Brian Robinson

Week 4 at Philadelphia Eagles

Brian Robinson had a good game last week considering the circumstances. He ran 10 times and finished with 70 yards, seeing no targets as a receiver. Washington fell down early to Buffalo, leading a pass-heavy approach which left Robinson with a season-low in touches and playing time. This week, Robinson draws a tough assignment against a good Eagles defensive line. Philly has given up the 5th-fewest fantasy points to running backs this season, including the 2nd-fewest rush yards to RBs. Although in Robinson's lone game against the Eagles last year, he ran 26 times for 86 yards and a touchdown. The matchup this week is concerning for Robinson, which is why he's more in RB3/flex territory for Week 4.

Week 2 at Denver Broncos

Brian Robinson dominated the backfield touches for Washington in Week 1 as he finished with 20, 19 of which came on the ground. He played on 61% of the offensive snaps, which is more than Antonio Gibson who played 35%. As for production, Robinson was solid, finishing with 66 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Robinson isn't the flashiest player, but he remains pretty consistent and is a reliable, safe option when it comes to running back. He should be viewed as a low-end RB2 option in a favorable matchup vs. the Broncos.

Fantasy Upside
Brian Robinson didn’t play until Week 5, and then started his first game in Week 6. From then on, he was a pretty consistent runner, finishing with 797 rush yards on the season as a rookie. In his 11 games since taking over as the starter, Robinson averaged 17.8 carries for 70.5 rush yards per game. If we use those projections over a full season, Robinson would’ve been tied for the third-most carries in the NFL last season. Heading into 2023, Robinson is projected to maintain that same role as the primary ball carrier.

Fantasy Downside
While Robinson saw a lot of volume as a rookie, he was just OK as a runner. He averaged just 3.8 yards per carry and despite his tough style of running, he only scored twice on the ground. Robinson is also rushing behind a poor offensive line, which 4for4’s Justin Edwards ranked as 28th out of the 32 teams. There’s also the fact he doesn’t contribute much as a receiver, catching just nine passes in 12 games.

2023 Bottom Line
Robinson is a player you sort of know what you’re getting when you draft him. He’s a high-volume runner, which will lead to some big games against the right opponent/game script. His lack of touchdowns as a rookie is a little odd given his volume, but if he can improve on that then his value will go up a lot. We have Robinson projected to finish as a top-10 rusher in terms of carries, but his low yards per attempt, lack of scoring, and lack of receiving skills makes him not much more than an RB3 option. He carries more value in standard leagues than PPR formats.