We’re just one week into the NFL regular season and there really hasn’t been much change to the landscape of the running back position – thankfully. Of course, there are a few tweaks that have been made to the handcuff grid below, so let’s just get right to them…
Denver Broncos
The usage of 5-foot-8 scat-back Phillip Lindsay has the fantasy community up in arms and the Royce Freeman owners are now freaking out. Both backs saw equal carries in Week 1 but it was Lindsay who took a short pass from Case Keenum and turned it into a touchdown. Head coach Vance Joseph gave us the usual “playing the hot hand” rhetoric and now Lindsay is one of the top waiver adds for the week.
Should he be? Personally, I don’t think so. I think he’ll play a role here in the early part of the season, but in the end, the cream rises to the top and I expect Freeman to own this job by himself soon enough. Try and remember the panic from Jordan Howard owners last year after Tarik Cohen got into the mix during Week 1. How did that turn out for everyone who blew their FAAB budget on Cohen?
Pittsburgh Steelers
Le’Veon Bell continues to hold out and there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of hope on the horizon. He’s been moved over to the Injured/Suspended column and James Conner has replaced him as the top back. Not that you needed me to actually point that out to you, but for the sake of updating things properly, that’s where we’re at. Nothing else has changed as Jaylen Samuels remains nothing more than a handcuff at this point.
Seattle Seahawks
We knew it would just be a matter of time before Rashaad Penny was back in contention for the lead running back spot and after watching the 50/50 split he got with Chris Carson , that time is likely much sooner than later. We won’t swap the two of them on the Handcuff Grid just yet, but that change is definitely coming. Penny is, by far, the better back and he probably would have taken the job in camp had he not been injured. We should expect an official changing of the guard soon enough.
Other Situations to Monitor:
Detroit Lions – How will LeGarrette Blount ’s injury change the backfield dynamic?
Indianapolis Colts – Will Marlon Mack ever get healthy?
Green Bay Packers – Jamaal Williams needs to show something or he’s going to lose the lead job to Aaron Jones when he returns in Week 3.
New England Patriots – How will the carries be distributed once Sony Michel is back at full health?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Will Ronald Jones II impress enough at practice to not be inactive this week?