All over the box score and all up in the backfield in Green Bay is the answer, as Aaron Jones has officially taken the job from Ty Montgomery with his solid performances. The offense overall in Green Bay is going to take a hit with the other A-Aron out for what looks like the rest of the season, but they are more likely to want to run the ball, which is good for Jones owners.
Montgomery is still a solid all-around running back and, really, is a solid all-around player in general, as he is a wide receiver who really became a running back out of necessity for the Packers. He didn’t do anything to lose his job other than get hurt and give Jones a chance.
Jones is the better and more explosive running back, and rolling with him as the hot hand is the right decision for now. Montgomery is not going to disappear, though, and he is going to rotate into the backfield and as a wide receiver going forward as the Packers figure out ways to get him involved and use him as a matchup problem for opposing defenses.
Packers seemingly get it. Their RB snaps per @PFF:
AJones 45 snaps incl 10 in pass pro!
TyMont 7 snaps.
Ripkowski had 16, JWill had 0.— Dave Richard (@daverichard) October 23, 2017
For fantasy purposes, Montgomery’s value is probably going to fluctuate on a week-to-week basis depending on the matchups and the gameplan. He is probably going to light it up some weeks and be a non-factor others, so it is going to be hard to rely on him other than as the occasional flex or RB2 when the bye weeks call for it.
Jones, on the other hand, is going to be the more reliable running back and is coming off his best game as a pro last week. Unfortunately, this is a ROS play and not a Week 8 play because the Packers are on a bye this week.
If you are looking for a Week 8 play, may I interest you in a Jalen Richard now that Marshawn Lynch has lost his appeal and will miss this week? (eyes emoji)
Now, to the charts!
Mike Maher’s Week Eight 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 | Austin Ekeler | Melvin Gordon | Branden Oliver+ |
NOTES
- With Marshawn Lynch officially suspended for one week after shoving (kind of?) an official and getting ejected last week, there are some bye week opportunities in the Raiders backfield. Enter DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard. Either are worth a gamble, but I’m putting my money on Richard as the guy to pick up this week (and I’m putting my waiver claims on him, so hopefully people in my leagues where I need him do not reed this before waivers clear).
- Your highest scoring running back of the week? Ezekiel Elliott. Ok. Second? LeSean McCoy. Makes sense. Your third highest scoring running back for Week 7? That would be T.J. Yeldon. Yup, he’s still in the league, and he rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown on nine carries last week with Leonard Fournette out. Fournette should be back, so don’t trip over yourself rushing to pick up Yeldon.
- DeMarco Murray is once again banged up, and he was already sharing the load with Derrick Henry. Murray entered with a hamstring injury and left with a shoulder injury (and presumably the hamstring injury, unless hurting his shoulder fixed his hamstring). Doesn’t sound like Murray is going to miss any time, but this could tilt the playing share into Henry’s direction a little bit…
Titans RB snap info per @PFF:
DeMarco: 44 snaps, 22 routes run, 10 3rd down plays
DHenry: 30 snaps, 14 routes run, 3 3rd down plays— #AskFFT (@daverichard) October 23, 2017
| 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 | Aaron Jones | Ty Montgomery | 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
Can we just go ahead and make the plus marks next to Dwayne Washington and C.J. Prosise permanent now? I have been typing those in and leaving them in there for two seasons now.
- It was a week late, at least as far as me and my column are concerned, but Latavius Murray had himself a good game this week. He rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and could start to establish himself as the guy in Minnesota as long as they can keep defenders out of the box. Easier said than done, I suppose. I still lean McKinnon in PPR, but Murray is becoming the guy for standard leagues.
- Orleans Darkwa did not exactly set the world on fire in Week 7, and he still split time with Wayne Gallman, but he did at least lead the Giants in touches. It is hard to judge this Giants team against that Seahawks team, so let’s give it another week (two including the bye week, I guess) before making any calls on their running backs. I still think Darkwa is the guy and gets his shots in the second half. We’ll see.
- It’s amazing what subtracting Adrian Peterson can do for a backfield. Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara are both reliable options now, especially in PPR. Meanwhile, Peterson’s value takes a hit in Arizona with Carson Palmer out. He has plenty of stacked boxes in his future, which is something he is very familiar with.
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!
