Handcuffing isn’t a revolutionary strategy by any means. It’s been preached about time and time again. If you take a bell cow running back it’s smart to take their backup in the event said bell cow is hurt. The same theory is true in 2017. You should always handcuff injury-prone running backs. Take Le’Veon Bell for example. He’s arguably the best running back in the league especially in PPR formats. But each of his last 3 seasons have been ended by injuries. Nobody really bats an eye because two of those instances came toward the end of the season. So it’s definitely wise to handcuff James Conner to Bell in 2017.

Now this won’t be a typical article highlighting the injury prone running backs. Rather it’ll cover backfields to handcuff because of the good value. Without sounding like a broken record it’s worth mentioning the Tampa Bay backfield. They were the highlight of this article last week. Doug Martin is currently going off the board as the 28th running back, almost 73rd overall. Jacquizz Rodgers will be the 45th running back off the board at 143rd overall. You can own the primary backs in Tampa for the cost of a mid 6th-7th pick as well as a 12th round pick. That’s really not a terrible strategy for your RB2 position especially knowing Rodgers will get at least 15 touches in Martin’s absence.

Dallas Cowboys Backfield

In one of the latest NFL Draft Guide pieces: Navigating ADP, a similar discussion was made about the Dallas Cowboys backfield. Ezekiel Elliott has a potential suspension looming. The Cowboys may be aware of a suspension, but held off on an announcement because Jerry Jones was inducted into the Hall of Fame over the weekend. Regardless Elliott is still being drafted in the 1st round. Even if he’s suspended two games he will likely still be a 1st round pick.  But in this situation it’s worth targeting Darren McFadden in the later rounds because he will likely be the “go to” running back if Elliott is forced to miss a few games. McFadden, behind the Dallas O-Line, is a viable RB2. Being able to own the top running back in Dallas for the whole season at the cost of your 1st round pick and 11th or 12th round pick is perfectly fine.

Seahawks Running Backs

This duo was also brought up in the Navigating ADP article, but could be had for a better value. Eddie Lacy is currently going in Round 6 or 7. He’s slimmed down and monitoring his weight through an incentive program. He’s still a bigger guy, but his health and weight were a concern with the Packers. Now with Seattle he has the opportunity to redeem himself, but the offensive line has its issues. It’s probably the worst in the league to be honest. But Seattle wants to get back to its true identity of being a run-first offense. They’ve gotten away from that every since their disastrous Super Bowl 49 fiasco. Since then they traded Max Unger for Jimmy Graham, but haven’t been able to run the ball well. They want to get back to that and acquiring Lacy was a step in the right direction.

Lacy’s handcuff is easily Thomas Rawls. Rawls burst on to the scene a couple years back filling in for an injured Marshawn Lynch. Rawls came into last season with a lot of hype, but had a disappointing season. Rawls can currently be drafted in the 12th-14th rounds, which is not terrible for a late-round flyer. You could have the Seahawks backfield at the cost of a mid-round pick as well as a late-round gamble. It’s worth noting that C.J. Prosise is going ahead of Rawls, but Prosise figures more into the passing game. He showed flashes of talent last year with some exciting plays, but he doesn’t figure to have a huge impact on the running game.

The Brownies Backfield

Isaiah Crowell is currently being drafted in the 2nd-3rd round. With the offensive line that’ll be protecting him he’ll well be worth the pick. He’s improved each year he’s been in the league and this could be a big season for Crowell. Crowell’s handcuff is actually Duke Johnson who could be a nice Flex option. Johnson mostly holds value in PPR formats while Crowell should be the Standard league play. But when news broke a week or two ago that the Browns wanted to use Johnson more in the Slot, mock drafters took notice. Up until July 24th Johnson was going in the 13th round. Recently he’s been going as high as Round 11. Now these guys will be used very differently with Crowell as the primary runner and Johnson as the pass-catching running back lining up in the slot. But if one managed to get hurt the other could benefit.

The Broncos Running Backs

This is a group that wouldn’t have been recommended a few weeks ago, but it’s made possible largely by the drop in ADP for Jamaal Charles. Also it’s due to the emergence of the Broncos O-Line. They were by far the surprise ranking in the Offensive Lines Article, but the big guys up front have looked very strong so far, which caused struggles for C.J. Anderson and Devontae Booker in 2016. Currently C.J. Anderson is going in the 4th-5th round. Anderson is a risky RB1, but if you’re following through with Zero-RB then Anderson could be a guy you target.

The handcuff is nice value especially because Charles’ ADP is dropping amidst concerns over him wearing a knee brace at practice. Kinda crazy. But it’s happening and it’ll be worth keeping an eye on. Currently you can own the top 2 running backs in Denver’s back field for a 4th-5th round pick as well as a 9th round pick. If Charles can average 2-3 catches per game out of the backfield he’ll be a nice flex value in PPR leagues.

There are certainly other backfields that are loaded with talent. The New England backfield has potential, and the New Orleans backfield is nice as well. But you’d be taking Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson too close together and you’d miss out on other players. Mike Gillislee is currently going in the 6th-7th round and he’s a great RB2 option. James White and Dion Lewis are going much later but it’s tough to get a read on which one you should handcuff. Plus there are so many mouths to feed in New England that it’s a little risky handcuffing that backfield. The 49ers were another backfield that had a lot of hype early in the preseason. There was concern whether Carlos Hyde would be on the team with Joe Williams being sought after by Kyle Shanahan. Now Hyde is looking great and Williams is on the IR. 

Handcuffing now goes beyond just insuring injury prone players. The 2017 fantasy landscape is much different and having control of a team’s backfield certainly has some merit. This is a strategy that could pay off if you get the backfields at value picks.