In fantasy football, smart managers don’t just chase starters; they stash the backups who could become league-winners overnight, and Week 10 is no exception. With bye weeks and injuries, in come new handcuffs to keep on your radar and stash on benches.
Kyle Monangai and Devin Singletary elevate past handcuff status, as Monangai started in relief to D’Andre Swift with a monster game. Singletary split the carries with Tyrone Tracy Jr. and could have that workload throughout the year, which is different from last season.
Here’s your Week 10 handcuff RB rankings, spotlighting the most valuable insurance policies and upside plays.
Stash-Worthy Handcuffs
Although Saquon Barkley had an extra week of rest and will likely play this week, coming off a groin injury, Tank Bigsby showcased why the Philly traded for him. While the Green Bay Packers are no New York Giants, they just got abused by Rico Dowdle, so it’s worth a stash, as he has taken over Will Shipley and AJ Dillon in the running back depth chart.
The week before the Rams‘ bye and after, Blake Corum got double-digit touches for the first time this season, albeit, both games were blowouts. While Kyren Williams is the clear starter, when healthy, Corum is the clear handcuff, as their game with the 49ers might be more lopsided from the first matchup due to injuries. In case he was dropped in a league over their bye week, I would stash Corum ahead of most of these handcuffs this week.
Tank Bigsby – Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Blake Corum – Team: Los Angeles Rams
Injury Watch for Week 10
Other injuries to monitor are Nick Chubb, as Woody Marks would become the lead back for the Houston Texans if Chubb is out, despite the tough matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If Rhamondre Stevenson is out again, TreVeyon Henderson will be the lead back, but Terrell Jennings became more of the short-yardage/ goal-line back last week.
If Bucky Irving is out again, obviously start Rachaad White, and the same can be said for Aaron Jones, with Jordan Mason reverting to a lesser role with his return. Rico Dowdle is also managing an injury, so don’t drop Chuba Hubbard just yet.
If Ollie Gordon II is out, Jaylen Wright would back up De’Von Achane on Sunday. Alvin Kamara has been playing hurt all year, but with the team struggling anyway, I would put the other handcuffs on the list below over rookie Devin Neal still.
Keep an eye on James Cook, as he dealt with an injury late last week, and if he is out this week, Ray Davis (as the lead) and Ty Johnson (receiving back) would split the workload. But we have seen Davis take over as a rookie last year in Cook’s absence, so he would be the one to target in this case in a smash matchup.
Handcuff: Ray Davis
Injury Status: Questionable (ankle/foot)
Starter: James Cook
Top 10 Pure Handcuff Rankings
I only included running backs who are in defined backup roles to a known starter, so backs in ambiguous split or trio backfields I didn’t include for this list. This is in no specific order, as I didn’t include backups in bye weeks.
- Tyler Allgeier
- Brian Robinson Jr.
- Emari Demercado
- Raheem Mostert
- Emanuel Wilson
- Isaiah Davis
- Jaret Patterson
- Terrell Jennings
- Bhayshul Tuten
- Dylan Sampson
Players like the backfield trio are essentially seeing enough time as part-time starters themselves and have RB 2/3 or, at worst, flex appeal as a starter, so they are not in this list either. Every week, one or two players from the list are elevated to a split role or rotation, and with injuries abundant, monitor those listed above in the article.
