Tank Bigsby Is Now One of Fantasy Football’s Best Handcuff Bets

Roster cutdown gave us one of the clearest handcuff situations in fantasy football.

The Eagles kept only three running backs on their initial 53-man roster: Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley.

Barkley is obviously the centerpiece. The fantasy question is what happens behind him — and more importantly, what happens if Barkley misses time.

For me, Tank Bigsby is now one of the most appealing contingency backs to roster.

Bigsby Already Has Real NFL Rushing Production

Bigsby is different from many late-round handcuffs because we do not have to project whether he can handle NFL carries.

We have already seen it.

His breakout season in Jacksonville included 766 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. After arriving in Philadelphia, Bigsby remained effective in a much smaller role in 2025, rushing 58 times for 344 yards — an excellent 5.9 yards per carry — with two touchdowns.

He was not a major receiving factor, catching only three passes for 32 yards.

That profile tells us what his fantasy role is likely to be.

Bigsby is not the back Philadelphia wants replacing every part of Barkley’s game. He is the back best suited to replacing a meaningful chunk of Barkley’s rushing workload.

Will Shipley Is Still Important

This is not a claim that Shipley disappears.

Shipley played 116 offensive snaps last season and caught nine of 12 targets. He also played 245 special-teams snaps, which shows the Eagles trust him in multiple phases.

Bigsby played 125 offensive snaps but only 43 special-teams snaps.

That creates a logical division.

Shipley can remain the more natural passing-down and special-teams option while Bigsby handles more of the physical rushing work behind Barkley.

If Barkley were unavailable, Philadelphia would probably use both backs rather than simply handing one player 90% of the snaps.

But fantasy football is about identifying where the most valuable touches would go.

Bigsby is the stronger bet for early-down carries and potentially a substantial portion of the work near the goal line.

The Eagles Are the Kind of Offense We Want to Handcuff

Backfield opportunity is not equally valuable across the NFL.

Philadelphia has an elite offensive line, a mobile quarterback and an offense that consistently creates rushing lanes. Jalen Hurts also forces defenses to account for the quarterback in the run game, which can make life easier for the running back.

There is a downside: Hurts scores rushing touchdowns himself.

But the overall environment is still one of the best places in football for a running back to inherit volume.

Barkley carried the ball 280 times for 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025. He also caught 37 passes for 273 yards and two more scores.

No reserve would inherit all of that.

Even inheriting 60% to 70% of Barkley’s rushing work would create immediate fantasy relevance.

Bigsby’s Standalone Value Is Limited

This is where fantasy managers need to separate two ideas.

Bigsby can be an excellent handcuff without being a good Week 1 flex.

As long as Barkley is healthy, Philadelphia has little reason to give Bigsby enough touches to become a dependable starter in fantasy lineups. Barkley is the better runner, the better receiver and the player the offense is built around.

Bigsby had only 58 carries across the entire 2025 regular season.

That is not enough weekly volume to trust.

So I am not drafting him because I expect eight to ten touches every Sunday. I am drafting him because his value could change dramatically with one depth-chart development.

Why Roster Cutdown Matters

Before final cuts, fantasy managers had to account for the possibility that Philadelphia would retain another veteran back or bring additional competition into the room.

The initial roster simplified things.

There are only three backs.

Barkley is the starter.

Bigsby is the proven power runner.

Shipley is the lighter, more receiving-oriented reserve who also carries substantial special-teams responsibility.

That is a much easier situation to project than a four- or five-player preseason backfield.

Could the Eagles still add someone? Absolutely. Initial 53-man rosters are not permanent.

But based on the roster we have now, Bigsby’s contingency value is strong.

The Handcuff Question

There are two ways fantasy managers approach handcuffs.

Some managers prefer to roster the backup to their own elite running back as insurance.

Others prefer to roster backups to other managers’ running backs, hoping an injury creates a new starter on their bench.

Bigsby works for both strategies.

If I draft Barkley, I am comfortable using a late bench spot on Bigsby because the cost of losing Barkley is enormous.

If I do not draft Barkley, Bigsby may be even more attractive. His standalone value is low enough that he could be available very late, but his upside in a Barkley-less scenario would be significant.

That is exactly the asymmetrical upside I want at the end of a draft.

My Fantasy Read

Tank Bigsby is one of my preferred late-round running back stashes.

I would not draft him expecting immediate standalone production. Will Shipley is going to have a role, and Barkley should dominate this backfield while healthy.

But Bigsby has already shown he can produce as an NFL runner, Philadelphia kept only three running backs, and his skill set fits the touches that would become especially valuable if Barkley misses time.

That makes him more than a generic backup.

In leagues with deeper benches, Barkley managers should strongly consider protecting their first-round investment with Bigsby.

And even if you do not roster Barkley, Bigsby is exactly the kind of late pick who can become dramatically more valuable overnight.