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Seth McGowanPositiveValueSep 15, 2026

McGowan is rostered in only 1% of Yahoo and 0.9% of ESPN leagues, making him one of the best under-rostered handcuffs to stash on your bench.

Samaje PerinePositiveValueSep 15, 2026

Perine is rostered in only 4% of Yahoo and 11.9% of ESPN leagues, making him one of the best under-rostered handcuffs to stash on your bench.

Braelon AllenPositiveValueSep 15, 2026

Allen is rostered in only 15% of Yahoo and 12.4% of ESPN leagues, making him one of the best under-rostered handcuffs to stash on your bench.

Ray DavisPositiveValueSep 15, 2026

Davis is rostered in only 16% of Yahoo and 9.6% of ESPN leagues, making him one of the best under-rostered handcuffs to stash on your bench.

Brian RobinsonPositiveValueSep 15, 2026

Robinson is rostered in only 25% of Yahoo and 25.7% of ESPN leagues, making him one of the best under-rostered handcuffs to stash on your bench.

Kaelon BlackPositiveValueSep 15, 2026

Black is rostered in only 27% of Yahoo and 15.5% of ESPN leagues, making him one of the best under-rostered handcuffs to stash on your bench.

Tank BigsbyPositiveValueSep 15, 2026

Bigsby was squeezed into the top 48 rankings under the idea that he could flirt with double-digit touches in garbage time against the lowly Titans; he is rostered in only 34% of Yahoo and 18.7% of ESPN leagues, making him an under-rostered handcuff.

Tyjae SpearsNegativeValueSep 15, 2026

Spears played the same number of snaps as Tony Pollard in Week 1, but both are part of the worst offense in football, making Spears an unattractive fantasy option.

Tyler AllgeierNegativeDepth ChartSep 15, 2026

Allgeier appears destined to be relegated to a true backup role by Jeremiyah Love; he should not be expected to produce much against the Seahawks' loaded defense.

Rachaad WhiteNegativeRoleSep 15, 2026

White is more of a pure handcuff than someone to actively start, similar to Kenny Gainwell and Woody Marks.

Kenneth GainwellNegativeRoleSep 15, 2026

Gainwell was more of a clear backup than 1B option behind Bucky Irving in terms of opportunities (15 vs. 6); he is more of a pure handcuff than a flex play for the time being.

Chris RodriguezNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Rodriguez saw even snaps (48% vs. 41%) and routes (32% vs. 32%) with Bhayshul Tuten but only six total rush attempts in a game with heavy positive game script for Jacksonville, limiting his fantasy upside.

Tony PollardNegativeValueSep 15, 2026

Pollard ranked RB40 as the 1A back in the league's worst offense, now forced to face one of the feistiest defensive lines in football; Very Fantasy-friendly intentionally ranked him as low as possible while still including him, suggesting he is not a recommended fantasy play.

Keaton MitchellNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Mitchell didn't get anything going (nine scoreless yards on four touches) in Week 1 but was cleanly ahead of Kimani Vidal in snap share (31% vs. 8%), suggesting he has the inside track to the backup role.

D'Andre SwiftNegativeProjectionSep 15, 2026

Swift ranked tenth in 'cool shit' metric with 53% in Week 1, indicating moderate explosive plays and efficiency.

Jahmyr GibbsNegativeProjectionSep 15, 2026

Gibbs ranked ninth in 'cool shit' metric with 53% in Week 1, indicating moderate explosive plays and efficiency.

Bucky IrvingNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Irving ranked eighth in 'cool shit' metric with 53% in Week 1; Kenny Gainwell was more of a clear backup than 1B option in terms of opportunities (15 vs. 6), making Gainwell more of a pure handcuff than flex play.

Jaylen WarrenNegativeProjectionSep 15, 2026

Warren ranked seventh in 'cool shit' metric with 53% in Week 1, indicating moderate explosive plays and efficiency.

Omarion HamptonPositiveProjectionSep 15, 2026

Hampton ranked sixth in 'cool shit' metric with 67% in Week 1, demonstrating strong explosive plays and efficiency as a Chargers RB.

Bhayshul TutenNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Tuten ranked fifth in 'cool shit' metric with 69% in Week 1; while snaps and routes were even with Chris Rodriguez Jr. (32% vs. 32%), Tuten saw significantly more rush attempts (6 vs. 6 for C-Rod) in a game with heavy positive game script for Jacksonville.

Woody MarksNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Marks ranked fourth in 'cool shit' metric with 70% in Week 1 but split snaps evenly with David Montgomery (51% vs. 49%) while receiving significantly fewer touches (23 vs. 10); he is more of a pure handcuff than a flex play option.

Chuba HubbardNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Hubbard ranked third in 'cool shit' metric with 77% in Week 1, indicating strong explosive plays and efficiency; however, Jonathon Brooks is expected to steadily eat into his snaps and touches.

Kenneth Walker IIIPositiveProjectionSep 15, 2026

Walker ranked second in missed tackles forced per touch in Week 1 (min. 10 touches) and led the 'cool shit' leaderboard with 77%, demonstrating explosive playmaking ability alongside his primary role.

Emmett JohnsonPositiveBreakoutSep 15, 2026

Johnson led all RBs in missed tackles forced per touch (60%) in Week 1 (min. 10 touches) and emerged as the clear No. 2 RB behind Kenneth Walker; however, free-agent Kareem Hunt could factor into the conversation if Walker is injured. Johnson is rostered in only 20% of Yahoo and 6.6% of ESPN leagues, making him an under-rostered handcuff.

Jonathon BrooksPositiveBreakoutSep 15, 2026

Brooks worked well behind Chuba Hubbard in Week 1 and made an off-script 48-yard reception; while not a start candidate yet, he should steadily eat into Hubbard's snaps and touches going forward.

Kyle MonangaiPositiveProjectionSep 15, 2026

Monangai turned 12 touches into 124 yards and a touchdown in Week 1; he was one of nine RBs with three-plus yards after contact on at least 50% of their carries (min. 10 carries), demonstrating hard running. However, additional volume or high-end efficiency may be harder to come by in Week 2 against the Vikings' stiff defense.

Blake CorumNegativeRoleSep 15, 2026

Corum poised for even usage with Kyren Williams in pure rush attempts but trails on pass downs and lost short-down-and-distance snaps in Week 1; both backs can produce if the Rams offense performs as expected against the Giants (7.5-point favorites).

RJ HarveyNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Harvey out-snapped Anthony Dobbins (53% vs. 40%) in Week 1 due to game script but remained an afterthought in the run game; Jonah Coleman was a complete zero, leaving uncertainty about how long Harvey's snap advantage will persist.

Rico DowdlePositiveValueSep 15, 2026

Dowdle ranked RB34 with sky-high handcuff upside; despite ranking dead last in 'cool shit' metric (10%) in Week 1, he remains a valuable bench stash given his potential to take over if the lead back goes down.

Kyle MonangaiPositiveUsageSep 15, 2026

Turned 12 touches into 124 yards and a score in Week 1. Monangai deserves credit for running hard: he was one of nine RBs with three-plus yards after contact on at least 50 percent of his carries, demonstrating efficiency and power.

Blake CorumNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Looks poised to see something close to even usage with Kyren Williams in pure rush attempts, but it's the Kyren show on pass downs, and Corum also lost out on short-down-and-distance snaps in Week 1. There should be enough production for both to eat if the Rams look more like the offense everyone assumed they would be ahead of their home matchup against the Giants (7.5-point favorites).

Christian McCaffreyNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Was out-carried by Kaelon Black (10 vs. 14) in Week 1 while dealing with cramps, raising questions about his workload and health status heading into Week 2.

Kaelon BlackPositiveUsageSep 15, 2026

Looked explosive in Week 1 on his way to shockingly out-carrying Christian McCaffrey (14 vs. 10). That probably won't persist every week (McCaffrey was dealing with cramps), but double-digit touches certainly look to be on the table in a dream home matchup against the lowly Dolphins. The 49ers are 13.5-point favorites and figure to run the ball a LOT while soaking this one away.

Chris BrooksNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Trailed MarShawn Lloyd in opportunities (8 vs. 14) in Week 1 but led in snaps (55% vs. 45%), suggesting a pass-down or change-of-pace role in the Packers backfield.

MarShawn LloydPositiveUsageSep 15, 2026

Led the way in opportunities (14 vs. 8) over Chris Brooks in Week 1 despite losing out in snaps (45% vs. 55%). Lloyd is set up well to widen the advantage with a full regular-season game under his belt, facing a Jets defense that ranked 31st in PPR points per game allowed to RBs in 2025.

Aaron JonesPositiveMatchupSep 15, 2026

Trailed Jordan Mason in snaps (43% vs. 48%) and rush attempts (12 vs. 15) in Week 1 but secured the only backfield target. Both Vikings RBs are intriguing FLEX plays against the Bears, especially with backup QB Carson Wentz likely embracing a run-first mindset. The Bears have allowed 7 opponents to gain 150-plus rushing yards since the beginning of last season, making both backs viable.

Jordan MasonPositiveMatchupSep 15, 2026

Led the way in snaps (48% vs. 43%) and rush attempts (15 vs. 12) in Week 1, though Aaron Jones secured the only backfield target. The answer to which Vikings RB to start might just be 'yes' if the Bears defense winds up being as bad as they looked in Week 1. Both would receive decent bumps in projected rushing efficiency if Kyler Murray (concussion) manages to return to action. The Bears have allowed 7 opponents to gain 150-plus rushing yards since the beginning of last season.

RJ HarveyPositiveRoleSep 15, 2026

Is the clear pass-down back for the Broncos, limiting J.K. Dobbins' receiving opportunities despite Dobbins' lead role in carries.

Jonah ColemanNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Was a complete zero in Week 1 with a 6% snap rate and 0 touches, though Very Fantasy-friendly questions how long this non-involvement will persist.

J.K. DobbinsNegativeUsageSep 15, 2026

Continued to lead the Broncos backfield in carries (8 vs. 3) in Week 1, and rookie Jonah Coleman was non-existent (6% snap rate, 0 touches). However, RJ Harvey is the clear pass-down back, and the heralded Broncos offensive line was largely rendered irrelevant by Chris Jones and company. Very Fantasy-friendly continues to wonder if the most likely answer to which Broncos RB should produce fireworks is: No.