Welcome to the Fantasy Football Week 8 Running Back Handcuff Report! Unfortunately, it’s going to be another week where we’re left wondering who will be the Carolina Panthers’ primary RB moving forward. Before Week 7’s matchup against the New York Jets, head coach Dave Canales went from saying “we’ll see” who the Panthers' primary RB will be, to “I know who the primary back will be, but I’m not going to tell you." 

In Week 7, reality ended up messing with our football fantasies because Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard split work out of the Panthers’ backfield pretty evenly. Dowdle gained 79 yards on 17 carries compared to Hubbard's 31 yards on 14 carries. Neither was heavily involved in the Panthers’ passing game. 

There is a lot more running back-related news to cover this week, and as always, we’ll point out a few NFL backfields that you should focus on in this week’s RB handcuff report.

 

 

 

How To Find The Best RB Handcuffs

The Los Angeles Rams gave some fantasy football managers a scare by splitting the 24 carries out of their backfield evenly between Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Let’s not panic just yet because Williams did play 60% of the Rams’ offensive snaps compared to just 34.3 for Corum. Also, Corum had six carries in the fourth quarter compared to three for Williams, and by that time, a Rams win was already well in hand.

The Arizona Cardinals have a bye in Week 8 and are another team that likes to keep us guessing when it comes to how they’ll use their RBs from week to week. In last week’s article, we mentioned that their backfield was a work in progress and that Michael Carter and Zonovan “Bam” Knight split carries in Week 6, even after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Knight would be starting ahead of Carter. Week 7 saw Knight get twice as many carries as Carter (14 vs. 7). He was the more effective back as well, averaging 4.1 YPC compared to 1.6 for Carter. This backfield is still unsettled. Things will get even more interesting once Trey Benson is eligible to be reinstated from the IR in Week 10. 

Injuries shook up a couple of NFL RB depth charts and created new RB handcuffs that you should be aware of. For instance, Los Angeles Chargers RB handcuff Hassan Haskins (hamstring) will be out in Week 8. That leaves the newly signed Treyveon Williams as Kimani Vidal’s RB handcuff on Thursday night. The Chargers may also choose to have Nyheim Hines active for Week 8 as well.

We’ll also have to keep a close eye on the Minnesota Vikings' backfield this week. Aaron Jones (hamstring) has been designated to return from injured reserve. His 21-day window is now open, which means that he can practice with the team and can only be inactive for three more games before he needs to be ruled out for the rest of the season.

 

 

 

Top 5 RB Handcuffs for 2025 Ahead of NFL Week 8

Devin Neal, New Orleans Saints

Kendre Miller’s offensive snap rate had been slowly increasing as the season progressed, leaving some fantasy football managers who rostered Alvin Kamara to be concerned about his future role. Unfortunately for Miller, his season is over due to a torn ACL. That solidifies Kamara’s role as the Saints’ primary back and opens up new opportunities for Devin Neal, who will fill Miller’s role as Kamara’s RB handcuff. 

Neal is a rookie who averaged 5.7 YPC in four seasons at the University of Kansas. Kamara’s stats (YPC, receptions per game) have taken a hit this season, and he’s been dealing with an underlying ankle injury of late. Given Kamara’s age (30 years old), declining skills, and health, if you roster him, you should look to add Neal to your fantasy roster. As an FYI, the Saints also recently added former Denver Broncos RB Audric Estime to their practice squad this week.  

Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears

It took a while, but Bears head coach Ben Johnson has started to get D’Andre Swift’s RB handcuff, Kyle Monangai, more involved in the Bears’ offense. Johnson is well known for his ability to use both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in a way that made each of them fantasy relevant during his time with the Detroit Lions. It looks like we’re starting to see the same thing happening in Chicago. 

Swift has been dealing with a groin issue, but since he averaged 7.0 YPC and scored two TDs over the past two weeks, he is in no danger of losing his role as the Bears’ primary back. However, Monangai is not only a very important RB handcuff, but he could be inserted into season-long fantasy football lineups during the upcoming bye weeks.

Brashard Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Isiah Pacheco has been the Chiefs’ primary RB, and Kareem Hunt has been his RB handcuff so far this season. It’s been a slow start to the season for Pacheco, and in Week 7, he rushed for a pedestrian-like season high of 57 yards. Hunt, meanwhile, suffered what appeared to be an ankle injury on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. He had to be helped off the field, but Hunt eventually did return to the game. 

Should Hunt’s injury (some are guessing it could be a high ankle sprain) cause him to be inactive in Week 8, Brashard Smith would be Pacheco’s RB handcuff. Smith played a season-high 34.6% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps in Week 7, and while he caught five passes for 42 yards, he only gained 2.9 YPC. Smith does have potential upside, but keep in mind that much of the snaps he played in Week 7 came during the garbage time of a game that the Chiefs already had well in hand.

TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

It seems that we’re finally getting clarification regarding the Patriots’ RB depth chart. Rhamondre Stevenson played 49 snaps in Week 7 compared to just nine for rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson. Terrell Jennings was right behind Henderson with eight snaps played. He had five carries, compared to two for Henderson, but all of Jennings’ carries came in the fourth quarter after the Patriots substituted their starters for their backups. Earlier this season, the Patriots’ backfield was a three-headed monster, but with Antonio Gibson out for the rest of the season, Henderson should be considered Stevenson’s RB handcuff. 

Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars

Bhayshul Tuten, Travis Etienne’s RB handcuff, played his highest percentage of offensive snaps (28.6) of the season in Week 7. At the same time, Etienne Jr. played his second-lowest percentage of offensive snaps in Week 7 (54.5). With the Los Angeles Rams jumping out to a big early lead, though, the Jags had to abandon the run game earlier than they would have liked. That could explain Etienne Jr.’s low usage rate last week. Etienne Jr. had eight carries compared to five for Tuten. The former is probably in no danger of losing his role as the Jags' primary back, but keep an eye on Tuten as the handcuff.