There are some who feel that handcuff running backs in fantasy football are often overdrafted, especially when the fantasy teams selecting them don't possess the starter ahead of said handcuff. So which ones are worth your time in the later rounds? We had a summit to answer this and other important fantasy football draft questions for 2020.
The ESPN Fantasy Football virtual summit highlighted many key storylines as we look forward to 2020 fantasy football drafts. Our composite rankings, which will be updated throughout the offseason, are always a great starting point for fantasy owners as they prepare for draft day.
To give you a peek behind the curtain at some of our best discussions, we introduce our fantasy football roundtable series. Each entry will feature members of our ESPN Fantasy team offering their analysis on the hottest topics to come out of this year's summit, which hopefully will get you thinking about how you want to approach your drafts in the months ahead.
Aside from those with standalone value like Kareem Hunt, who is the most valuable late-round RB handcuff?
I like a known entity here, as in someone who has proved he can step in for the lead back and immediately be productive (because being next man up on the depth chart doesn't necessarily equate to delivering results when called upon). Murray is that guy for me. After filling in aptly for Dalvin Cook while with the Vikings, Murray proved he could yield Alvin Kamara-like stats in New Orleans during Kamara's 2019 absence, with more than 150 yards from scrimmage in consecutive weeks and four TDs.
Matthew Berry: Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
You can make a strong case for Tony Pollard in Dallas, but I'm on the Alexander Mattison train. The Vikings led the league in red zone rush percentage in 2019 (they were second in overall rush percentage) and Dalvin Cook has missed 19 games because of injury in his three seasons. Last season, among RBs with at least 100 carries, Mattison ranked fourth in percentage of rushes that went for 10-plus yards, so the talent is there. He's a must-draft if you have Cook and a worthy lottery ticket even if you don't.
Matt Bowen: Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
I'm all-in on Dalvin Cook. He's my overall No. 2 player. But given that Cook has yet to play a full season in the NFL, I'm also targeting Mattison in my mock drafts as a late-round handcuff. As a rookie, Mattison rushed for 462 yards on 100 carries, while averaging 4.33 yards per carry versus loaded run fronts (eight or more defenders in the box). He has the physical makeup to handle No. 1 volume -- with more upside in non-PPR formats -- if Cook were to miss time this season.
Mike Clay: Latavius Murray, New Orleans Saints
Murray is 30 years old and has no standalone value, but there's little doubt he'd be in the weekly RB1 mix in the event of a Kamara injury. We saw that last season, as Murray stepped in and racked up 307 yards and four touchdowns on 60 touches while Kamara was sidelined during Weeks 7 and 8. Murray was fantasy's top-scoring RB during the span.
Tristan H. Cockcroft: Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
Handcuffs tend to be grossly overrated in fantasy football -- building depth from players with any prospect of starting at some point is a much wiser approach than overpaying to get "your guy's backup" -- but Mattison is far and away the most obvious one to get. He has the talent to effectively replicate what Cook does in Minnesota, and Cook's injury history is difficult to ignore.
Daniel Dopp: Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
No matter how I break this question down, it has to be Mattison. Vikings RBs led the league in rushes, touches and goal-to-go carries. They were also top five in almost every other category. If Cook goes down, Mattison has the talent and frame to step in and be a three-down back for the Vikings.
Eric Karabell: Ito Smith, Atlanta Falcons
Assuming proven talents like Phillip Lindsay and Marlon Mack do not qualify, and looking considerably later on, I reiterate from an earlier roundtable session that Atlanta's Smith has a wonderful opportunity, if he is next in line after Todd Gurley II, who has an obvious and potentially debilitating knee issue. I will follow along with Falcons news closely to see if it remains the hierarchy through August, to see if someone like Brian Hill or Qadree Ollison moves up. But if guessing is not your thing, the Cowboys' Tony Pollard might qualify better, because he is an obvious handcuff for a first-round option.
Field Yates: Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals
My first choice is Mattison, but in the interest of throwing more names into the ring, I'll go with Edmonds. We saw a little glimpse of what he brings to the table when given an opportunity and the Cardinals' depth chart is relatively thin behind Kenyan Drake (Edmonds leads the way, ahead of rookie seventh-rounder Eno Benjamin). I'm a fan of Edmonds, and while his 5-foot-9, 205-pound frame may not suggest that he's a typical high-usage back, he handled 26 attempts last season in a starting gig game and scored three times. Remember that, Matthew Berry?