2021 Fantasy RB Handcuffs Chart: Find sleepers, key backups for your top running backs

RB handcuffs are a necessary evil in fantasy football. Running backs get hurt (or wind up on the COVID list) far too often to not have an insurance policy, especially if they were one of your early-round picks. Knowing a team's depth chart and having a player's backup ready to insert into your lineup is a great way to keep your team on track. It's not a bad idea to acquire one or two handcuffs of backs who aren't even on your team. You never know when a sleeper will emerge and vastly outproduce his 2021 preseason ranking thanks to increased playing time.

To illustrate how important handcuffs can be, take a look at Christian McCaffrey and Mike Davis in 2020. McCaffrey suffered several injuries throughout the season and played just three games, opening the door for Davis to take over. In Weeks 3-16, Davis was the No. 6 overall running back in PPR formats. McCaffrey owners who didn't have Davis were kicking themselves, as they lost the assumed No. 1 overall pick for most of the year and had to try to piece together a replacement from other teams. People who picked up Davis got a bargain-bin RB1. It might have been bad luck to lose McCaffrey for most of the season, but covering yourself from an injury standpoint is just smart practice.

As mentioned above, you don't  have to have a team's starting running back to see value in their handcuff. In a league where you draft Ezekiel Elliott and Miles Sanders, Tony Pollard and Kenneth Gainwell are definitely going to be more attractive to you, but you should consider them even if you don't have Elliott and Sanders. Even without injuries to the starters, Pollard and Gainwell could have flex values.

Some handcuffs present more value than others, so take that into consideration in your draft. Pollard and Gainwell offer considerably more upside than guys like Samaje Perine and Salvon Ahmed. Just as with starting running backs, the quality of the No. 2 RB matters, too, as well as other factors, such as receiving skillset and red-zone acumen. You don't need to reach for the low-end handcuffs. They'll be available in the last few rounds.

We've already seen the likes of Pollard, Alexander Mattison, and Jamaal Williams flash when given a more significant role in an offense, so they're among the more attractive handcuffs. Unknowns, such as Chuba Hubbard and Jeremy McNichols, are often sitting on the waiver wire unless it's a deep league. As always, monitor injury situations and snap counts weekly, and be ready to strike things are trending in the wrong direction.

2021 Fantasy RB Handcuffs

1 = Cardinals starter James Conner (ankle) is out until at least Week 17. He will start when healthy. 

2 = Browns "backup" Kareem Hunt (knee) is out until at least Week 17. He will return to a high-volume handcuff role when he's healthy.

3 = Chiefs' starters Clyde Edwards-Helaire (shoulder) is out until at least Week 18. He will start when healthy.

4 = 49ers starter Elijah Mitchell (knee) is out until at least Week 17. He will start when healthy.

5 = Washington starter Antonio Gibson (reserve/COVID list) is out until at least Week 18. He will start when healthy