Updated 5/17/2012
Introduced a season ago, the charts you’re about to see include handcuff information for each of the important fantasy positions: Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, and Tight End. Why am I doing this? Simple. So that when one of your key fantasy contributors goes down with an injury, you know the right player to target.
Check out the 2012 Quarterback Tamme Index for additional explanation.
Today I'm taking a look at Running Back handcuffs.
| Your Move | What it means |
| Starter | This player is, at worst, a borderline starter (Top 12 QB, Top 24 RB, Top 36 WR, Top 12 TE) in 12 team leagues |
| Bench | This player is worth a roster spot in 12 team leagues. |
| Monitor | You don't need to add this player in 12 team leagues, but monitor his progress over the next few weeks. |
| Ignore | Ignore this player, as they do not have much Fantasy value. |
| Tm | Note | Starter(s) | Handcuff(s) | Your Move |
| ARZ | Williams is inexperienced, but he was drafted as a player expected to be able to handle a full load. He'd get that opportunity. Stephens-Howling would chip in on passing downs, but is only worth monitoring if Williams struggles. | Beanie Wells | Ryan Williams | Bench |
| La'Rod Stephens-Howling | Monitor | |||
| ATL | Rodgers and Snelling will split the No. 2 RB reps and both are fine third-down options. Watch for Snelling to lead in carries, but for Rodgers to handle a few more targets. Both should be added. | Michael Turner | Jacquizz Rodgers | Bench |
| Jason Snelling | Bench | |||
| BLT | Pierce was drafted to replace Ricky Williams, which means he'd be called upon to handle a huge workload if Rice went down. He'd be a solid RB2. Allen would help out, but not enough to warrant an add. | Ray Rice | Bernard Pierce | Starter |
| Anthony Allen | Ignore | |||
| BUF | Jackson and Spiller are both likely to be owned. If one gets hurt, the other is a must-start. Add Choice to your bench if either starter goes down. Monitor Johnny White, as well. | Fred Jackson | Tashard Choice | Bench |
| C.J. Spiller | Tashard Choice | Bench | ||
| CAR | Williams and Stewart will both be owned in most leagues. If not, and one goes down, grab the other. Tolbert is a must-add and would make for a good flex play. | Jonathan Stewart | Mike Tolbert | Bench |
| DeAngelo Williams | Mike Tolbert | Bench | ||
| CHI | If heavily-utilized Forte goes down, Bush is a capable workhorse with Kahlil Bell offering some relief. Bush would be a borderline RB1 and must-start. | Matt Forte | Michael Bush | Starter |
| Kahlil Bell | Monitor | |||
| CIN | Scott wouldn't be asked to handle a full workload, but he'd get most of the touches in a run-friendly offense if Green-Ellis went down. Brian Leonard would handle the passing down touches, but isn't quite worth a bench spot. | BenJarvus Green-Ellis | Bernard Scott | Bench |
| Brian Leonard | Monitor | |||
| CLV | A Richardson injury would mean a Hardesty-led timeshare with Jackson and Ogbonnaya would sharing the snaps behind him. Hardesty, a second-round pick two years ago, should be stashed. Monitor Jackson, as he does have experience as a full-time back. | Trent Richardson | Montario Hardesty | Bench |
| Brandon Jackson | Monitor | |||
| DAL | Jones might be owned, but he's the man to have if Murray goes down. Phillip Tanner is next in line and would certainly handle some of the early-down work at the expense of Jones. | Demarco Murray | Felix Jones | Starter |
| Phillip Tanner | Bench | |||
| DEN | Denver doesn't care much for Moreno as a lead back, so the rookie Hillman would be called upon first. Still, Moreno would chip in enough, especially on passing downs, to limit Hillman's upside to anything more than a borderline RB2. Deep leaguers should monitor Mario Fannin. | Willis McGahee | Ronnie Hillman | Bench |
| Knowshon Moreno | Monitor | |||
| DET | Leshoure would lead the way in carries, but Smith wouldn't be far behind and would do some damage on passing downs. It would be a full-on committee attack. | Jahvid Best | Mikel Leshoure | Starter |
| Kevin Smith | Bench | |||
| GB | Green isn't built for a heavy workload, but he'd see enough snaps to warrant a speculative add. John Kuhn would approach a dozen touches and would handle the goal line work. | James Starks | John Kuhn | Bench |
| Alex Green | Bench | |||
| HST | Tate would be the workhorse if Foster were to go down, but the team runs the ball enough that Williams would see upwards of 10 touches. Tate is a must-start. Monitor Williams. | Arian Foster | Ben Tate | Starter |
| Javarris Williams | Monitor | |||
| IND | Carter is first in line for carries behind Brown, but wasn't overly impressive in his rookie campaign. He'll be given every chance to succeed, but Ballard would be involved and could steal the thunder. | Donald Brown | Delone Carter | Bench |
| Vick Ballard | Monitor | |||
| JAX | Jennings has been effective on limited touches, but is a bit of a question mark after missing the entire 2011 season due to injury. Harris wouldn't be effective enough in limited touches to warrant a roster spot. | Maurice Jones-Drew | Rashad Jennings | Starter |
| DuJuan Harris | Ignore | |||
| KC | Charles and Hillis will both be owned in your league. McCluster would step in on passing downs if one of the top-two went down. He's also likely to have RB/WR eligibility, so he's certainly worth a roster spot if forced to handle No. 2 RB duties. Cyrus Gray should be monitored. | Jamaal Charles | Dexter McCluster | Bench |
| Peyton Hillis | Dexter McCluster | Bench | ||
| MIA | Thomas is a fine flex play if Bush misses action. He wasn't very good in his rookie year, but there's still plenty of potential. Miller will focus on special teams this year, but would compliment Thomas in this situation. | Reggie Bush | Daniel Thomas | Bench |
| Lamar Miller | Monitor | |||
| MIN | A capable three-down back, Gerhart has a clear path to 20+ touches/game if Peterson were to go down. Hilliard wouldn't see enough touches to warrant an add. | Adrian Peterson | Toby Gerhart | Starter |
| Lex Hilliard | Ignore | |||
| NE | Ridley and Woodhead will be owned in most leagues, but Vereen will probably be a bit overlooked. He's a decent stash regardless, but would see a dozen or so touches if either of the top-two go down. Joseph Addai should be added, as well. | Danny Woodhead | Shane Vereen | Bench |
| Stevan Ridley | Shane Vereen | Bench | ||
| NO | If Ingram goes down, Thomas is a must-start, as he can handle 10+ carries and is a very good pass catcher. Ivory would step into about a dozen carries, but is no threat in the passing game. If Sproles is out, Ingram and Thomas will see a few more carries and Thomas will take on the passing down work. Ivory wouldn't see much, if any, work. If Thomas sits, it means more carries for Ingram, a few for Ivory, and another target or two for Sproles. | Mark Ingram | Chris Ivory | Bench |
| Darren Sproles | N/A | N/A | ||
| Pierre Thomas | Chris Ivory | Monitor | ||
| NYG | Bradshaw will be a borderline workhorse, but Wilson will give him relief enough to warrant a roster spot in most leagues. If he's available, obviously grab him immediately, as he's RB1 material. Scott is worth keeping an eye on, as DJ Ware has a low ceiling. | Ahmad Bradshaw | Da'Rel Scott | Monitor |
| David Wilson | Da'Rel Scott | Monitor | ||
| NYJ | McKnight would get first shot at starter snaps, but Powell would be heavily involved, especially on early downs. Considering how often the Jets run, both are worth an add. | Shonn Greene | Joe McKnight | Bench |
| Bilal Powell | Bench | |||
| OAK | Goodson is the add here as he'd handle most of McFadden's snaps and is a capable third-down back. Reece would take care of a few carries and short yardage work. Speedster Taiwan Jones is worth monitoring. | Darren McFadden | Mike Goodson | Bench |
| Marcel Reece | Monitor | |||
| PHI | The Eagles' top tailback is always heavily involved. If McCoy goes down, Lewis would see 15+ touches and is flex material in fantasy. Brown and Chris Polk will compete for those reps, as well, and should be monitored. | LeSean McCoy | Dion Lewis | Bench |
| Bryce Brown | Monitor | |||
| PIT | We're operating under the assumption here that Rashard Mendenhall misses the 2012 season. If likely workhorse Isaac Redman goes down, Batch and Dwyer would lead a committee attack. We'd see Dwyer on early downs and Batch in passing-down situations. Both are worth a look, but Chris Rainey will steal some snaps. | Isaac Redman | Baron Batch | Bench |
| Jonathan Dwyer | Bench | |||
| SD | If Mathews goes down, a McClain-Brinkley committee attack will be utilized. McClain would be used a lot like Mike Tolbert was – handling short-yardage and plenty of passing down work. Brinkley would be asked to handle only 8-10 touches. He'd be pushed by rookie Edwin Baker. | Ryan Mathews | Le'Ron McClain | Starter |
| Curtis Brinkley | Bench | |||
| SEA | The rookie Turbin would be asked to handle a pretty significant workload if Lynch went down. He'd be a back-end RB2. Leon Washington would chip in with a few carries and offer some relief on passing downs. | Marshawn Lynch | Robert Turbin | Starter |
| Leon Washington | Monitor | |||
| SF | The run-heavy 49ers involve the tailback in the offense a ton, so Hunter and Jacobs are both flex material if Gore goes down. Jacobs would handle a larger chunk of the carries, but we'd see plenty of Hunter and LaMichael James, especially on passing downs. James is worth monitoring. | Frank Gore | Kendall Hunter | Bench |
| Brandon Jacobs | Bench | |||
| SL | Pead would immediately replace Jackson as the team's workhorse, which makes him a strong RB1. Richardson will help out a bit and is worth monitoring, especially if Pead struggles. | Steven Jackson | Isaiah Pead | Starter |
| Daryl Richardson | Monitor | |||
| TB | Blount will already be involved and has experience as a starter. He'd easily see 15-plus touches and would be back-end RB2 material. Michael Smith is worth a bench spot because of Blount's instability. | Doug Martin | LeGarrette Blount | Starter |
| Michael Smith | Bench | |||
| TEN | Ringer is a serviceable No. 2 behind Johnson and would be in-line for a large workload if he went down. Jamie Harper can be a three-down back and would chip in, as well, especially on passing downs. | Chris Johnson | Javon Ringer | Starter |
| Jamie Harper | Bench | |||
| WAS | Helu and Hightower will be owned. Whichever one is still healthy becomes a workhorse. Royster will see more work behind Hightower than he would Helu. Either way, he's worth your attention. | Roy Helu | Evan Royster | Bench |
| Tim Hightower | Evan Royster | Monitor |
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