Running Back Handcuffs Update for Week 9: Emmett Johnson Continues to Impress
Fantasy

Running Back Handcuffs Update for Week 9: Emmett Johnson Continues to Impress

Danny Cross examines the running back handcuff landscape, identifying several players to add or monitor ahead of fantasy football Week 9.

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With the NFL trade deadline looming, savvy fantasy football managers are keeping a keen eye on the running back handcuff landscape heading into Week 9.

Here are the top RB handcuffs to add now, with just one more slate of games before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.

Week 9 RB Handcuff Updates

Emmett Johnson | RB | KC

Chiefs rookie Emmett Johnson won't benefit from the trade deadline, but the dude played so well on Sunday that we must again remind fantasy managers that he is widely available in redraft leagues. Kenneth Walker has a stranglehold on the Kansas City ground game, with 85% of the team's carries on the season. But Johnson has flashed playmaking ability in the early going.

Last week, Johnson exploded for 128 receiving yards on five catches, including a 73-yard house call in the second quarter. The rookie added 15 yards on his lone carry. The fifth-round pick out of Nebraska has been one of the bigger surprises of the first half of the season among rookie skill players.

The Chiefs' +4.9 pass rate over expected ranks fourth in the league, and Patrick Mahomes is no stranger to enabling his running backs in the passing game. Even with Walker dominating the rushing work, Johnson is building a case for flex status and has league-winning upside should anything happen to the oft-injured Walker.

DJ Giddens | RB | IND

We led this article off last week with hype for Seth McGowan, a rookie seventh-rounder who appears to be next in line behind Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis. But second-year man DJ Giddens is also worth a look after seeing the field for the first time this season in Week 8. Somewhat surprisingly, Giddens and McGowan essentially split 11 carries behind Taylor in the team's blowout loss to the Jaguars a week after McGowan handled 11 carries (for 46 yards) himself in Week 7.

Giddens was a fifth-round pick in 2025 and played in nine games as a rookie, totaling 26 carries for 96 yards. Like McGowan, he's a big-bodied back at 6-foot and 212 pounds who could mix in for goal-line work. Giddens out-carried McGowan this week six to five and split the team's short-down-and-distance carries with Taylor.

McGowan has had a solid rookie season so far, but Giddens' workload in his first game back suggests that the handcuff torch might not have been passed to the rookie just yet. We might be looking at an annoying timeshare if and when Taylor is traded, but Giddens is the sneaky add in deep leagues (0% rostered at Yahoo) where McGowan is already scooped up.

Devin Singletary | RB | NYG

Credit to Fantasy Life's Alex Cupps for touting Devin Singletary's opportunity in his Week 9 waiver wire article. 

Says he: "With Tyrone Tracy officially on injured reserve, Najee Harris released, and Cam Skattebo’s weekly role feeling dicey at best, Singletary is in prime position to take on a meaningful role in the NYG backfield going forward."

Singletary broke loose for a 30-yard game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Texans in Week 7, just one play after Scattebo rumbled for 42 yards. Scattebo appears to be back in the coaching staff's good graces after his Week 6 soft benching, but Singletary is the preferred pass-catcher and should have a solid role once the team returns from its bye week. With Scattebo on thin ice, there's room for much more than handcuff status here.

More Running Back Handcuffs to Roster

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