Welcome to the Week 10 Fantasy Football Running Back Handcuff Report! It doesn’t feel like a true RB handcuff report unless I mention the Carolina Panthers in our opening paragraph. Last week, Panthers head coach Dave Canales hinted that Rico Dowdle would see a larger role moving forward, and Dowdle did!! It’s taken a while, but Chuba Hubbard is now Dowdle’s RB handcuff! Let's break down the rest of the NFL backfield situations to know in the Fantasy Football Week 10 Running Back Handcuff Report.

 

 

 

2025 Fanstasy Football NFL Week 10 Running Back Handcuff Report

Now that that’s cleared up, we’ve got lots of other fish to fry, or in other words, there’s a lot of information related to RBs and their handcuffs that we need to cover this week in the Fantasy Football Week 10 Running Back Handcuff Report. That includes newly injured players, previously injured players who had a bye week to recover, injured players who are on the IR and potentially ready to be activated… Let’s face it, injuries have been a real problem when it comes to the fantasy football RB position this season, and injury updates make up a lot of what you need to know about NFL fantasy football RBs and their RB handcuffs ahead of Week 10’s kickoff.

 

 

 

Top RB Handcuffs for 2025 Ahead of NFL Week 10

Zonovan Knight, Arizona Cardinals

Trey Benson is eligible to return from IR in Week 10, but as this article is being written, he has yet to return to practice.  If Benson is not active in Week 10, fantasy football managers will likely have to put up with another week of uncertainty about how the Cardinals will use their RBs against the Seattle Seahawks this week. In Week 9, Zonovan Knight played more snaps (38) than Emari Demercado, but Demercado had more carries (14) than Knight (9) was more effective at running the ball. While Benson is out, it appears that the Cards might view Demercado as the primary back and Knight as his RB handcuff, but it also looks like they’re using a “hot hand” approach for the short term.

Jaret Patterson, Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed that Omarion Hampton (ankle), who was eligible to be reinstated from the IR, will be out until after the Chargers’ Week 12 bye. That means the soonest Hampton will be active will be Week 13. For now, Kimani Vidal looks like he’ll continue to be the Chargers’ primary back, but Jaret Patterson appears to be sneaking up on him. Patterson was more effective (44 yards on nine carries) than Vidal (30 yards on 12 carries) in Week 9. With the injuries and ineffectiveness of the Chargers’ offensive line, inconsistent play from their RBs should be expected. 

Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears

It sounds like Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift could play against the New York Giants in Week 10. Swift was inactive in Week 9 due to a groin injury, and Kyle Monangai, his RB handcuff, had a big week (176 rushing yards) against the Cincinnati Bengals. With Roschon Johnson (back) also inactive in Week 9, the Bears activated Brittain Brown from their practice squad, and he carried the ball five times against the Bengals. Travis Homer, who was recently removed from IR, played five snaps in Week 9.

Zavier Scott, Minnesota Vikings

Since Aaron Jones Sr. returned to action in Week 8, he and Jordan Mason have split carries and snaps played. With Jones Sr. playing 52 snaps and Mason playing 54 snaps and each carrying the ball a total of 14 times over the last two games, it’s tough to call one a primary RB and the other a RB handcuff. Jones Sr. is dealing with a shoulder and toe injury that forced him to miss practice time this week. If those injuries cause him to be inactive in Week 10, Mason would get the majority of work out of the backfield (just like he did when Jones Sr. was on the IR). Zavier Scott would be Mason’s RB handcuff in that scenario.

Woody Marks, Houston Texans

The Texans’ backfield has been very frustrating for fantasy football managers. Nick Chubb leads the backfield with 91 carries for the season, and rookie RB Woody Marks has 67, but their snap-play rate is nearly identical (41.3 for Chubb, 42.6 for Marks). Both have an underwhelming YPC average that is below 4.0, but many fantasy football managers have been hoping that Marks would eventually emerge from being Chubb’s RB handcuff and take a lead role in the Texans’ backfield. It looks like there’s a slight chance that might happen because Chubb is dealing with a foot injury that has forced him to miss practice time ahead of Week 10. If Chubb were to be out for a prolonged period, it doesn’t appear that there is one Texans RB who would fill in as his RB handcuff. Instead, Dare Ogunbowale would probably be the Texans’ passing down back with Dameon Pierce and British Brooks splitting early down carries.

Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

As this article is being written, Bucky Irving has not yet returned to practice. Rachaad White, his RB handcuff, has been filling in as the Bucs’ primary RB, but in his last four games, he’s only averaging 3.3 YPC. White’s snaps played rate dipped, and Sean Tucker’s snaps played rate rose significantly in Week 8. He also scored a TD in Week 8. With a bye week to rethink their strategy, don’t be too surprised if we don’t see White and Tucker splitting carries in Week 10 if Irving is still inactive.

Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs

Leading up to Week 9, there had been rumblings that Brashard Smith and Kareem Hunt would split work out of the Chiefs’ backfield if Isiah Pacheco was inactive in Week 9. Pacheco was inactive, and based on his usage in Week 9, Hunt is clearly Pacheco’s RB handcuff. Pacheco (knee) was originally considered week to week, and with the Chiefs on a bye in Week 10, there’s a chance that he could return to action in Week 11. However, the Chiefs’ pursuit of New York Jets RB Breece Hall could be telling.