Handcuffs can be a massive part of fantasy football success. Backup running backs should be firmly on your radar in the second half of your draft, even if you don’t roster the premier option on that specific team. Remember, you don’t necessarily have to lose a player to benefit from a backup’s expanded role.
Of course, not all secondary options are created equal. In that vein, these are the pure RB2s who I’m most interested in targeting for the 2026 season.
Fantasy Football Handcuffs: Ranking The Top Options
In 2026, finding a true handcuff is a matter of definition. There are plenty of committee situations where multiple running backs hold weekly standalone value, but those aren’t “handcuffs” in my eyes.
Blake Corum is a locked-in part of the weekly plan for the Rams, Kyle Monangai holds a similar rotational role in Chicago, and offenses in Jacksonville, New England, and Minnesota enter this season without clear consensus on which back they actually favor.
None of those situations fit the bill. A true handcuff is a running back who explicitly requires a depth-chart shift or an injury ahead of them to elevate into weekly fantasy relevance.
1) Isiah Pacheco, Detroit Lions
Everyone builds their handcuff profiles differently, but you’ll notice from my rankings that I prioritize proof of concept.
Pacheco was a proven starter during his time in Kansas City. While he obviously isn’t assuming a true bellcow role out of the gate in Detroit, the fact that we’ve seen him successfully handle a featured workload is highly encouraging. Jahmyr Gibbs hasn’t missed a game in consecutive seasons, but I’m not sold that this durability is the negative the industry seems to believe, especially when looking at Pacheco’s discounted ADP.
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Detroit’s system is deliberately built around high-end running back production. Gibbs is a unique talent, but should he get dinged up, this coaching staff isn’t going to overhaul their entire game plan. That leaves a massive amount of high-value usage to be assumed by the next man up.
The Lions have boasted a top-five scoring offense in each of the past four seasons, making this an elite environment where you want to buy cheap exposure whenever possible.
Years 1-2 Fantasy Profile Comparison
| Player | Points per Touch | Gain Rate | YPC After Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Montgomery | 0.78 | 81.8% | 2.8 |
| Isiah Pacheco | 0.82 | 85.6% | 3.0 |
Yes, I understand that the genius of Ben Johnson isn’t calling plays for this specific version of the Lions anymore, and yes, Jahmyr Gibbs has leveled up from an elite back to arguably the best playmaker in the sport. But an ADP of RB40 for Pacheco?
Montgomery had a pair of seasons in Detroit where he averaged over 13 carries per game and scored at least a dozen touchdowns. In totality, across his three seasons in the Motor City, he was the PPR RB20 in fantasy football. We could knock off 15% to 20% of that historical production and still have Pacheco profile as a viable bench asset, all before factoring in the league-winning contingent value should Gibbs miss time.
2) Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles
Should Bigsby get the nod as a starter in any given week, I’m confident we will view him as a locked-in fantasy asset with top-15 upside at the position. He has averaged a efficient 4.5 yards per carry across his career (on a substantial 281-carry sample) and has been league-average at converting carries inside the five-yard line (roughly 39%).
“League average” may not sound like a ringing endorsement, but remember that 79.4% of his career carries to date came with the Jaguars, an offense that wasn’t exactly an efficiency hotbed during his tenure. I’m willing to bet on those underlying metrics rising significantly if he is given volume in Philadelphia’s system, a scenario that is only one Saquon Barkley ankle tweak away from reality.
For his career, Bigsby averages 14.8 PPR points in games where he clears a dozen touches. That is a fantastic profile for a backup playing behind Barkley, a truly great player, but one who comes with built-in volume risks.
We are talking about a 29-year-old starter who has averaged 20.3 touches per game over the past four seasons (third-most in the NFL) and has appeared in 37 grueling games since the start of 2024 when you include the postseason. That is a dangerous workload, and Bigsby represents a highly affordable way to insure against Father Time.
3) Brian Robinson Jr., Atlanta Falcons
This follows a similar logical path to the Pacheco argument, just for a player I view as slightly less explosive in a slightly less potent environment. Bijan Robinson’s next missed pro game will be his first, and that pristine track record seems to be artificially dragging down the ADP of his direct backup.
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Brian Robinson cleared 200 touches and scored eight times in 2024, proving he is entirely capable of returning standalone fantasy numbers if given the opportunity. I have Pacheco and Bigsby ranked as Tier 1 handcuffs, while Robinson kicks off Tier 2 due to minor concerns surrounding Atlanta’s overall offensive ceiling given their quarterback situation. However, that shouldn’t cause him to slide too far down your draft boards as you build out your bench depth.
4) Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills
I am incredibly high on James Cook this season, so from a fan perspective, I’d prefer Davis rarely caps his ceiling. But if you’re drafting solely for what you *want* to happen rather than what *could* happen, your roster is dead on arrival.
Getting exposure to elite offenses becomes increasingly difficult as the draft progresses, and Davis offers a rare late-round pathway into a top-tier unit. He wasn’t trusted with a single carry during last year’s playoff run, which speaks volumes about the coaching staff’s absolute confidence in Cook as their bellcow. However, Davis did log 130 touches in 2024, signaling that the building maintains a functional level of trust in his abilities.
For his career, Davis is picking up 4.7 yards per carry and has caught an impressive 84.4% of his targets. He isn’t the dynamic playmaker Cook is, few on this planet are, but Buffalo will always seek offensive balance. Should Cook be sidelined for any stretch, Davis would project as an immediate, volume-driven lineup lock.
5) Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers
No handcuff list is complete without handicapping the high-stakes situation behind Christian McCaffrey. If you are proceeding with any level of caution regarding CMC in the middle of the first round, aren’t you inherently betting on Black to some degree?
McCaffrey is coming off a massive 413-touch campaign. While it’s dangerous to completely bet against his legendary durability, opting to pass on him in drafts suggests you expect Father Time to eventually demand his share.
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Should that occur, San Francisco’s third-round pick profiles cleanly as the next man up. While Black lacks the elite, do-it-all versatility to assume 100% of McCaffrey’s vacated targets, I trust Kyle Shanahan’s scheme implicitly to maximize his skill set.
Black cleared 1,000 rushing yards and scored 10 touchdowns with Indiana last season, showcasing a low center of gravity and highly explosive short-area athleticism. The 49ers’ offensive line finished with a top-six run-blocking grade in 2025; with that level of elite systematic support, Black would immediately step into low-end RB2 value across all fantasy formats.
Remaining Top 10 Fantasy Football Handcuffs
- Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns
- Keaton Mitchell, Los Angeles Chargers
- Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals
- Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
- Braelon Allen, New York Jets
