The Fantasy Football Geek Blog

After participating in a few mock drafts to date, it became apparent that certain backup running backs are held to a higher standard than others. I figured it might be helpful to provide a list of all the starting running backs in the league, along with their primary backup. Also, I wanted to include how important it is to get their backup as a handcuff in your draft, or if you need to draft them at all. Below you can find my “Running back Handcuff Index”, where I’ve grouped running backs into different levels (Very High to Very Low) of importance, in terms of making sure you draft their backup as an insurance policy. Please note that when I say “starter”, I mean the player that is getting drafted earlier and should have the most fantasy impact on the season, not the player who has earned the ceremonial title. So here you go…

Very High

Oakland Raiders

Starter: Darren McFadden
Handcuff: Justin Fargas
Concern(s): Rookie / Committee
Notes: While Fargas might be the starter going into the season (similar to how Chester Taylor was last year), DMC is the guy going early in the draft and should get most of the carries in Oakland before long. However, he IS a rookie and who knows if he’ll live up to his hype. If possible, this is a definite handcuff situation.

Miami Dolphins

Starter: Ronnie Brown
Handcuff: Ricky Williams
Concern(s): Injury
Notes: Apparently Ricky Williams has looked great in practice so far and with Brown’s durability questions, this is a “must have” hand-cuff (although if Williams relapses into dope-smoking, you might need a handcuff for your handcuff).

Cincinnati Bengals
Starter: Rudi Johnson
Handcuff: Kenny Watson
Concern(s): Injury
Notes: After years of earning the title “Mr. Consistency”, last year showed that it’s possible that Rudi is finally breaking down. Watson played well last season in RJ’s absence and should again see some time on the field, if nothing other than to keep Johnson fresh.

High

Kansas City Chiefs

Starter: Larry Johnson
Handcuff: Kolby Smith
Concern(s): Injury
Notes: His injury last season is a bit of a concern, not to mention the declining yards per carry. He has been overworked since taking over the starting gig, so expect to see a bit more of Smith this year in an attempt to prevent another injury.

New York Giants
Starter: Brandon Jacobs
Handcuff: Ahmad Bradshaw, Derrick Ward
Concern(s): Injury
Notes: Over the past two seasons, Jacobs has missed six games. With his size, it’s only a matter of time before he takes enough hits to force him to need a game or two off to recover. It’s also still to be proven whether Jacobs can be an every down back, which could lead to opportunities for both Ward and Bradshaw. At this point, it appears that Bradshaw is the guy to get when selecting a handcuff, so make sure to get him late in your draft.

Minnesota Vikings

Starter: Adrian Peterson
Handcuff: Chester Taylor
Concern(s): Injury
Notes: Peterson needs to prove that he can stay healthy an entire year before he’s in the “Very Low” category with LT, but unless they get better play from the quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, defenses are going to key into anybody running the ball in this offense and they’re going to take their licks. Chester Taylor is a mandatory handcuff here, as he’s still a more than capable back who could get solid fantasy numbers if Peterson goes down.

Denver Broncos
Starter: Selvin Young
Handcuff: Michael Pittman, Ryan Torain, Andre Hall
Concern(s): Mike Shanahan
Notes: You know the drill with Denver by now…Shanahan runs a great offense for running backs, but
he can never stick to ONE single back for the entire season. Last year, he used Travis Henry for a bulk of the carries, but then used Selvin Young when Henry was not available, while all the while mixing in a little Andre Hall and Cecil Sapp. This year Henry is out of the equation, but in comes Michael Pittman and Ryan Torain. While Selvin will begin the season as the “starter”, good luck following this soap opera and deciding which running back to play each week. I wouldn’t recommend taking a handcuff in your draft, but before the season starts and the mess seems to be getting straightened out somewhat, pick the backup up off the free agent list.

New Orleans Saints

Starter: Reggie Bush
Handcuff: Deuce McAllister, Pierre Thomas
Concern(s): Committee
Notes: There’s no telling how McAllister will be when he returns this season after a torn ACL last season, which will be a big part of how badly you need to handcuff him to Reggie Bush. If it seems as though he won’t be playing at the start of the season, then you might decide not to waste a pick on him and go with Thomas. McAllister is getting old at this point too, which is something to keep in mind. Even if he did take over for Bush at some point, there’s no telling that he would get all the carries and produce anyways.

St. Louis Rams

Starter: Steven Jackson
Handcuff: Brian Leonard, Antonio Pittman
Concern(s): Injury
Notes: After missing a few games last season, the durability concerns have begun creeping into the Steven Jackson conversation. It appears that Brian Leonard will be doing some of the backup work, but if he is used more in a fullback role, than Pittman will step in and be the guy who demands being handcuffed to Steven Jackson.

Medium

New England Patriots

Starter: Laurence Maroney
Handcuff: Sammy Morris
Concern(s): Committee / Injury
Notes: When both Maroney and Morris were healthy, there was a pretty solid committee situation going on
in New England. However, then Morris got hurt and Maroney got his chance to shine, which he did to the tune of around 500 yards rushing, 80 yards receiving and six touchdowns over the course of the final seven games of the season. This year Maroney goes in as the starter again, but when Morris returns to 100% health, you can expect to see a bit of him in the backfield…not to mention Kevin Faulk will continue with his third down duties again.

Seattle Seahawks

Starter: Julius Jones
Handcuff: Maurice Morris, TJ Duckett
Concern(s): Committee
Notes: Julius Jones had his chances to prove he was starter quality in Dallas, but he could never prove that he was better than Marion Barber, never mind being good enough to be a feature back. He now comes to Seattle to replace Shaun Alexander, but is joined by TJ Duckett and Alexander’s previous backup, Maurice Morris. Both of those guys have had their chances as well though, and neither has proven to be spectacular. Expect a load of the carries to go Jones’ way, but Duckett could poach goal line carries, something that Marion Barber used to do in Dallas.

San Francisco 49ers

Starter: Frank Gore
Handcuff: DeShaun Foster
Concern(s): Effectiveness
Notes: As long as he’s healthy, Gore will get the bulk of the carries in San Francisco this season. Foster never showed that he had the skills to be a feature back in Carolina and makes a nice change of pace back here with the 49er’s, but that’s about it. If you’re at all worried about Gore’s durability though (he has had some injury concerns in the past), you will probably want to pick up Foster late in your draft. For the sake of the running back position in general on this team though, let’s hope Alex Smith can make some progress with throwing the ball, otherwise this offense will not be producing anything.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Starter: Maurice Jones-Drew
Handcuff: Fred Taylor
Concern(s): Committee
Notes: For a guy who earned the nickname “Fragile Freddy” earlier in his career, Taylor has now changed his ways and has only missed one game in each of the past two seasons. Fred Taylor goes into the season as the “starter” again this year, but it is becoming more and more obvious that MJD is the biggest threat here. Taylor is 32 and can’t pump out 1,000 yard seasons for ever…right? I expect a huge year from the 5′7″ bowling ball that is Maurice Jones-Drew, but if at all possible, you might consider drafting Taylor later in your draft. You won’t be able to wait till the very end either, since everyone’s looking for a 1,000 yard backup on their roster.

Tennessee Titans

Starter: LenDale White
Handcuff: Chris Henry, Chris Johnson
Concern(s): Effectiveness
Notes: Going into last season there were concerns with White’s weight and workout program, but his 1100+ yard, 7 touchdown season seemed to ease those worries a bit. However, he still only averaged 3.7 yards a carry, something that I’m sure the team would like to see improve a bit this year. He’ll be the starter for the Titans this year, but when it comes to giving him some rest, that’s where the question arises. Last year Chris Henry saw limited time in the role, but failed to really establish himself as a guy that could take over the starter role, so the Titans took another running back with their first round pick in this years draft in Chris Johnson out of Tennessee. Johnson was the fastest timed player at the NFL combine and it appears the Titans will be using him right away, for more than just rushing. If you’re going to take a handcuff for White, it appears that while Henry might be the official backup, Johnson is the one with the most potential and the guy you want on your roster.

New York Jets

Starter: Thomas Jones
Handcuff: Leon Washington
Concern(s): Effectiveness
Notes: This is a tough situation, as T-Jones was one of the most frustrating running backs in the league in terms of fantasy points last season (one touchdown!), but the team seems to want to stick with him no matter what. For the past two years, Leon has rushed for a higher average than Jones, but his attempts actually decreased dramatically last season, as the team tries to figure out how to use him properly. You have to take Washington if you get Jones in your draft as one of your top two running backs, but if Jones is your third running back, you might just stay away from picking up any more Jets offensive players if you can help it.

Carolina Panthers

Starter: Jonathan Stewart
Handcuff: DeAngelo Williams
Concern(s): Rookie / Effectiveness
Notes: While DeAngelo Williams might be the starter going into the season, similar to Detroit’s situation, he will most likely not be the most productive running back. Williams was given his chances over the past few seasons and to the Panthers, he has largely been a disappointment (although he still averaged 5.0 yards a carry). Stewart was drafted as a big, bruising back that will fit the style of play the Panthers are better suited for and should get the bulk of the carries in the season. You’ll definitely want DeAngelo though if you draft Stewart as one of your primary running backs though as an insurance policy.

Washington Redskins

Starter: Clinton Portis
Handcuff: Ladell Betts
Concern(s): Injury
Notes: While last season Portis played in every game, over his career he hasn’t proven to be the most durable of running backs. He’s only played all 16 games three times in his six year career, so you’ll most likely want to pick up Betts with one of your last picks just in case it is one of his off years.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Starter: Willie Parker
Handcuff: Rashard Mendenhall
Concern(s): Committee
Notes: Willie Parker will again get his carries this year, but don’t expect a whole lot around the goal line. For some reason his touchdown numbers plummeted dramatically last season, going from thirteen in 2006 to two in 2007. The Steelers seem to be now looking for a goal line threat similar to that of touchdown vulture extraordinaire, Jerome Bettis, and they might have found him in Rashard Mendenhall out of Illinois. If you’re taking Parker, you should be taking Mendenhall as well…especially if your league rewards heavily for touchdowns.

Low

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Starter: Earnest Graham
Handcuff: Warrick Dunn
Concern(s): Sophomore slump?
Notes: The question here is if Graham was a one-hit wonder or if he can repeat his breakout performance from last year. Graham was recently signed to a four year contract, so obviously the Buc’s have faith that he can repeat. Just in case though, it would be wise to take Warrick Dunn in the later rounds just as insurance.

Arizona Cardinals

Starter: Edgerrin James
Handcuff: Tim Hightower, JJ Arrington
Concern(s): Age
Notes: The Edge isn’t getting any younger, but he still managed to put up a solid season last year, with over 1,200 yards and 7 touchdowns. Arrington was drafted a few years ago with the thought that he would be the running back of the future, but he hasn’t really worked out so far. The next experiment seems to be a rookie out of Richmond College named Tim Hightower. However, if you draft James, I wouldn’t automatically recommend that you take a handcuff in the draft. The odds of his backups getting drafted by another team in your league are pretty low and you could wait a bit longer to see who starts the season as the primary alternate to Edge before picking one up.

Indianapolis Colts

Starter: Joseph Addai
Handcuff: Dominic Rhodes
Concern(s): Clinching playoffs early
Notes: It’s funny when the biggest worry you have for a player going into a fantasy season is that their real life team will clinch the playoffs early, causing that player to sit the bench while your fantasy team is in the playoffs. While that is a concern this year with Addai, you won’t really know until late in the season, so it’s not really worth worrying about it in your draft. After a disappointing stint in Oakland, Rhodes returns to Indy, this time in a backup role though and a good guy to pickup late in your draft in case Addai gets hurt.

Philadelphia Eagles

Starter: Brian Westbrook
Handcuff: Correll Buckhalter, Lorenzo Booker
Concern(s): Injury
Notes: With as much news as McNabb gets, the real man behind the machine in Philly is Westbrook. Last season he combined for over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 12 touchdowns. In PPR leagues, he’s a monster, catching 90 balls out of the backfield. However, the one strike against Westbrook is that he hasn’t played a full season yet in his career, missing at least one game in each of his seven years in the league. The team went out and got Booker in the off-season, but he is unproven; while the alternative, Buckhalter, is injury prone and getting up there in age himself. If you’re going to take a handcuff here, I guess you’ll want to go with Booker, as even the team seems to be leaning his direction as the primary backup to Westbrook. Keep Buckhalter on your radar though, just in case Booker doesn’t pan out.

Houston Texans
Starter: Ahman Green
Handcuff: Chris Brown, Steve Slaton
Concern(s): Injury
Notes: Not only is Ahman Green always hurt (he hasn’t played a full season in 4 years, only playing 40 games over those years), but these days he’s not that great even when he does play. The other backs on this list are either just as inconsistent or untested, so only take either of them as a handcuff if you absolutely must.

Dallas Cowboys

Starter: Marion Barber III
Handcuff: Felix Jones
Concern(s): Committee
Notes: Just when you think Barber had proven himself capable of being a feature back in the NFL, after Dallas ships Julius Jones out of town to Seattle…in comes a new rookie running back in Felix Jones. At this point I don’t think you should be too concerned with another committee situation forming in Dallas, as MBIII has shown that he is a touchdown monster when given the ball (24 TDs over the past two seasons). Barber has averaged 4.8 yards per carry the past two years and should receive 250+ carries this year in an increased role. If you want to sleep better at night though, pickup Jones late in the draft and feel good that you should have nearly all of the Cowboys rushing yards locked down for the season.

Detroit Lions
Starter: Kevin Smith
Handcuff: Tatum Bell
Concern(s): Competition / Effectiveness
Notes: This is not a necessary hand-cuff, as Smith is the only one here with any potential to be fantasy starter worthy. Detroit’s running game is bad, so unless Kevin Smith can change that, avoid this backfield like the plague.

Chicago Bears

Starter: Matt Forte
Handcuff: Adrian Peterson
Concern(s): Rookie
Notes: Talk about a risky pick…with Matt Forte you are drafting a rookie running back with the thought that it wasn’t the offensive line’s fault that both Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson played like crap for Chicago last season. Obviously that’s the way the team felt, as they released Benson in the off-season and recently signed Kevin Jones. If you’re taking Forte, I hope it’s as your third running back to begin with, so you most likely won’t need a handcuff. However, if you absolutely need one, I guess you’ll want to get Adrian Peterson (the less talented one) and his 3.4 yards per carry last season skills.

Buffalo Bills

Starter: Marshawn Lynch
Handcuff: Fred Jackson
Concern(s): Legal troubles
Notes: As a rookie, Lynch was solid as the new running back in post-McGahee Buffalo. He rushed for over 1,100 yards and scored 7 touchdowns, while the rest of the offense did very little around him. As long as his legal troubles don’t catch up to him this year in terms of a suspension, he is poised for an even better season in 2008. However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry, so Fred Jackson becomes the man to look for late in the draft, as he has shown he is a capable runner in Lynch’s absence, averaging over 5 yards a carry (on 58 attempts) last season.

Cleveland Browns

Starter: Jamal Lewis
Handcuff: Jason Wright
Concern(s): Age
Notes: Last season I envisioned Jamal Lewis beginning to break down, after years and years of getting pounded into the ground in Baltimore, but he proved me wrong (1,300 yards, 9 TD). Apparently the guy still has something left in the tank and maybe Cleveland is a great place for him to continue his career. The Browns actually have a passing game, so defenses are not keying onto Lewis like they did with the Ravens, allowing his yards per carry average to jump from 3.6 to 4.4 between his last season in Baltimore and last year with the Browns. He will be 29 at the start of the season though, and he’s already carried the ball over 2,100 times in his career, so drafting his backup, Jason Wright, wouldn’t be the dumbest thing you’ve ever done I’m sure.

Atlanta Falcons

Starter: Michael Turner
Handcuff: Jerious Norwood
Concern(s): Rookie (basically)
Notes: As a backup to LT, Michael Turner “the Burner” was seen as the ultimate handcuff. He only saw limited touches behind Mr. Durable, but still managed a 5.5 yards per carry average over the course of the four seasons he’s been in the league. Now though, he has the chance to prove that he has what it takes to be the feature back…even if it is the Falcons offense. With a young quarterback at the helm, one would envision a lot of hand-offs to the running back, but we’re not sure that Turner can handle the workload of a full season at this point, making it a bit risky. If you’re going to go with Turner, I would recommend taking Norwood later in the draft just to protect your risky investment.

Green Bay Packers

Starter: Ryan Grant
Handcuff: Brandon Jackson
Concern(s): Sophomore slump?
Notes: After assuming control of the mess that was the Green Bay running game, Grant came out swinging
and accomplished what very few rookies can do. From week 8 till the end of the year, Grant propelled the Packers and any fantasy team that was smart enough to pick him up into the playoffs with over 900 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns. Brandon Jackson was not effective last year, so the odds of him challenging
Grant to any real percentage of the carries is low. As long as he can stay out of a sophomore slump, expect solid play from Grant and don’t worry so much about the backup situation.

Baltimore Ravens

Starter: Willis McGahee
Handcuff: Ray Rice
Concern(s): N/A
Notes: McGahee is a workhorse and I don’t see that changing all that much this season, even with a new offensive coordinator. If he can survive another round of beatings this year, he’ll get most of the carries, while rookie Ray Rice might step in to spell him occasionally, but not enough to be a fantasy factor unless
McGahee gets hurt.

Very Low

San Diego Chargers

Starter: LaDainian Tomlinson
Handcuff: Jacob Hester, Darren Sproles
Concern(s): N/A
Notes: With Turner gone to Atlanta, I guess Sproles steps in as the main backup. However, LT has been the definition of durable over his career, only missing one game in seven years, so there’s no real rush to grab one of his unproven backups with any pick other than your last or second to last pick…if that.