There is a lot of running back news this week, most of which pertains to handcuff situations. I will touch on those with blurbs and then give the requisite top-10, although this week the list will be expanded a bit. Also, for reader purposes, I will probably publish this article two more times after this week.
With next week being Thanksgiving Week, this will be published on Monday to clear the way for the short-slate content to take center stage on the website. The week after that (Week 13) will be the final installment of 2024 where I will take a team-by-team look so you can make final waiver wire pickups ahead of your playoffs.
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Handcuff Notes
Jonathon Brooks (RB – CAR)
Jonathon Brooks will be back this week although his role is unclear. Miles Sanders is dust, so it shouldn’t take much for Brooks to become the backup to Chuba Hubbard. Brooks is around 60% rostered on Yahoo. He is worth a waiver wire stash if he’s available in your league.
Roschon Johnson (RB – CHI)
Roschon Johnson has seen an uptick in usage, mostly in short-yardage situations. With Thomas Brown taking over as offensive coordinator, this makes sense but it also probably locks Johnson in as a nice handcuff. He is one of the few handcuffs who is still a bit under the radar.
Emanuel Wilson (RB – GB)
MarShawn Lloyd will remain on injured reserve (IR) with appendicitis, meaning Emanuel Wilson is the unquestionable handcuff in Green Bay. Lloyd may not get back on the field this season, so Wilson could find himself in a nice spot should Josh Jacobs get dinged.
Tank Bigsby (RB – JAX)
Tank Bigsby has been injured but Travis Etienne has seen bell-cow usage in the last two games with over 85% of the touches. The Jaguars have a bye this week and their December schedule is favorable. If Bigsby is the preferred option, he will be plenty useful.
Cam Akers (RB – MIN)
Cam Akers has jumped over Ty Chandler in Minnesota and might prove valuable in the next few weeks. Aaron Jones wasn’t 100% on Sunday and always seems to playing nicked up. Akers might find himself in a nice role at some point down the stretch.
Braelon Alleon (RB – NYJ)
With Akers and Wilson moving up, Braelon Allen is moving off the list this week. I think he is still a strong handcuff option but Breece Hall saw his highest usage game of the season on Sunday. The Jets are a dumpster fire, so I wouldn’t rule out Allen getting some run in December. Hold him for now.
Kareem Hunt (RB – KC)
Isiah Pacheco is getting close to a return in Kansas City. That would relegate Kareem Hunt to a backup role, albeit an important one. He would be no worse than the third-ranked handcuff in football.
Audric Estime (RB – DEN)
Sean Payton is not to be trusted. In Week 10, the Broncos leaned heavily on Audric Estime, who handled a season-high 82.4% of the team’s running back rush attempts. However, his workload plummeted in Week 11, dropping to just a 29% share. Meanwhile, Javonte Williams saw 32 snaps compared to Estime’s 14.
Blake Corum (RB – LAR)
Kyren Williams saw his workload dip in Week 11, logging a 75% running back rush share — his lowest since Week 2. For the first time this season, Williams failed to record a target and hasn’t found the end zone on the ground in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Blake Corum played a season-high 19% of the snaps. I’m not saying there is smoke here, but maybe Corum sees more work in the coming weeks.
Handcuff Rankings
1. Jordan Mason (RB – SF)/Isaac Guerendo (RB – SF)
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Jason Kamlowsky is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @JasonKamlowsky.