Fantasy football is equal parts skill, preparation, and luck. Yes, whether we like to admit it or not, lady luck plays a considerable role in the process. As fantasy players, we take every step imaginable to protect ourselves by building the deepest teams possible, but it’s impossible to predict injuries, suspensions, or any other madness that may come our way.

Along with drafting and scouring the waiver wire, avoiding injuries is easily one of the keys to fantasy football success. Naturally, it’s one of the things we have absolutely no control over.

When these unfortunate injuries do occur, lady luck pops her head back into the picture for those at the top of the waiver order. While some leagues have reverted to FAAB (free-agent acquisition budget) as a way of leveling the playing field, the majority of fantasy football leagues rely on the standard waiver order either based on record or recent transactions.

What if you could take luck out of the equation? While we can’t predict injuries, we can prepare ourselves by looking at and potentially drafting the best handcuffs in the league. Every year there are backup running backs that rise up depth charts, whether through performance or injury, that finish the season as fantasy football league winners.

What if, instead of sweating out the waiver order or spending all your FAAB, you already had the “hot” waiver wire add of the week on your roster? Here are the top backup running backs with the greatest opportunity to succeed if named starter.

Royce Freeman

Last season, the former third-round pick was severely over-drafted in fantasy drafts before eventually being outplayed by UDFA Phillip Lindsay. That doesn’t mean he’s a bust or someone you should sell. It means you can probably get him at a value this season. Lindsay looked sensational last season on his way to a Pro Bowl berth, but there are legit concerns about his ability to maintain a large workload at his size.

With the Denver Broncos expected to even their workload this season, Royce Freeman should get more opportunities in the passing game. The former Oregon Duck showed decent pass-catching skills in college, but only received 20 targets all of last season.

It should also be noted that Lindsay is coming off a major wrist injury that may sideline him for the start of training camp, meaning Freeman will be given every opportunity to carve out a significant role in the Broncos’ offense.

Rashaad Penny

In many ways, the former first-round pick shares a lot of similarities with fellow 2018 draftee Freeman. They were both considered likely rookie starters that saw their jobs taken by afterthoughts. It’s not even that Rashaad Penny was terrible, it’s just that former seventh-round pick Chris Carson was so productive he never gave the job back to the rookie.

Along with missing the final weeks of training camp with a broken finger, Penny also struggled with ankle and knee injuries throughout his rookie season. When fully healthy, Penny is likely to cut into Carson’s workload as the Seattle Seahawks look to form a “one-two” punch in the backfield.

As the only team in the NFL that rushed the ball more than they passed it last season, the Seahawks’ backfield is an ideal spot to attack in fantasy football. While their brand of football may be archaic and sometimes hard to watch, it’s undoubtedly good for running back production and fantasy football stats.

Darrell Henderson

The Los Angeles Rams used two late third-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft to trade up for the rookie out of Memphis. Although seen as a slight surprise at the time, the selection makes more sense as time passes and more information about Todd Gurley’s knee becomes available.

Gurley will reportedly deal with arthritis in his knee for as long as he plays, but there are mixed reports about how this will affect him long-term. At the very least, the Rams will likely lessen Gurley’s workload to protect their investment in the highest-paid running back in the National Football League.

Enter Darrell Henderson. The rookie out of Memphis used his 4.49 speed to produce the third most runs of 10 or more yards in college football last season, all while sharing a backfield with Dallas Cowboys fourth-round pick Tony Pollard. Henderson is a shifty, electric running back that will vault up to RB1 status if ever named the starter in this Rams’ offense.

Austin Ekeler

The upside of Austin Ekeler is that he has stand-alone value as he’s already a key cog in the Los Angeles Chargers’ offense. Even with Melvin Gordon ahead of him on the depth chart, Ekeler finished last season with 958 yards of total offense and six touchdowns. That was good enough for Ekeler to finish as the 25th highest scoring running back in PPR formats.

The downside of Ekeler is that he seemed to struggle in games where he was given the bigger workload, drawing concerns that he might not be able to handle a “bell-cow” role if ever given the opportunity. With Ekeler possibly better served as a complementary piece, he might not have as high of a ceiling as the rest of these players, but he probably has the highest floor.

Although the former UDFA out of Western State has shown elite ability as a passing threat out of the backfield, he continues to get overlooked in fantasy drafts. His current ADP is outside the top 100 overall, and he’s currently the 42nd running back off the board according to FantasyPros. I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of 40 running backs I’d rather have on my team.

Damien Harris

The former Alabama standout saw his college teammate and fellow running back Josh Jacobs drafted in the first round while he fell to the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. While Jacobs is probably the better athlete that flashed in the passing game, don’t discount what Damien Harris was able to do in his career at Alabama.

Even while sitting behind Derrick Henry in 2015 and sharing work with a handful of other runners throughout his career, Harris finished his collegiate career with 3,070 career rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns. Harris leaves Tuscaloosa with the eighth most rushing yards in Alabama football history.

With a crowded depth chart ahead of him, I initially ranked Harris 21st in my top 50 dynasty rookie rankings, but the potential for early playing time likely pushes him up in my next update. Sony Michel, 2018 first-round pick, is still recovering from a knee scope he underwent this offseason. While Michel is expected back by training camp, the second-year pro has a long history of knee issues that could pop up again at any moment.

With James White fully entrenched in his pass-catcher role, Harris would compete with Rex Burkhead for early-down work if Michel were to miss time. While the New England Patriots are sometimes regarded as the backfield to avoid because of the uncertainty week-to-week, Harris could be a potential steal at his current ADP.