he may be relegated to spot duties and speci... Read More