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My last article was about the top four handcuff running backs in fantasy football. This article is about the next four. Not all handcuff running backs are built equally. Some are obvious backups that will only get more than five touches per game if the man ahead of them on the depth chart pulls a hamstring or gets concussed, while others are just as talented as the backs a smidge ahead of them on the depth chart and will probably get 10-15 touches a week. Either way, fantasy owners should have a couple handcuffs on their roster since running backs get injured as often as Batman’s villains.
If DeAngelo Williams, Duke Johnson Jr., Charles Sims and Darren Sproles are gone, and/or you have the starters on the teams listed below, here are four more handcuff running backs to eye during your draft.
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Viable Backup Running Backs for 2016
Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals
Bernard is not your traditional handcuff back. It is not as if he is the clear backup to ground-pounder Jeremy Hill. Hill is No. 1 and Bernard is No. 1-A. Both backs will get their touches over the course of a game and a season as their skill sets compliment each other perfectly.
Bernard cheerleader Hue Jackson has taken his offensive acumen to division rival Cleveland, so you have to wonder if that will hamper Bernard’s fantasy worth. Odds are it will not because Bernard’s pass-catching skills may be needed more than ever. Cincinnati lost its No. 2 and No. 3 wide receivers to free agency when Marvin Jones and Mohamad Sanu signed with other teams. Bernard might be on the field even more than he has been the past couple years to pick up the pass-catching slack.
We have no idea how the touch breakdown between Hill and Bernard will be this season, especially since Jackson is no longer orchestrating the offense. But Bernard’s speed, shiftiness and big-play ability should not be kept off the field no matter what Hill does.
James Starks, Green Bay Packers
Starks has proven that he is capable whether he is playing the role of workhorse and carrying the ball 20 times or if he is spotting Eddie Lacy for a series here and there during the course of a game. 2015 was the best year of Starks’ career as he set new personal bests in both rushing and receiving yards while adding five touchdowns, another career-high.
Lacy’s weight battle has been well-documented over the past year, and he is always one Domino’s pizza binge away from being sent to the sidelines in favor of Starks. That is why Green Bay inked Starks to a new contract in the offseason that pays him handsome money for a “backup” --- $3 million per year.
Starks will not start the season as the starter unless Lacy eats his way into the backup role. If you draft Lacy, though, Starks is a late-round must pick. And even if you shy away from Lacy due to his problems, you should still go after Starks in case Lacy has conditioning and speed issues that gives Starks the chance to be the top tailback. Being the top tailback in an Aaron Rodgers offense is never a bad thing for a running back’s stats.
T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars
Yeldon’s fantasy value and workload both took a hellacious hit when Jacksonville signed Chris Ivory in the offseason. Yeldon touched the ball at least 15 times in nine Jaguars games last season. The chances of that happening this season with Ivory on board and with how many passes Blake Bortles throws per game are slimmer than a driver’s license.
The Ivory/Yeldon partnership in Jacksonville’s backfield should be one of the more intriguing fantasy football stories of 2016. While Yeldon is more of a slasher and Ivory is more of a slammer, both like running between the tackles and seem to do better with the more carries they get. How Jacksonville divides the playing time and carries will be crucial to both players’ fantasy values. Right now neither are probably highly regarded in fantasy circles since it appears the split could be 60-40 or even 50-50.
If Ivory gets banged-up, which has happened a lot to him over his career due to his violent rushing style, Yeldon would return to being the bellcow back. With Jacksonville’s offense primed to be one of the highest scoring units in the NFL, grabbing Yeldon in the middle rounds of your fantasy draft would be a prudent idea.
Bilal Powell, New York Jets
Powell is not amazing at any one thing. He is just solid at all facets of what it takes to be a decent NFL running back. He gets four yards a carry when he is handed the ball, he makes things happen in the passing game with his gluey hands and he picks up blitzes when he is forced to stay in and pass protect. And while Powell will never bowl over fantasy owners with Eric Dickerson-like numbers or Gale Sayers-like moves, he would be a fantasy stalwart if he becomes the main man in the Jets backfield.
Powell will be on the field a decent amount regardless of how healthy Matt Forte is. With Forte being 30 years old and having logged lots of miles on his legs, Powell will be used to keep Forte fresh. And if Forte suffers an injury, Powell will definitely be the first man up instead of third-stringer Khiry Robinson because he possesses a lot of the same skill set Forte does, albeit in a less-talented way.
The Jets offense should be as high-powered as it was last year as long as Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker and Forte stay injury-free and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is not rusty after his offseason-long holdout. Handcuffing Powell with Forte is a must if you predict owning Jets running backs will pay off for your fantasy squad.
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