Handcuff
A handcuff is the backup who inherits the workload if a starter goes down — almost always a running back, because backfields concentrate touches in one player more than any other position.
Drafting a handcuff means holding the second back on a depth chart specifically as insurance on the first. A true handcuff takes over the full role; most backfields split it two or three ways instead, which is the part the label hides.
Updated Jul 26, 2026
Current leaders — 2025
| # | Player | Att | Yds | RYOE | RYOE/Att | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James CookRB · BUF | 309 | 1,621 | 358.2 | 1.17 | 12 |
| 2 | Derrick HenryRB · BAL | 307 | 1,595 | 340.1 | 1.12 | 16 |
| 3 | Bijan RobinsonRB · ATL | 287 | 1,478 | 257.1 | 0.91 | 7 |
| 4 | Devon AchaneRB · MIA | 238 | 1,350 | 242.0 | 1.03 | 8 |
| 5 | Jonathan TaylorRB · IND | 323 | 1,585 | 195.1 | 0.61 | 18 |
| 6 | Jaylen WarrenRB · PIT | 211 | 958 | 180.6 | 0.86 | 6 |
| 7 | Rhamondre StevensonRB · NE | 130 | 603 | 175.6 | 1.36 | 7 |
| 8 | Jahmyr GibbsRB · DET | 243 | 1,223 | 166.9 | 0.69 | 13 |
| 9 | J.K. DobbinsRB · DEN | 153 | 772 | 161.1 | 1.08 | 4 |
| 10 | Jordan MasonRB · MIN | 159 | 758 | 158.3 | 1.02 | 6 |
See the full rushing yards over expected leaderboard — James Cook leads.
Why it matters
The case for handcuffs is arithmetic: carries per game is one of the most repeatable things in the sport at r=0.64 year over year, so the touches do not evaporate when the starter does — they move. The question is whether they move to one player, and whether that player is any good. Of the 18 backs who were not their team's leading carrier in 2025, Rhamondre Stevenson of the Patriots was the most efficient: 130 carries at +1.36 rushing yards over expected per attempt, 1st of 49 qualifying backs. Efficiency on a backup's sample is a hint, not a verdict.
Updated Jul 26, 2026
The counter
Most backfields split the work rather than hand it over, so the insurance often pays out partially.
Updated Jul 26, 2026
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