It is never too early to start prepping for your fantasy football draft, especially in the best ball format. It is always important to strategize for the later rounds, as they often make or break your draft. If you spend one of your first few picks on a running back, it is often a necessity to draft that back’s backup as a handcuff towards the end of your draft. This is even more important in best ball. Some obvious handcuffs come to mind for 2022. Last season, Alexander Mattison was a savior for Dalvin Cook managers, and you can’t roster Aaron Jones without AJ Dillon. Let’s break down some more underrated running back handcuffs for 2022 that may get overlooked.
D’Andre Swift established himself as the top dog in the Detroit backfield in 2021, and Swift figures to be a second or third-round fantasy pick in 2022. However, if I draft Swift as one of my top running backs, I will grab Jamaal Williams later on.
Swift missed three games due to injury as a rookie and four more in 2022. Jamaal Williams, serving as Swift’s backup last season, recorded over 750 all-purpose yards. If Swift goes down for some time again in 2022, Williams would presumably become the bell-cow in Detroit’s backfield. What does the rest of the Lions’ running back depth chart look like? Craig Reynolds and Godwin Igwebuike each have less than 235 career rushing yards.
Swift will most certainly be a coveted running back in fantasy football this year, but I would be terrified to own him without owning Williams. I think that Williams is one of the top handcuffs out there this year, but he seems to be getting overlooked a bit.
Joe Mixon was able to stay healthy for almost all of last season, but that has not always been the case with him. Mixon missed 10 games in 2020 and a couple of games in each of his first two NFL seasons. If Mixon goes down in 2022, expect Perine to assume Mixon’s role out of the backfield.
In his backup role, Perine had over 440 all-purpose yards for Cincinnati last year. He has over 1,600 scrimmage yards and 63 receptions over his five-year career. The Bengals did not add any backs in the offseason. Chris Evans projects to be the third-string running back behind Mixon and Perine, and Evans had just 17 carries last season for 77 yards.
If you spend your first-round pick on Mixon, it would be wise to grab Perine at the end of your draft. Mixon has had injuries, and if something happens, Perine should see a significant workload in a high-powered offense.
While Alvin Kamara has yet to have a significant injury in his NFL career, he did miss four games in 2021. If Kamara misses any time this season, I imagine that Mark Ingram will take over lead duties in the New Orleans backfield. At the deadline last season, Ingram was traded from Houston back to his original team, the Saints. Ingram racked up nearly 400 scrimmage yards in seven games with New Orleans in 2021.
Tony Jones Jr. and Josh Adams are currently third and fourth on the Saints’ running back depth chart, and neither had more than 150 rushing yards in 2021. If you draft Alvin Kamara, scoop up Ingram before somebody else does.
If you have plans on drafting David Montgomery in 2022, you will probably have to do so in the third or fourth round. Montgomery missed four games last season and one the season before. The rookie Khalil Herbert took over Chicago’s lead-back duties when Montgomery went down last year. Herbert recorded over 500 all-purpose yards as Montgomery’s replacement and found the endzone twice.
Aside from Montgomery and Herbert, Darrynton Evans is currently the only other running back listed on the Bears’ depth chart. Evans had just two carries for the Titans last season. If something happens to Montgomery again in 2022, look for Herbert to have an even more prominent role than he did last year. I would not own Montgomery without trying to grab Herbert at the end of my draft this year.
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