Fantasy Football Handcuff Report: Injuries Abound

Nothing worse than seeing your running back lose his job, get injured or even just lose carries at this time of the year. Week 13 and 14 have been absolutely brutal for fantasy owners and it hardly seems like Week 15 is going to be any better. While there hasn’t been a lot of movement here on the Running Back Handcuff Grid, there’s enough going on to warrant your attention. Let’s do a quick run-through of the most tenuous situations heading into this week.

Baltimore Ravens

I’ve been talking about this a lot since last Sunday and if you’re in dire need of a running back for the playoffs, Kenneth Dixon just might be your guy. Gus Edwards is still the primary runner out of this backfield, but it is Dixon who suits the system and the game plan better. With Lamar Jackson being a limited passer and strong asset when it comes to the read-option, you can expect the Ravens to run it a lot more. That puts Dixon in a better spot to see additional snaps and possible work inside the red zone. In Week 13, Edwards saw 51% of the snaps to 21% for Dixon. Last week, Dixon jumped to 32% at the expense of Edwards who dropped to 44% of the share.

Buffalo Bills

LeSean McCoy left Week 14 with a hamstring injury and hasn’t practiced yet this week while usual handcuff Chris Ivory remains day-to-day with a shoulder injury. Not that you want to rely on a Bills running back, especially this week against the Lions run defense, but it looks like Marcus Murphy could be in line for some serious touches this week. You’ll have to wait and see what the injury and practice reports look like close to Sunday, though, before you make any final decisions.

Detroit Lions

Usual starter Kerryon Johnson has now missed the last three games and it looks like he could be headed for his fourth-straight DNP. He hasn’t really tested the knee since suffering the initial sprain back in Week 11 and you should be ready to roll with LeGarrette Blount once again. Well, him and Theo Riddick . Neither performed well against a struggling Cardinals defense last week so it’s difficult to see either of them doing much against the Bills this week.

Houston Texans

Not much change here as Lamar Miller is the starter with Alfred Blue spelling him every so often and, of course, poaching some goal-line work too. But they get a mention here because they activated D’Onta Foreman last week. He was inactive for Week 14 and probably will remain that way the rest of the season, but we still wanted to alert you to his presence.

Kansas City Chiefs

The running back hierarchy hasn’t changed here in Kansas City, but with the short week and the Thursday match-up against the Chargers, we should look closely at the hamstring issue Spence Ware dealt with last week. He didn’t practice Monday or Tuesday and reports for Wednesday have yet to be submitted. If he doesn’t practice Wednesday, look for Damien Williams to play a more featured role with Charcandrick West making a few appearances as well. The team also has Daryl Williams as well, but he would be third in line for touches at the most.

Los Angeles Chargers

Again, the short week means we have to pay attention even closer, especially with how great this match-up with the Chiefs should be on Thursday. Melvin Gordon suffered an MCL sprain back in Week 12 and has been sidelined since, but he did manage to put in a limited practice Tuesday. If that’s the case and he does play, you can expect him to get the full complement of touches with Austin Ekeler sidelined with a stinger and concussion. Justin Jackson may get a couple of carries if the Chargers believe Gordon needs the rest, but not enough to be fantasy worthy. We’ll have to watch the practice reports closely Wednesday to see which direction we’re headed this week.

New York Jets

Not that you really want to trust in the Jets backfield against the Houston Texans defense, but it’s worth mentioning as there is a strong chance it will be Elijah McGuire leading this backfield. Isaiah Crowell missed another practice Wednesday with a foot injury and Trenton Cannon has been sidelined with a toe injury. That should put McGuire in the driver’s seat, however, he is also now dealing with an ankle injury, something that must have happened between Sunday and Wednesday. Keep a close watch on this situation as the Jets play Saturday and you’ll have to make a move sooner if you need.

Pittsburgh Steelers

While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, head coach Mike Tomlin did say that he has NOT yet ruled out James Conner for this Sunday’s game. Clearly unhappy with Sunday’s loss to the Raiders, Tomlin is likely grasping at straws right now and is probably trying to engage in some gamesmanship with Bill Belichick and the Patriots. The Conner injury was supposed to be a multi-week issue, so you should probably continue to look at Jaylen Samuels as your starter this week.

San Francisco 49ers

Just an alert that Matt Breida remains sidelined with an ankle issue and there haven’t been any legitimate updates to his condition over the past few days. Jeff Wilson is still the guy you want in your lineups and has a decent match-up against the Seahawks this week.

Tennessee Titans

Though nothing has been said by the Titans coaching staff, we believe you should expect a larger role for Derrick Henry moving forward. Dion Lewis has been a major bust this season and after Henry’s 235-yard, four-touchdown game against the Jaguars last Thursday, he is more than deserving of some extra work. With a match-up against the Giants this week, he could be looking at another decent week.