Fantasy football handcuff rankings and debate are more of an art than science because you're constantly forced to grapple with preferring standalone value vs. injury-contingent upside.
Accordingly, we're going to make things much clearer today by asking a simple question: Where would every backup RB rank in fantasy football land if every starting RB decided to take a season-long vacation?
We'll go through four quick bullets for each of the top-10 options, surrounding whether the backup in question is:
- Actually good at football
- Has a real sample size without the starter that we can go off
- Is in a good offense
- Faces additional competition from the team's RB3 or beyond
As always: It's a great day to be great.
RB1: TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots
- Proof of being good at football?: TreVeyon Henderson averaged 17.6 PPR points per game during the second half of last season. Does he need to work on his vision and pass protection? Sure, but bad running backs don't average 5.1 yards per carry on a reasonable sample (180 rush attempts).
- Sample size without starter?: In Weeks 9-11 with Rhamondre Stevenson sidelined Henderson averaged a whopping 24.3 PPR points per game! He did this on workhorse 75, 84 and 88 percent snap counts.
- Is the offense good?: Yes. The Patriots were second in scoring last year. Vegas has them 13th entering 2026, which seems low.
- RB3+ competition: Jam Miller and Lan Larison.
An explosive, pass-catching back who occupied a true every-down role when thrust into this
Fantasy football handcuff rankings and debate are more of an art than science because you're constantly forced to grapple with preferring standalone value vs. injury-contingent upside.
Accordingly, we're going to make things much clearer today by asking a simple question: Where would every backup RB rank in fantasy football land if every starting RB decided to take a season-long vacation?
We'll go through four quick bullets for each of the top-10 options, surrounding whether the backup in question is:
- Actually good at football
- Has a real sample size without the starter that we can go off
- Is in a good offense
- Faces additional competition from the team's RB3 or beyond
As always: It's a great day to be great.
RB1: TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots
- Proof of being good at football?: TreVeyon Henderson averaged 17.6 PPR points per game during the second half of last season. Does he need to work on his vision and pass protection? Sure, but bad running backs don't average 5.1 yards per carry on a reasonable sample (180 rush attempts).
- Sample size without starter?: In Weeks 9-11 with Rhamondre Stevenson sidelined Henderson averaged a whopping 24.3 PPR points per game! He did this on workhorse 75, 84 and 88 percent snap counts.
- Is the offense good?: Yes. The Patriots were second in scoring last year. Vegas has them 13th entering 2026, which seems low.
- RB3+ competition: Jam Miller and Lan Larison.
An explosive, pass-catching back who occupied a true every-down role when thrust into this situation last season in an offense that has realistic top-5 aspirations. Henderson's RB3/RB4 competition is 2025 UDFA Lan Larison (who sounds like a 17th-century explorer) and 2026 seventh-rounder Jam Miller. That's a tough combo for ANY backup to top.
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RB2: Blake Corum, Rams
- Proof of being good at football?: Blake Corum boasted top-5 numbers at the position in yards per carry and rush success rate in 2025.
- Sample size without starter?: Unfortunately none, but his primary competition, 2025 fourth-rounder Jarquez Hunter, didn't receive a single touch last season, so it's safe to say there's a sizable gap here in the eyes of Sean McVay.
- Is the offense good?: The Rams were No. 1 in scoring last year, and Vegas has them in the same spot this year.
- RB3+ competition: Jarquez Hunter and Ronnie Rivers
The only real concern here is Corum's lack of pass-game production: He has just 15 career receptions. Then again, the Rams don't usually throw much to their running backs anyway, and it's simply too tough to ignore Corum's status as a potential bell-cow inside arguably the game's single-best offense.
Even with Davante Adams scoring so frequently near the goal line, Rams RBs still led the NFL in total carries (27) inside the 5-yard line last season. There would be 20-plus touchdown upside on the table for Corum as THE running back, y'all, in Los Angeles.
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RB3: Tank Bigsby, Eagles
- Proof of being good at football?: Tank Bigsby ranks among the NFL's top-5 RBs in yards after contact per carry (3.8, 1st), tackles avoided per carry (27.7%, 2nd) and explosive rush rate (10.8%, 5th) among 44 qualified backs the last two seasons.
- Sample size without starter?: None, but Bigsby did take every snap with the starting offense in Week 1 of the preseason. He easily out-touched Will Shipley (61 vs. 23) last season.
- Is the offense good?: 2025's 19th-ranked scoring finish was the first time this offense finished lower than seventh since 2021. RotoWire offensive line ranks have the Eagles No. 2 entering 2026.
- RB3+ competition: Will Shipley and Dameon Pierce
Bigsby plays the position like a middle-class man's Saquon anyway: Big, explosive, tackle-breaking machine who, yeah, might strike out in pursuit of hitting the home run a bit too often, but the home runs sure are fun!
Like Corum, there's not a HUGE pass-game ceiling here, but there would be weekly 20-plus carry upside behind what's regularly been one of the game's best offensive lines during the last half decade. Dealing with Jalen Hurts at the goal line isn't ideal; just realize Eagles RBs still see plenty of work inside the 5-yard line overall.
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RB4: Ray Davis, Bills
- Proof of being good at football?: We're talking about the NFL's reigning first-team All-Pro kick returner! Ray Davis has more than respectable career averages of 4.2 yards per carry and 10.2 yards per reception.
- Sample size without starter?: Davis racked up 23 touches on 58 and 64 percent snap rates in Week 6, 2024, and Week 18, 2025, respectively, as the offense's de facto lead back.
- Is the offense good?: The Bills have ranked second, third, second, sixth, second and, most recently, fourth in scoring since Josh Allen decided to start being a god in 2020.
- RB3+ competition: Ty Johnson (knee) and Frank Gore Jr.
Davis is cut from the same cloth as Bigsby: Solid player in an exceptional offense who faces a bit of pass-down and goal-line competition, but not enough to overthink things. Like with the Eagles, Bills RBs rank just 27th in carries from the 1-yard line (9) since 2024, but they're third from the 2-5-yard lines (37).
The tiebreaker was me being just a little more worried about Ty Johnson vs. Will Shipley, though the fact that Johnson (knee) has been sidelined throughout training camp could make that a moot point.
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RB5: Rico Dowdle, Steelers
- Proof of being good at football?: Rico Dowdle went for 1,328 total yards and five touchdowns with the Cowboys in 2024 and 1,373 yards with seven touchdowns for the Panthers in 2025. Seems good!
- Sample size without starter?: Honestly, Jaylen Warren could very well be the 1B here. Feel free to swap out Rico's name with Jaylen if this offends you: Both offer sky-high upside in this scenario.
- Is the offense good?: Vegas only ranks the offense 24th in scoring entering 2026, BUT elderly QBs have historically been fantasy cheat codes for their RBs thanks to their willingness to check the ball down over and over again.
- RB3+ competition: Travis Homer and Lew Nichols (sorry, Kaleb Johnson)
Both Dowdle and Jaylen Warren have exhibited three-down ability and look poised to handle something close to a workhorse three-down role should the opportunity present itself. While I LOVE spending most of my mid-round picks on wide receivers in fantasy drafts, I regularly make an exception to get one of these Steelers' backs in the Round 7-8 range.
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RB6: Kyle Monangai, Bears
- Proof of being good at football?: 4.6 yards per rush and 9.1 yards per catch seems fine! Kyle Monangai runs a bit like a bull in a china shop, but you must be doing something right to earn 199 combined carries and targets from Ben freaking Johnson as a rookie.
- Sample size without starter?: Turned 29 touches into 198 total yards in his only game without D'Andre Swift (74% snaps!) last season
- Is the offense good?: The Bears ranked ninth in scoring last season and Vegas has them ranked 10th ahead of 2026.
- RB3+ competition: Roschon Johnson, Salvon Ahmed and Brittain Brown
It's not ideal Monangai is currently dealing with a hyperextended knee, but he's expected to be good to go for Week 1 and back to working as the 1B behind RotoWire's sixth-ranked offensive line. Are there more talented backup RBs out there? Probably; for me the three-down ability inside an offense with the potential to BOOM is what really wins out here.
RB7: Rachaad White, Commanders
- Proof of being good at football?: Rachaad White posted RB10 and RB23 in PPR points per game in 2023 and 2024. He also joins Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara as the only backs with 200-plus receptions since entering the league. Seems decent!
- Sample size without starter?: None since White is on a new team, but his proven three-down ability sticks out inside arguably the NFL's worst overall RB room.
- Is the offense good?: The Commanders ranked fifth in scoring with a healthy Jayden Daniels in 2024.
- RB3+ competition: Kaytron Allen, Robert Henry, Jerome Ford and Jeremy McNichols
It's possible White wins out over Jacory Croskey-Merritt as the de facto lead back in the first place. If not? He profiles as the likely biggest beneficiary of Bill missing any time due to the completely unproven nature of primary next-men-up Kaytron Allen and Robert Henry.
This backfield is as muddled and as ambiguous as they come; just realize White is the proven veteran in the room and has the ability to work across all three downs inside an offense that was quite awesome the last time we saw a fully healthy No. 5 under center. Tough to complain about that!
RB8: Woody Marks, Texans
- Proof of being good at football?: Wasn't good last year, though Woody Marks doesn't seem to get nearly the same benefit of the doubt as guys like Ashton Jeanty and Quinshon Judkins — all three were forced to work behind bottom-8 offensive lines in RB rush yards before contact per carry. Marks (24-208-3) did flash the sort of receiving upside that helped him catch 261 passes (!) during his collegiate career.
- Sample size without starter?: Marks handled at least 15 touches in all but two of his final 10 games, simply overtaking Nick Chubb down the stretch last season. His snap rates were regularly around 70 percent and reached a peak of 87 percent. That's three-down workhorse material!
- Is the offense good?: Not particularly (Vegas has it ranked 19th entering 2026), BUT Marks should at least benefit from plenty of fantasy-friendly leading game scripts considering the dominant nature of this elite defense.
- RB3+ competition: Jawhar Jordan and Noah Whittington
I was surprised to land on Marks this high, but why not? The Texans, with the same OC as they have now, leaned on Marks as a bell-cow down the stretch, and there's at least some reason to believe their latest offensive line overhaul could yield a bit better results in 2026.
David Montgomery was obviously brought in to help carry the early down load, but there continues to be zero competition behind Marks. He wins out over ensuing similar-profile backs in meh offenses thanks to the aforementioned reality that the Texans *as a team* could be very good this season.
RB9: Mike Washington, Raiders
- Proof of being good at football?: That 50-yard run in the preseason sure was fun! Mike Washington is unproven at the professional level, but popped off against some tough SEC defenses in 2025 (19-131-1 vs. Tennessee, 16-147-0 vs. Texas A&M, 17-105-1 vs. Texas) and is one of the freakier athletes the position has seen … pretty much ever.
- Sample size without starter?: Washington easily worked ahead of No. 3 RB Dylan Laube in preseason — surprisingly even on pass downs (10 routes vs. 2) — during their four drives together.
- Is the offense good?: Vegas ranks the offense just 28th ahead of 2026, but reigning Super Bowl champion Klint Kubiak deserves more love than most first-year head coaches.
- RB3+ competition: Dylan Laube, Roman Hemby and Dare Ogunbowale
It's common to see a rookie buried on the depth chart to start his career, even if it seems inevitable that he'll eventually rise up. Well, our first look at the Raiders in the preseason showed no such problem for Washington, who is already the clear next-man-up behind workhorse starter Ashton Jeanty.
Nobody expects the 2026 Raiders to resemble the 1999 Rams, but hey, credit to Klint Kubiak for engineering some pretty, pretty, pretty good offenses with the 2024 Saints (before everyone got injured) and the 2025 Seahawks. That was a good enough tiebreaker for me compared to other backup RBs in meh-to-bad offenses.
RB10: Jonathon Brooks, Panthers
- Proof of being good at football?: The No. 1 RB in the 2024 class racked up 1,425 total yards and 11 scores in just 10 games in his lone year as the Longhorns' bell-cow after spending his first two seasons on campus carrying Bijan Robinson's pads.
- Sample size without starter?: Jonathon Brooks racked up 78% of the snaps alongside Bryce Young and the first-team offense with Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) sidelined.
- Is the offense good?: Vegas ranks the offense 26th entering 2026. Not great, though the most expensive offensive line in football could help alleviate some environment concerns … if they can get healthier.
- RB3+ competition: Trevor Etienne and AJ Dillon
This rank could look low if Brooks is fully back to 100 percent health and the Panthers' offense doesn't suck … but those are two decently sized ifs! Brooks is skyrocketing up fantasy ranks with Chuba actively sidelined; just realize this still projects as something close to a 50/50 split with both backs healthy.
Removing Chuba from the equation is certainly a boon to Brooks' overall upside, especially after we saw ETN treated as a clear backup in the preseason, but now it's time to find out if the 23-year-old talent is ready to handle a legit role at the professional level.
Everyone else
RB11 Buccaneers RB Kenny Gainwell: Reigning Steelers team MVP would rank even higher *if* we didn't have to worry about Sean Tucker on early downs and around the goal line.
RB12 Falcons RB Brian Robinson: Clear RB2 behind Bijan Robinson in an offense that could be very bad.
RB13 Cardinals RB Tyler Allgeier: Not quite as clear RB2 behind Jeremiyah Love (with James Conner still around) in an offense that could be very bad.
RB14 Vikings RB Jordan Mason: Limited pass-game ability hurts high-end upside, but there's still double-digit touchdown upside on the table in this perhaps ascending offense.
RB15 Jaguars RB Chris Rodriguez: Pretty much everything we just said for Mason.
RB16 Lions RB Isiah Pacheco: One of the worst real-life talents in this group who just so happens to keep hitting the offensive environment lottery.
RB17 Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd: Explosive, pass-catching ability could be weaponized by Matt LaFleur, even if it seems likely Chris Brooks or someone else would eat into the early down work.
RB18 Broncos RB RJ Harvey: Similar archetype as Lloyd with more assurance that Jonah Coleman would in fact make this a committee with J.K. Dobbins out of the picture.
RB19 Chargers RB Keaton Mitchell: Would cede plenty of work to Kimani Vidal, but if there's a play-caller and offense to get the most out of the pint-sized speedster — it's this one.
RB20 Saints RB Alvin Kamara: Could be ranked too low if the Saints are still willing to force-feed him the football in a world without Travis Etienne. I'm dubious of that after last season and the pay cut.
RB21 Titans RB Tyjae Spears: Spears is a LOT of fun to watch and could be closer to Gainwell if featured as a true every-down handcuff; I'm just skeptical of that occurring even without Tony Pollard in the picture.
RB22 Browns RB Dylan Sampson: Similar profile as Spears in an offense that we expect to be even worse than the Titans.
RB23 Jets RB Braelon Allen: Could argue Allen deserves to be next to Mason and Rodriguez, but I consider Isaiah Davis far stiffer competition than Demond Claiborne and LeQuint Allen.
RB24 Chiefs RB Emmett Johnson: Impressive preseason debut doesn't change the fact that Kansas City would likely call free-agent Kareem Hunt immediately if Kenneth Walker is out.
RB25 49ers RB Kaelon Black: Would rank far higher *if* we knew he was for sure the No. 2 RB in this offense.
RB26 Cowboys RB Jaydon Blue: Would rank far higher *if* we knew he was for sure the No. 2 RB in this offense.
RB27 Giants RB Tyrone Tracy: Could we be making too much out of *one* blown pass protection rep in the preseason? Perhaps, but Najee Harris and Devin Singletary are real competition in a likely bad offense.
RB28 Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright: Would be looking at split work alongside Ollie Gordon in a likely low-scoring offense with a QB more inclined to scramble than check the ball down.
RB29 Bengals RB Samaje Perine: VERY skeptical the Bengals would simply turn the offense over to the soon-to-be 31-year-old veteran if Chase Brown misses time. Perine is the next man up, but another addition feels inevitable.
RB30 Colts RB Seth McGowan: Similar sentiment here: The Colts have proven willing to bring in veteran uncs upon dealing with injuries at QB and WR over the last 12 months. Why would RB be any different?
RB31 Ravens RB Adam Randall: The converted WR has a fun athletic profile, but Justice Hill would make things complicated, and we don't even know for sure if Randall has Rasheen Ali beat out. Outside competition would also be in play.
RB32 Seahawks RB George Holani: This is less of a dig at Holani and more so a reality that the Seattle backfield is a cluster at the moment. Should we consider Zach Charbonnet or Jadarian Price the starter? It's a tough call, and Emanuel Wilson could also split work (particularly around the goal line).
