The Giants finally got off the schneid this past week when they upset the Denver Broncos. More importantly, they started giving the ball to Orleans Darkwa, something a certain Razzball writer has been asking for for what seems like two years now. Paul Perkins, your reign of terrible tip-toeing to the line of scrimmage is over!
Darkwa took 21 carries for 117 yards with a long of 47 yards and added a catch for 13 yards. OD seemed to always produce when given limited touches, and he did the unthinkable when given a full supply of touches: continued to produce! Who would have thought such a thing was possible! Oh, right, everyone who, like me, have been clamoring for Darkwa for two years.
After turning eight carries into 69 yards for a nice little average of 8.625 yards per carry, OD rushed for more than 5.5 yards per carry on nearly three times as many carries. The logical assumption would be the keep feeding him the ball. However, with this year’s New York Giants, who knows what to expect, but a few things are working in OD’s favor.
For starters, the Giants lost roughly 14 wide receivers to injuries over the last two weeks. And in better news for Darkwa, Ben McAdoo handed over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan. Now, I don’t know a ton about Sullivan, but he does have one very important quality: he isn’t Ben McAdoo. Oh, and he seemed to enjoy employing a more balanced offense that featured a running back who has been having success.
The Broncos had boasted one of the league’s better rushing defenses heading into last week’s game, but they barely slowed Darkwa down for most of the day. Granted, his yards per carry average is boosted by that one long run, but he was still hitting holes fast and running hard and should have earned himself a steady taste of touches at least in the short term. I have been stashing OD in a deep roster dynasty league for two years now, and it looks like I might finally get to play him. Hooray for me.
Now, to the charts!
Mike Maher’s Week Seven NFL Handcuff Report
NOTE: In the tables below, I’ve removed running backs who have been placed on Injured Reserve. If the running back is injured but is not on IR, then he has a + next to his name.
| American Football Conference | ||||
| AFC East | Primary Back | Handcuff | Pass-Catcher | Reserve |
| Patriots | Mike Gillislee | Rex Burkhead+ | James White | Dion Lewis |
| Jets | Matt Forte | Bilal Powell+ | Bilal Powell+ | Elijah McGuire |
| Dolphins | Jay Ajayi | Kenyan Drake | Damien Williams | Senorise Perry |
| Bills | LeSean McCoy | Mike Tolbert | LeSean McCoy | Joe Banyard |
| AFC North | Primary Back | Handcuff | Pass-Catcher | Reserve |
| Bengals | Joe Mixon | Jeremy Hill | Giovani Bernard | Cedric Peerman |
| Ravens | Javorius Allen | Terrance West+ | Javorius Allen | Alex Collins |
| Steelers | Le’Veon Bell | James Conner | Le’Veon Bell | Terrell Watson |
| Browns | Isaiah Crowell | Duke Johnson | Duke Johnson | Matt Dayes |
| AFC South | Primary Back | Handcuff | Pass-Catcher | Reserve |
| Texans | Lamar Miller | D’Onta Foreman | Lamar Miller | Alfred Blue |
| Jaguars | Leonard Fournette+ | Chris Ivory | Leonard Fournette+ | T.J. Yeldon |
| Colts | Frank Gore | Marlon Mack | Marlon Mack | Matt Jones |
| Titans | DeMarco Murray | Derrick Henry | DeMarco Murray | David Fluellen |
| AFC West | Primary Back | Handcuff | Pass-Catcher | Reserve |
| Chiefs | Kareem Hunt | Charcandrick West+ | Kareem Hunt | Akeem Hunt |
| Broncos | C.J. Anderson | Jamaal Charles | Devontae Booker | De’Angelo Henderson |
| Raiders | Marshawn Lynch | Jalen Richard | DeAndre Washington+ | DeAndre Washington+ |
| Chargers | Melvin Gordon | Branden Oliver | Melvin Gordon | Austin Ekeler |
Notes
- Robert Turbin is expected to miss the rest of the season due to an arm injury he suffered last week. While Marlon Mack has been absolutely fantastic despite not getting enough touches (soap box!), this injury further opens the door for the Mack Attack. 91 yards on nine carries two weeks were apparently not enough for him to get more work this past week, but maybe the Turbin injury opens that door a bit more.
- It sounds like we (we as in football fans everywhere) dodged a bullet, as Leonard Fournette sounds like he is going to be ok and might not even miss any time. The worst was feared after he went down with a non-contact ankle injury, but he was apparently healthy enough to return in the second half but was held out as a precaution. That’s good news even if you don’t own any Fournette stock because this kid looks like a stud and is a lot of fun to watch.
- 34 touches and 150 yards from scrimmage for Melvin Gordon, plus two touchdowns. It is probably safe to say that he is healthy again. Giddy up.
| National Football Conference | ||||
| NFC East | Primary Back | Handcuff | Pass-Catcher | Reserve |
| Giants | Orleans Darkwa | Paul Perkins+ | Shane Vereen | Wayne Gallman |
| Eagles | LeGarrette Blount | Wendell Smallwood+ | Wendell Smallwood+ | Corey Clement |
| Cowboys | Ezekiel Elliott | Alfred Morris | Ezekiel Elliott | Darren McFadden |
| Washington | Robert Kelley+ | Samaje Perine | Chris Thompson | Mack Brown |
| NFC North | Primary Back | Handcuff | Pass-Catcher | Reserve |
| Vikings | Jerick McKinnon | Latavius Murray | Jerick McKinnon | Bishop Sankey |
| Packers | Ty Montgomery+ | Aaron Jones | Ty Montgomery | Jamaal Williams+ |
| Lions | Ameer Abdullah | Dwayne Washington + | Theo Riddick | Zach Zenner |
| Bears | Jordan Howard | Tarik Cohen | Howard/Cohen | Benny Cunningham+ |
| NFC South | Primary Back | Handcuff | Pass-Catcher | Reserve |
| Buccaneers | Doug Martin | Charlies Sims | Jacquizz Rodgers | Peyton Barber |
| Saints | Mark Ingram | Alvin Kamara | Alvin Kamara | Trey Edmunds |
| Panthers | Christian McCaffrey | Jonathan Stewart+ | Christian McCaffrey | Fozzy Whittaker |
| Falcons | Devonta Freeman | Tevin Coleman | Tevin Coleman | Terron Ward+ |
| NFC West | Primary Back | Handcuff | Pass-Catcher | Reserve |
| 49ers | Carlos Hyde | Matt Breida | Carlos Hyde | Raheem Mostert |
| Seahawks | Eddie Lacy | Thomas Rawls | C.J. Prosise + | J.D. McKissic |
| Cardinals | Adrian Peterson | Kerwynn Williams | Andre Ellington | Kerwynn Williams |
| Rams | Todd Gurley | Malcolm Brown | Todd Gurley | Justin Davis |
Notes
- How did Adrian Peterson look in Arizona? I heard he might be good. Anyone ever heard of this guy? 26 carries, 134 yards, two touchdowns. So much for getting acclimated in a new offense.
- Ezekiel Elliott is suspended, not suspended, suspended, and now not suspended again after getting a temporary restraining order against the NFL. While it is certainly looking like this could get pushed into 2018, it is changing on a week-to-week and almost day-to-day basis. They are probably delaying the inevitable because the NFL proved in that sham of a case against Brady that they can pretty much do whatever they want under the language in the current CBA. For now, handcuff with Morris and cross your fingers (crossing them FOR suspension if you only own Morris and against if you only own Elliott, obviously).
- Jerick McKinnon once again outperformed Latavius Murray, but the Vikings are still playing both and thus limiting the value of both. McKinnon got 16 carries to Murray’s 15, but he ran for 69 yards and a touchdown while Murray went for just 28. Oh, and McKinnon added five catches for 30 yards and another touchdown to Murray’s one catch for nine yards. JM > LM right now, but something about this setup makes me uneasy right now. I’m not sold just yet.
If you want to talk fantasy football or have players you want Mike to feature, hit him up on Twitter at @mikeMaher or post a comment below!
