Having a top-tier handcuff is always a key piece of having a solid bench, which can often be the reason you make or break it come playoff time. Here are 5 handcuffs you should target in your drafts!
Note: These ADPs are from Sleeper, with standard PPR scoring and single-QB rosters.
Rico Dowdle | Pittsburgh Steelers
ADP: 88 (RB33)
Mike McCarthy joined Pittsburgh during this past coaching cycle and quickly grabbed Rico Dowdle from the Carolina Panthers after they had been together in Dallas, where Dowdle originally broke out in 2024. Rico is coming off back-to-back seasons of rushing for over 1000 yards and averaging over 4.5 YPC, pretty good numbers for a “handcuff”.
Dowdle joins a Steelers team that just saw Kenneth Gainwell explode while sharing carries with veteran Jaylen Warren. If Dowdle can replicate Gainwell’s success, not only will he be a dangerous flex option every week, but if Warren goes down, Rico can easily be a top RB2 option on most rosters.
Kenneth Gainwell | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
ADP: 107 (RB36)
Speaking of Gainwell, after having a career resurgence in Pittsburgh, he signed with Tampa Bay in the offseason to back up Bucky Irving. I am personally higher on Bucky than most, but it’s no secret that the Buccaneers have used two RBs in the past; if Gainwell can continue where he left off at the end of last season, when he ran a career-best 4.7 YPC, he too can be a solid flex option some weeks while being a top RB2 in the event Bucky were to go down again this season.
Blake Corum | Los Angeles Rams
ADP: 98 (RB35)
He doesn’t have the flex upside that Dowdle and Gainwell may have. That being said, he is in one of the best situations to be in among backup RBs, and that’s in one of the best offenses in the league, paired with one of, if not the best, head coaches in football right now, Sean McVay
Corum had a much better season last year compared to the year prior, and if the Rams are blowing teams out, he may see more action in the 4th quarter compared to Williams. Blake Corum averaged 5.1 YPC last season and saw at least a 30% snap share in 8 games, up from just 1 game in 2024. I expect this number to be closer to 35-40% consistently, with the Rams being the Super Bowl favorites.
Keaton Mitchell | Los Angeles Chargers
ADP: 163 (RB53)
We all know, or at least expect, that Mike McDaniel will have this offense running at an elite level. The run game should see dramatic improvement as Hampton heads into year 2, and the Chargers regain their two franchise tackles who were injured for the bulk of last season. Keaton Mitchell, on the other hand, is coming to LA for his first season with the Chargers after spending three seasons in Baltimore.
In Mitchell’s three seasons, he averaged a mind-blowing 6.3 YPC with over 100 total carries, so a decent sample size for the explosive runner. Mitchell also fits the same profile as McDaniels’ former RB in Miami, Devon Achane. If Hampton misses time, Mitchell could have dominant numbers.
Jonah Coleman | Denver Broncos
ADP: 146 (RB47)
I know you’re asking, “What about RJ Harvey?” My answer: What about him?
Harvey averaged a mere 3.7 YPC as a rookie, and I am personally higher on Jonah Coleman as a prospect than I am on Harvey, which isn’t saying much because Harvey was low on my RB list last season. Enough about Harvey, Jonah Coleman is, in my opinion, going to likely split carries with Harvey when the inevitable J.K. Dobbins injury occurs, but after a few weeks, Coleman should win the RB2 battle and get a bigger role down the stretch. Coleman isn’t a week-to-week 1-8 handcuff; he’s a handcuff for the second half of the season when it matters most.
Recap
The players on your bench often dictate how deep a run you go each season, as it’s become rare to avoid the injury bug with your entire starting lineup. Rico Dowdle and Kenneth Gainwell are my favorites, as they both have flex upside every week without needing Jaylen Warren or Bucky Irving to miss time.
Blake Corum gets the playing time, and this could be the year he gets flex upside, but until he proves it consistently, he’s just a top handcuff that will sit on your bench most weeks.
As for Keaton Mitchell and Jonah Coleman, both of them have zero flex upside, yet they bout have RB2, possibly RB1 upside if Omarion Hampton and J.K. Dobbins were to miss time, leaving these guys as great value picks that can save your season come playoff time.
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