It’s only Week 4, but it’s already cuffing szn in fantasy football. The top fantasy handcuffs, Alexander Mattison, Jamaal Williams, and Khalil Herbert are hot commodities off of the waiver wire due to injuries to Dalvin Cook, D’Andre Swift, and David Montgomery. While Mattison is a top stash, the other two are immediate Week 4 fantasy starters.
Get out there and dump your FAAB on the bunch if they’re available in your leagues.
ALEXANDER MATTISON (55% ROSTERED)
We’re already at the point of the fantasy season where one of the great handcuffs of our generation is in a position to start football games. Dalvin Cook re-injured his right shoulder for the SIXTH time on Sunday and although he will wear a harness and attempt to play through the pain, it will be very tough to expect Cook to play all 17 games this season.
When Cook’s been inactive in the past, Mattison’s averaged 23.3 touches, 115.5 total yards, and 20.1 fantasy points per game in six career starts. Mattison will be a locked-in RB1 if/when Cook is sidelined by this shoulder dislocation and he’s the best stash you can have until that time.
If you have both Vikings’ RBs on your roster or solely own Cook, there is a silver lining here: Cook racked up 222 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns when he last wore a harness. Maybe #HarnessedCook will be the RB1, after all.
KHALIL HERBERT (48% ROSTERED)
David Montgomery got hurt in a smash spot against the Texans last week, which crushed the majority of our DFS lineups, but in his place, Khalil Herbert balled out. Herbert had a career day, rushing 20 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns while putting the pathetic Bears’ offense on his back.
We don’t know how long Montgomery will be out with a knee/ankle injury, but either way, Herbert might be the better fit, that most speculated he would be, in that offense. In games where Montgomery has missed, Herbert has RB11, RB8, and RB1 finishes. When he’s seen over 10 carries, he’s been a top-12 running back in three of those five games.
Plus, he’s been an absolute beast averaging a league-best 4.82 yards after contact per rush and only Nick Chubb has more runs of over 10 yards, 30 more carries than Herbert, per PFF.
The Bears are committed to the run and you should be committed to getting Herbert on your roster.
JAMAAL WILLIAMS (60% ROSTERED)
Jamaal Williams’ Hard Knocks coming-out party to the masses might’ve revitalized his career. Williams has always been one of the better handcuffs in the league, but when he got his opportunity last year, he didn’t do much. Now, Williams has 168 yards on 43 carries (3.9 YPC) and four touchdowns through three games.
Now with D’Andre Swift likely out until after the Lions’ Week 6 bye week, it’ll be Williams’ chance to shine. Throughout his career, he’s had 23 games with 15 or more touches. In those games, he’s averaged 20 touches for nearly 100 total yards, and 16.6 fantasy points.
With what we think we know now, Williams could get back-to-back juicy starts against the Seahawks and Patriots. Then, he’s still a top stash due to Swift’s lengthy and recent injury history.
If you aren’t able to snag the likely starter, Craig Reynolds (0% rostered) will be the Lions’ RB2 with Swift out of the lineup. How could we forget his 26-carry, 112-yard performance last season? If you don’t own Williams, then stash Reynolds for a week and see how the backfield turns out on Sunday. If he gets double-digit touches this week, then he could be a Week 5 streamer.
