Running Back Handcuffs Update for Week 3: Jonah Coleman Arrives

Fantasy football finally took some hits at the running back position this week, thrusting handcuffs into more prominent roles. There's no way to predict when a reliable player like Saquon Barkley will leave a game early, but opportunity abounds if/when they miss time.

Here are the biggest changes to the running back handcuff landscape heading into Week 3.

RB Handcuff Updates for Week 3

Jonah Coleman | DEN

It didn't take long for the oft-injured J.K. Dobbins to go down with an injury, and Jonah Coleman only fueled the flames of his growing hype with 10 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown, plus three catches for another 19 yards.

R.J. Harvey missed this game with a hamstring injury, but he should hurry back before Coleman gets more opportunities to jump him on the depth chart. It sounds like Dobbins will return sooner than later, and Coleman might only take over the veteran's early-down role with Harvey continuing to function as an explosive receiver out of the backfield. But Coleman has the all-around skill set to run away with this high-upside Broncos RB role if his mates keep letting him show out.

Tank Bigsby | PHI

Tank Bigsby has been a handcuff-rankings riser in recent months after the Eagles traded fifth- and sixth-round picks to the Jaguars last year for his services. The former third-round pick doesn't have much pass-catching experience but has flashed when given early-down carries over the years.

In Week 2, Bigsby split time pretty evenly with Will Shipley after Barkley checked out with a stinger, handling the early-down and short-yardage role and punching in a 2-yard score. The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder finished with 45% of the team's rushing attempts on 33% of the snaps, while Shipley ran routes on 58% of the pass plays compared to Bisby's 19%. Both caught two passes for 5 yards.

Barkley is reportedly heading for an MRI, but players don't typically miss time with stingers. Still, the usage confirms that Bigsby would be the main beneficiary if Barkley is out for this or any other reason.

Emanuel Wilson | SEA

The Seahawks have been trolling us with their running back usage for years, so we shouldn't be too surprised that Emanuel Wilson stepped in for injured rookie Jadarian Price against the Cardinals with George Holani remaining in his passing-down role.

Wilson finished with 21 carries for 92 yards on 53% of the team's rush attempts and handled two of three carries inside the 5 after Price left. Holani only took 10% of the carries but ran routes on 37% of the team's dropbacks compared to 15% for Wilson.

This is a solid running game where Wilson's workload would be flex-worthy should Price miss any time. Both are widely available in Yahoo leagues, with Holani rostered at 8% and Wilson just 1%.

Kaleb Johnson | GB

After being a healthy scratch in Week 1, Kaleb Johnson played his first snaps for Green Bay and appears to have stepped directly onto the toes of Marshawn Lloyd.

Fellow RB Chris Brooks again handled the passing-down dirty work with 80% of the team's long-down-and-distance snaps and 100% of the 2-minute work. But Johnson out-carried Lloyd 8 to 6, with each playing 28% of the team's snaps.

With a potential Josh Jacobs suspension looming, the Packers made a last-minute trade for Johnson before the season-opener. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that they'll give the former third-rounder a long look at the expense of Lloyd, who has rarely seen the field as a pro and is averaging 3.0 yards per carry in this young season.

More Running Back Handcuffs to Roster

Emmett Johnson | KC: The rookie looks like a legitimate talent and would be a surefire fantasy starter if Kenneth Walker were to miss time (which is known to happen).
Mike Washington | LV: Clear RB2 behind Ashton Jeanty for the surprisingly 2-0 Raiders, who are giving Jeanty all the work he can handle.
Ray Davis | BUF: Little work thus far, but Davis is an excellent fit for James Cook's role if the veteran needs a break.
Semaje Perine | CIN: Deep-leaguers should keep an eye on the Bengals' veteran, who is a trusted pass-blocker and serviceable short-yardage guy. Cincinnati has little competition in its RB room, and Perine would see a lot of work if anything happens to Chase Brown.
Tyler Allgeier | ARI: Like Perine, Arizona's 26-year-old free-agent signing would inherit a big role in the event of a Jeremiyah Love injury, though not the same upside as Perine would have in Cincinnati's offense.