Week 4 Fantasy Football RB handcuff rankings feat. Braelon Allen and Bucky Irving

A handcuff running back in fantasy football is a player who is not a starter for their NFL team. The best handcuffs still make for useful pieces on a fantasy roster, especially those with standalone value. Here are five players who make for ideal bench stashes ahead of Week 4, as their fantasy outlooks appear to be on the rise.

Top 5 handcuff RBs in Week 4 fantasy football

Week 4 RBs (GETTY)

#5. Alexander Mattison

The Las Vegas Raiders opened the 2024 fantasy football season with Zamir White as their starting running back. While he remains in this role, he has been ineffective. Alexander Mattison appears to be gaining momentum to challenge him for the role after scoring touchdowns in each of the past two weeks and playing in 44% of the snaps in the Raiders' most recent game.

#4. Chase Brown

The Cincinnati Bengals are off to a disastrous 0-3 start to the 2024 NFL season, and their offense has struggled to find production. While Zack Moss has done a solid job as the starting running back, Chase Brown offers significantly more explosiveness and big-play abilities. Brown also set a season-high with nine touches last week, so his role may be increasing.

#3. Braelon Allen

Braelon Allen has provided standalone value in fantasy football in each of the past two weeks, finishing as the RB7 and RB29 in those games. While he is unlikely to surpass Breece Hall as the New York Jets' starting running back, his outlook for the remainder of the 2024 season still appears bright. He ranks as the overall RB30 and would instantly become an elite option if Hall is injured.

#2. Roschon Johnson

The Chicago Bears offense has severely struggled to be productive this year and D'Andre Swift is one of the reasons why. He is averaging just 1.3 yards per carry through his first three games, which may be why Roschon Johnson received an increased workload last week. After receiving 12 touches and playing in 37% of the snaps, Johnson is an ideal handcuff to target in Week 4.

#1. Bucky Irving

Rachaad White finished as the RB7 in fantasy football last season but was inefficient with his carries. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and has an even worse 2.1 yards per carry in 2024. Bucky Irving was drafted this year to add depth to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers running backs, but after averaging 6.2 yards per carry across his first three games, he has a chance to take over as the starter.