Not only did the news of runningback Rashad Jennings going to injured reserve deal a blow to the Jacksonville Jaguars and their fans, but it also delt a blow to one of the best hand-cuffs in the fantasy football world. With uncertainty surrounding Maurice Jones-Drew's knee injury, Jennings was vied as a smart handcuff for players who took the plunge on Maurice Jones-Drew early in fantasy drafts. Jennings had proven himself to be a capable starter in a pinch and many thought he would have an increased role in 2011.
With Jennings on injured reserve, fantasy players will have to figure out who the next handcuff on the Jaguars is.
The popular thought is that Deji Karim, who's the No. 2 runningback on the Jaguars depth chart, will be the next in line for a handcuff. I'm not so sure however, how much Karim is actually going to be involved in the offense. Karim is a nice back, but in many ways is similar to Jones-Drew. He's not as big, but he's a threat catching the ball in the backfield and has speed to burn. The problem is however, that Jennings was also a big back who could run with power and also pick up the blitz in pass protection.
One player to watch is Montell Owens, who's now listed at the No. 3 runningback instead of the No. 2 fullback. Owens is a bigger back that's a good blocker, and everytime he has the ball in his hands he seems to make a play. He's gotten a lot of work as a runningback in the preseason the past few years, so I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him get some touches.
While a lot of people still clamor for fullback Greg Jones to pick up some of the slack, that ship has sailed. Let it be.
My advice: Pick up Deji Karim and wait. When you find out who the Jaguars handcuff is at runningback, will be when we all find out.