As you’ll see later in this article, sometimes determining who a primary Fantasy Football Week 3 running back handcuff is might not be so easy and yet a backup RB’s importance cannot be emphasized enough. 

Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon, Isiah Pacheco and Kenneth Walker were all expected to be bell cow type backs and in Week 3, two of the four are dealing with long-term injuries and will be inactive.

 

 

 

The other two are dealing with shorter-term injuries and their Week 3 availability is yet to be determined. Such is the life of a fantasy football running back. 

Fantasy Football NFL Week 3 Running Back Handcuff Report

Jordan Mason has done a great job filling in for McCaffrey but if your draft was in July he might not have even been on your radar. He’s an automatic start every week, but if you’re looking to roster his handcuff as well, then you better scoop up Isaac Guerendo off the waiver wire. 

Mixon is dealing with an ankle injury that the Houston Texans are saying shouldn’t sideline him for very long, but he didn’t practice on Wednesday. Who’s his Fantasy Football Week 3 running back handcuff? Well, it’s complicated because Dameon Pierce’s hamstring is barking. Next man up after Pearce is Cam Akers. 

Akers would likely play the early downs and Dare Ogunbowale would play the passing downs in Week 3 if both Mixon and Pearce are unavailable. I told you it was complicated. Keep an eye on their injury report but Akers might end up being the safest Texans RB to start in Week 3.

*Don't forget to check out our Fantasy Football Week 2 Running Back Handcuff grid before the games kick off this week!

 

 

 

How To Find The Best RB Handcuffs

Figuring out who the 2024 Week 3 RB handcuff report for the Chiefs backfield is especially hard right now because we don’t even know who their primary back is. Pacheco will miss six to eight weeks as he recovers from a broken fibula. 

Clyde Edwards Helaire is on the IR, but eligible to return after Week 4. The Chiefs signed Kareem Hunt to their practice squad this week, but my guess is that Carson “Crocodile” Steele will split the early down work with Samaje Perine in Week 3 and Perine will get just about all of the passing down work. 

The Chiefs’ backfield is already a mess for Week 3 but with Hunt possibly joining the fray next week, their backfield may be even more unusable than it already is for fantasy football managers. 

Thankfully, the Seattle Seahawks’ backfield hierarchy is pretty easy to figure out.  If Walker III (oblique) is inactive again in Week 3, Zach Charbonnet is next up on the 2024 Week 3 RB handcuff report and he is worth starting in just about every format against a bad Miami Dolphins run defense. 

 

 

 

Top 5 RB Handcuffs Ahead of NFL Week 3

Braelon Allen, New York Jets

Breece Hall is on the Jets’ injury report with a quadriceps issue, but he’s been a full participant in practice. He was also dealing with a knee injury heading into Week 2’s game against the Tennessee Titans. 

Let’s face it, Hall is too big a part of the Jets’ offense and you spent too much draft capital to roster him so protect your investment and roster Allen. Allen has enough talent to be a standalone RB1 and showed it with a Week 2 performance that saw him score two TDs, one on the ground and one through the air.  

Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings

Vikings QB Sam Darnold has done a great job thus far with the Vikings getting off to a quick 2-0 start, but part of their success has been due to their reliance on their run game. They’re running the ball 47.62% of the time this season compared to 36.69 last season. 

The Vikings were talking Chandler up before the season and when their primary back, Aaron Jones, had to briefly leave the game due to a medical issue, Chandler took over as their primary back. He ended up with 10 carries for 82 yards (8.2 YPC) compared to nine carries for 32 yards (3.6 YPC) for Jones. 

Did Jones’ mid-game injury affect his performance? Possibly, but with the Vikings looking to run the ball more this season while nurturing Darnold into becoming a long-term relevant fantasy QB, Chandler is an important Fantasy Football Week 3 running back handcuff.   

Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers

Warren makes for an interesting Fantasy Football Week 3 running back handcuff since he and Najee Harris are basically part of a 50/50 split. Warren, who had been dealing with a hamstring injury since the preseason, saw significantly more action in Week 2 than he did in Week 1. 

Each has their strengths. Harris is the Steelers’ featured early down back and Warren plays more passing downs than Harris. However, if one were to suffer a long-term injury the other would slip right into an every-down role.  

Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There’s no other way to put it. Rachaad White has been very ineffective so far this season, and when he’s been on the field Irving has been most impressive. White is averaging just 2.0 YPC this season and I know it’s only two games, but he’s converted just one first down. He’s done better in the passing game with seven receptions for 80 yards. 

Irving is gaining 5.3 yards per carry and although we’re only looking at two games, he played a higher percentage of early down snaps in Week 2 compared to Week 1. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Irving continue to gradually become a bigger part of the Bucs’ offense as the season progresses and eventually take over White’s role as the team’s primary back.

Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots

The Patriots are another team that is running the ball a lot more this season. So far, the Pats are running the ball 57.69% of the time this season compared to 40.69% last season. 

At the same time their primary back, Rhamondre Stevenson, is rushing the ball an average of 23 times per game compared to 13 last season. Gibson ran the ball 11 times for 96 yards in Week 2 and would likely slip right into Stevenson’s role as the Pats primary back should Stevenson be unavailable.