2026 Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: 6 Running Back Handcuffs to Target (UPDATED)

This running back handcuffs article ran earlier this summer. Training camp, injuries and the draft market changed fantasy outlooks the last few weeks. So, we're back with an updated list of running back handcuffs to guide users in late-summer drafts. 
 

New/updated analysis and ADP in bold

This article cuts through the noise on six NFL backfields, identifying the best running backs backing up star RB1s. These backs are ideal handcuffs to target in fantasy football drafts this season.

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James Cook Handcuff

The false handcuff in this case is Ty Johnson, whose technical distinction as the RB2 behind Cook smudges over the fact that Johnson plays an entirely different position than Cook. Johnson is not the replacement for Cook's functions. Johnson's functions are separate as an RB-WR tweener. Ray Davis is the true handcuff to Cook.

Ray Davis Fantasy Football Outlook

That Johnson plays more snaps than Davis is because the Bills offense features more snaps for Johnson's RB-WR hybrid position than it does for the true RB2. If Cook were to miss a game, though, the RB-WR hybrid position would be unlikely to see a meaningful increase in snaps. More likely, the RB-WR hybrid position (Johnson) would stay close to the same, while the RB2 would more or less replace Cook.

There's reason to believe Davis is prepared to start and play well if the call ever comes. At 5-foot-8, 211, Davis has a low, anchored build that lends well to withstanding volume, and he's a capable passing-down contributor. Davis was a workhorse in college and would be the same in the NFL if Cook's immovable talent weren't in the way.

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Saquon Barkley Handcuff

Tank Bigsby Fantasy Football Outlook

Barkley enters his age-29 season coming off a relatively disappointing season after he was arguably the fantasy MVP of 2024. His rushing yards and touchdowns were nearly cut in half, and his YPC was slashed from 5.8 to a pedestrian 4.1. 

The Eagles made a move for Bigsby early last season, and he showed some juice over his 58 carries with 344 yards (5.9 YPC) and two touchdowns. We saw Bigsby have some success previously in Jacksonville with 168 carries for 766 yards and seven scores on a bad offense, so maybe there is something here after all. 

Let's game out the handcuff argument for Bigsby. First, I think there's potential standalone value. Barkley is getting up there in RB years, and it might be smart of the Eagles to scale back his workload a little bit to keep him fresh. Bigsby showed to be a competent backup who can soak up whatever rushing slack exists from a scaled-back Barkley workload. 100+ carries in a complementary role alongside Barkley could give us a flex-viable version of Bigsby.

Now, if Barkley does miss time, Bigsby should be primed to handle all the rushing work. I don't believe he'd get a three-down role, so we have to hold our horses a little bit. Bigsby has not shown to be a good pass-catcher, though the sample is so small it's hard to make any firm judgments. Will Shipley was an accomplished pass-catcher in college with 85 grabs over three seasons, so that would likely be his role to lose. 

Even so, Bigsby would be the more fantasy-relevant Eagle and likely a strong RB2 candidate any week that Barkley would be out.

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Omarion Hampton Handcuff

Keaton Mitchell is a good player as an off-the-bench speed specialist, but he's a false handcuff as it relates to Omarion Hampton. The true handcuff pick for the Chargers backfield is Kimani Vidal.

Kimani Vidal Fantasy Football Outlook

Vidal's 2025 season was a fair representation of what he is: a guy who get the job done, including on passing downs, but also a guy who won't raise the level of your offense. In other words, he's close to an ideal backup.

Vidal cannot match the one-play explosiveness of Mitchell, especially as a runner, but Vidal profiles better than Mitchell as a starter because Vidal (5-8, 213) is much better built to withstand volume than Mitchell (5-8, 179) and because Vidal is much better on passing downs than Mitchell.

Mitchell is neither trustworthy in blitz pickup nor as a pass catcher. If the Chargers don't have Hampton for a game, then they'll need Vidal to keep the offense on track while Mitchell otherwise continues to function as an explosive low-volume rushing specialist.

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UPDATE: Christian McCaffrey Handcuff

It's not yet known what the prognosis is for Jordan James as he recovers from a fractured rib, but if James is absent then the clear RB2 behind McCaffrey is rookie third-round pick Kaelon Black.

Kaelon Black Fantasy Football Outlook

Black (5-9, 211) ran a 4.46-second pro day 40 after he was snubbed by the NFL Combine, and he was generally productive with the football throughout his six-year collegiate career. He was never a starter in college, however, with undrafted rookie Roman Hemby starting ahead of Black in 2025 and the non-prospect duo of Ty'Son Lawton and Justice Ellison in 2024.

The fact that Black couldn't take snaps away from any of Hemby, Lawton or Ellison — all undrafted — implies Black might have passing-down limitations. If Black struggles on passing downs then he might not be able to seize the RB2 role behind McCaffrey, even if James stays out.

UPDATE: Black seems to have moved ahead of James as Week 1 approaches, making him the San Francisco handcuff to target. He remains a player with very little standalone value as long as Christian McCaffrey is healthy. However, any missed time for the veteran would put Black in a uniquely good setup to produce. Keep him on your radar for the last rounds of best ball drafts or deep redraft leagues. The waiver wire rush will be pricey if McCaffrey has to miss any time.

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Breece Hall Handcuff

We have at least one false handcuff here in Braelon Allen. The question is whether Isaiah Davis can emerge as a real RB2 behind Hall, or if Davis and Allen would work a timeshare in the event that Hall were to miss a game.

Isaiah Davis Fantasy Football Outlook

There is no serious question about who is better between Davis and Allen. Davis is a proven producer and Allen is merely a muscle meme.

Through two years Davis and Allen have the same rushing yardage total — 410 yards — but Davis did it on 73 carries  (5.6 YPC) while Allen needed 110 tries to plod his way to the same total (3.7 YPC). As a receiver Davis has also been plainly better, turning 40 targets into 30 receptions for 251 yards and one touchdown (75.0 percent catch rate, 6.5 YPT). Allen's 30 targets resulted in 21 receptions for 165 yards and one touchdown (70.0 percent catch rate, 5.5 YPT).

Davis averaging 1.9 more yards per carry and a yard more per target than Allen makes sense, because Davis is an NFL-viable athlete at running back and Allen is not. Allen likely ran a 4.8 40 even before he bulked up to about 250 pounds from 235 previously, whereas Davis ran a 4.57-second 40 at 218. 

Nobody sticks at running back while running a 4.8. Those are called fullbacks.

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UPDATE: Josh Jacobs Handcuff

There have been massive material changes with the Green Bay backfield outlook late in draft season, with Josh Jacobs being placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List. 

Lloyd was considered a high-value handcuff throughout the summer, but this latest development has sent his ADP skyrocketing into RB2/RB3 territory. 

If you're skeptical of Lloyd at the new ADP, your options are Chris Brooks (ADP 170 on ESPN) or Pittsburgh castoff, Kaleb Johnson. Brooks has shown to be an efficient pass-catcher in a limited sample and could be a thorn in the side of Lloyd's upside.

Additionally, it's fair to be skeptical of the Packers' run game sans Jacobs. Lloyd is fun to dream on, but six career carries in two years makes me a little queasy. The offensive line is expected to be one of the worst in the league. The defense will be missing Micah Parsons and has a sketchy outlook. This may not be a particularly productive backfield, and now we have to invest significantly more draft capital to land Lloyd.

Jonathan Taylor Handcuff

The slight favorite is 2025 fifth-round pick DJ Giddens, but this one is unsettled. According to Colts.com it was Giddens who took the majority of first-team reps while Jonathan Taylor sat Friday. Giddens is believed to be competing with 2026 seventh-round pick Seth McGowan to back up Taylor, but coach Shane Steichen previously said Giddens' advantage is due to his additional year in the Colts offense. Whether that advantage holds as time passes remains to be seen.

UPDATE: McGowan and Giddens both made the 53-man roster, and the team did not add any veterans. The market remains split on which of McGowan or Giddens is the handcuff, as both are going at the end of best ball drafts with very little separation in their ADPs. I lean towards rookie McGowan getting the first crack if Taylor misses any time.  

DJ Giddens and Seth McGowan Fantasy Football Outlooks

Giddens (6-0, 212) is lighter than McGowan (6-0, 223) but only marginally faster, logging a 4.43-second 40 compared to McGowan's 4.49. In terms of size-adjusted athleticism, either Giddens and McGowan are roughly equal or McGowan is slightly better.

Both players are relatively unproven as passing-down options. Giddens did not earn the passing-down role in 2025 despite the opportunity being wide open. According to NFL.com's prospect profiles, both Giddens and McGowan struggled somewhat in blitz pickup in college.

Giddens was a highly productive runner at Kansas State, and McGowan started over and outplayed 2026 fourth-round pick Mike Washington when the two played at New Mexico State. If Taylor misses time then Giddens and McGowan could prove themselves something like equals – that's one way the answer to this question could be "neither," while the other way would be if the Colts decided to trade for a veteran back.

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