3 Fantasy Football replacements for Saquon Barkley after ankle injury

No. 2 Saquon Barkley fantasy football replacement: Matt Breida

This is why you draft a handcuff, folks. Matt Breida wasn't the most popular handcuff in fantasy drafts (he is owned in 1.1 percent of ESPN leagues) but he's about to become Tuesday's most popular waiver claim. With Barkley out of the lineup, Breida is set to lead the Giants' backfield. This is a clean and simple solution if you can get to Breida before the competition.

Of course, Breida won't receive the same workload as Barkley and he's unlikely to match Barkley's impact on a per-touch basis. Still, Breida is an experienced rusher in his seventh NFL season. He's a career backup — with the exception of 13 starts in 2018, his sophomore season — but Breida has long been a reliable No. 2 with utility in the passing game.

The 28-year-old only has four touches for 11 yards through two weeks, but he received a heftier workload with the Giants in 2022. He appeared in all 17 games and was Barkley's replacement in the one game the Pro Bowler missed. On 54 carries, Breida accumulated 220 yards (4.1 per attempt) and one touchdown. He also caught 20 passes for an additional 118 yards.

He has PPR utility and he will theoretically be the Giants' go-to on first down and at the goal line. Gary Brightwell and rookie Eric Gray will also factor into the New York backfield, but neither has a ton of high-level experience (Gray has been exclusively special teams to date). Breida has the benefit of veteran savvy and he's going to be well positioned for high-value touches until Barkley returns.