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Juice Up Your Backfield: Our Data-Driven RB Handcuff Rankings

Not all handcuffs are created equal. We ranked all 32 backup RBs by talent, opportunity, and offense so you know who’s worth a stash and who’s just dead weight.

By Jared Smola | Updated on Sun, Aug 24 2025 5:55 PM UTC

Juice Up Your Backfield: Our Data-Driven RB Handcuff Rankings

Nailing the Best RB Handcuffs Can Supercharge Your Fantasy Season

RB fantasy production is incredibly volume-driven. A backup RB can often produce 80%, 90%, or even 100% of the starter’s fantasy points on the same workload. (Shoutout to the “RBs don’t matter” crowd.)

And therein lies the power of RB handcuffs.

How Do We Find the Best RB Handcuffs in 2025?

This is not your typical article on the best RB handcuffs. We’re not arbitrarily ranking the backups based on gut feel. We’re taking a more methodical approach to pinpointing the top handcuffs to target in your fantasy draft.

Let’s start by defining what makes a top handcuff. The ideal handcuff:

Is talented
Is the clear No. 2 RB on his team
Plays in a strong offense
Is backing up a high-risk starter

Let’s score each handcuff on a scale of 1-10 in each of those categories. We’ll then average those scores to come up with handcuff rankings.

NOTE

These are strictly handcuff rankings. We’re not taking into account any standalone value these RBs might have. For rankings that consider both standalone value and handcuff upside in YOUR fantasy league, get this custom fantasy football cheatsheet.

Best RB Handcuffs, Ranked 1-32

Rank	Player	Team	Talent	Depth chart	offense strength	starter risk	handcuff score
1	Zach Charbonnet	SEA	9	10	4	8	7.75
2	Ray Davis	BUF	7	8	10	5	7.5
3	Trey Benson	ARI	6	9	6	8	7.25
t-4	Tyjae Spears	TEN	8	10	3	6	6.75
t-4	Rachaad White	TB	7	5	9	6	6.75
6	Tyler Allgeier	ATL	8	10	4	4	6.5
t-7	Brian Robinson	SF	6	3	8	8	6.25
t-7	Cam Skattebo	NYG	6	8	2	9	6.25
t-7	Nick Chubb	HOU	4	6	5	10	6.25
t-7	Kareem Hunt	KC	3	5	9	8	6.25
t-7	Will Shipley	PHI	5	6	9	5	6.25
t-12	Bhayshul Tuten *	JAC	7	5	5	7	6.0
t-12	Chris Rodriguez *	WAS	4	5	9	6	6.0
t-14	Braelon Allen	NYJ	7	8	2	6	5.75
t-14	Rico Dowdle	CAR	6	7	4	6	5.75
t-14	Tahj Brooks	CIN	4	6	7	6	5.75
t-14	Najee Harris	LAC	7	5	6	5	5.75
t-14	Kendre Miller	NO	6	7	2	8	5.75
t-19	Blake Corum	LAR	5	5	7	5	5.5
t-19	MarShawn Lloyd	GB	6	4	7	5	5.5
t-19	Justice Hill	BAL	5	4	10	3	5.5
t-22	Miles Sanders	DAL	3	4	5	9	5.25
t-22	Roschon Johnson	CHI	6	3	5	7	5.25
t-22	D.J. Giddens	IND	5	6	4	6	5.25
t-22	Ollie Gordon	MIA	6	3	5	7	5.25
26	Dylan Sampson	CLE	5	5	1	7	4.5
27	Craig Reynolds *	DET	3	2	9	3	4.25
28	Zamir White	LV	4	5	3	4	4.0
t-29	Antonio Gibson *	NE	4	3	4	4	3.75
t-29	Kenneth Gainwell *	PIT	4	3	4	4	3.75
t-31	Ty Chandler *	MIN	4	2	5	3	3.5
t-31	Jaleel McLaughlin *	DEN	3	2	6	3	3.5

Note: Players marked with a * are third on their team's depth chart behind a committee. This has been factored into their Depth Chart and Starter Risk scores.

Top 5 Handcuffs For 2025

1. Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks

Charbonnet is perhaps the most proven handcuff in fantasy football. Here were his finishes among RBs in PPR points in six games without RB Ken Walker last year:

8th
7th
1st
17th
20th
39th

Charbonnet has enough talent to start for many NFL teams, and there's no threat behind him on the depth chart. Walker, meanwhile, has missed 10 games through three NFL seasons and has dealt with foot soreness throughout August.

2. Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills

We've seen Davis produce big fantasy numbers as a handcuff. When RB James Cook missed Week 6 last year, Davis racked up 152 total yards on 23 touches against a good Jets defense. He finished 12th among RBs in PPR points that week, despite not scoring a TD.

This is a talented player locked in as the No. 2 RB on a Bills offense implied for the most points in the league this season. His Depth Chart score takes a slight hit only because he'd lose some passing-down snaps to RB Ty Johnson if Cook misses time.

TIP

For more on Davis, check out 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers.

3. Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals

There's no glaring weakness to Benson's handcuff profile.

He's playing behind one of the biggest injury risks at the position in James Conner, who has missed at least one game in all eight of his NFL seasons. Benson plays on an above-average offense with no threat to lead duties if Conner goes down again. And he's a nice talent, averaging 4.6 yards per carry as a third-round rookie last year.

Don't expect Benson to be a fantasy factor when Conner is healthy. But he's a solid bet to get spot starts this season and produce as at least a RB2.

t-4. Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans

Spears suffered a high-ankle sprain on August 9 that has him iffy for the start of the season. Once he's healthy, though, he'll be locked in as the No. 2 RB behind Tony Pollard. RBs Julius Chestnut and Kalel Mullings are not threats.

When Pollard missed Week 17 last year, Spears racked up 103 total yards on 23 touches -- despite leaving that game early with a concussion.

This is an electric runner and talented receiver who would play a three-down role if Pollard misses time again this season.

t-4. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucky Irving emerged as the biggest talent and the lead back in Tampa Bay last season. But White also turned in a nice campaign.

He set career highs in:

Yards per carry
Yards after contact per attempt
Rush yards over expected per attempt
Pro Football Focus rushing grade

White ranked top-28 in all four metrics among 47 qualifying RBs league wide. He's a capable runner and a plus pass catcher, with the fourth-most receptions among RBs over the last three seasons.

Sean Tucker would certainly be part of the attack if Irving misses time this year. But White would get plenty of rushing volume and control pass-catching work. On a Bucs offense implied for the seventh-most points, that'd be more than enough to make White a strong fantasy starter.

Don't Miss 2025's Best RB Handcuffs

The Draft War Room marks handcuff targets with an icon, so you never miss a potential league-winner again.

The best RB handcuffs are marked with an icon on your Draft War Room.

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Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.

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