Running Back Handcuffs Update for Week 2: Kaelon Black, Kendre Miller & More

Fantasy football managers avoided any major running back injuries in Week 1, continuing a surprising trend over the past year-plus. As wide receivers have fallen by the wayside, top RBs continue to hold onto their roles, leaving running back handcuffs rotting on fantasy benches.

Still, it only takes one injury to thrust an otherwise anonymous RB into a fantasy-friendly role, and there are plenty of RB rooms worth monitoring as usage shifts throughout the season.

Here are the biggest shifts in running back handcuff value heading into Week 2.

RB Handcuff Updates for Week 2

Kaelon Black | SF | RB

Week 1's biggest surprise standout was 49ers rookie RB Kaelon Black. With Christian McCaffrey nursing a mysterious "muscle tightness" during training camp, all eyes were on the superstar's workload during Thursday night's matchup with the Rams in Australia. And for the first time in years, the 49ers appeared to be limiting CMC's usage.

Black was on the field early and often, showing burst en route to 65 yards on 14 carries (4.7 Y/A). The 5-foot-9, 208-pounder out of Indiana also hauled in his only target. The third-round rookie finished the day with a 44% snap share and handled 50% of the team's rushing attempts. CMC was still clearly the lead man here, and the team played with a second-half lead—there were multiple reasons to take it easy on the veteran. But this appeared to be part of a plan.

FantasyLife's Dwain McFarland adjusted the team's projections accordingly.

Have seen the argument that losing touches between the 20s isn't a big deal for CMC.

It's true they aren't as valuable as scoring opportunities, but they matter if aiming for 20+ PPG.

CMC last year between the 20s:

14.2 PPG
8.2 receiving
6.0 rushing

Utilization last night: pic.twitter.com/7jC0BGkMO1
— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) September 11, 2026

It's highly likely that CMC will assume a role much closer to what we've come to expect once the "muscle tightness" subsides and the team returns to America to play a normal game. But the 49ers' starting RB role is among fantasy's most lucrative, and Black turned heads during his debut. He's a must-add for CMC owners and a potential league-winner should anything happen to CMC (again).

Kendre Miller | NO | RB

The forgotten man in New Orleans after the team signed free agent Travis Etienne and brought back longtime star Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller surprisingly made more than a cameo appearance in Week 1. The fourth-year back matched Etienne's nine carries, turning them into only 30 rushing yards. But Miller handled 57% of the short-down-and-distance snaps compared to 43% for Etienne and punched in the team's only rushing score.

Prior to the team signing Etienne, dynasty speculators were all over Miller, a 6-foot, 220-pound former third-round pick. Miller hasn't been able to stay on the field, playing just 21 games over his first three seasons. He appears healthy now, and he's next in line for New Orleans' early-down and goal-line role should anything happen to Etienne. And he's worth monitoring for emergency flex-play status if he keeps stealing that goal-line work.

Chris Brooks | GB | RB

The Green Bay Packers' running game left much to be desired on Sunday, but the usage did not play out the way most expected. Like Miller, Marshawn Lloyd is an oft-injured fourth-year back whom dynasty managers have added and dropped ad nauseam over the years. Josh Jacobs' legal issues opened the door for the former third-rounder to assume a lucrative fantasy role, but his anonymous teammate Chris Brooks unexpectedly joined the party.

To be clear, Lloyd handled much more important work than Brooks, who checked in for 82% of the long-down-and-distance snaps and 75% of two-minute snaps. Those are not good jobs for fantasy purposes, but Brooks appears to be well ahead of the team's RB3, Kaleb Johnson, who didn't touch the ball once.

There's less upside here considering Jacobs could return or Johnson could get up to speed after the team traded for him just weeks ago. But Brooks is 6-foot-1 and 219 pounds, and the team trusts him as a pass-blocker. He's probably the next man up if anything happens to Lloyd over the next month.

Running Backs One Injury Away From Relevance

Beyond the Tyler Allgeiers and Woody Marks of the—RB2s with flex-worthy roles—there are plenty of lightly rostered running backs worthy of a speculative add for those who have open roster spots. All of these players appear to be in line for major roles in case of injury to the team's starter.