Since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Robinson has been one of the more consistent running back for fantasy football owners. In his first two seasons, the 24-year-old RB has 15 touchdowns on the ground and almost had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns. Robinson saw last season cut short due to a left Achilles’ injury in December, and when you combine that with the return of Travis Etienne, there are major questions about where Robinson should be drafted and ranked in 2022.
In the past, a torn Achilles would often keep running backs out for a full year. However, it seems as if Robinson could be on the field when the Jaguars open up the regular season on Sept. 11. Below, we’ll take a look at fantasy’s outlook and where he stands in ADP.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet
James Robinson Injury Update: How long will Jaguars’ RB be out?
Robinson suffered a torn left Achilles’ injury in December that looked like his 2022 season would be in jeopardy. However, after seeing Rams running back Cam Akers tear his right ACL last July and return for Week 18, clearly the recovery process has been sped up.
The 24-year-old Robinson took first-team reps in training camp last week, according to Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley. Additionally, Robinson was not placed on the active/PUP list in July, which would seem to indicate that we’ll see the young running back when the regular season starts on Sept. 11. When healthy, Robinson has shown that he can be a three-down running back. However, it will be interesting to see how much of the workload he gets to start the season, especially with a healthy Travis Etienne Jr. Etienne missed his entire rookie season in 2021 because of a left Lisfranc sprain.
2022 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
James Robinson fantasy ranking and ADP 2022
Heading into the 2022 season, SN fantasy has Robinson ranked 51st among RBs in standard formats and 55th in PPR formats. Last season, Robinson had just six games with 15 or more carries, as former head coach Urban Meyer gave the ball to veteran running back Carlos Hyde much more than expected.
Thankfully, Robinson and the Jags’ offense do not have to worry about Meyer and will have new head coach Doug Pederson running the show. As a rookie in ’20, Robinson was a playmaker on the ground and in the passing game (1,070 rushing yards and 344 receiving yards). He also produced 10 total touchdowns, making him one of the surprise stories in fantasy football that season. Robinson had 10 games with double-digit fantasy points.
FantasyPros has Robinson’s ADP at No. 110 overall and RB39 based on him coming back from a torn left Achilles and the expected emergence of Etienne, who can be a weapon in the passing game. Last season, we saw Akers not look like himself in the postseason after returning from injury in six months, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry. However, he did handle a heavy load, touching the ball 75 times in four games. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Robinson started slow, but, again, Akers’ relative durability upon returning is a good sign.
2022 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
James Robinson’s fantasy outlook 2022
Even though Robinson received 76 fewer carries last season under Urban Meyer, he still found a way to put up six games with 10 or more fantasy points in standard leagues. Robinson had an excellent 4.7 yards per carry average in 2021, which put him in the same category as Dalvin Cook and Aaron Jones. He should be able to pick up where he left off this season with a better offensive-minded head coach in Pederson. Pederson always finds a way to get his running backs involved in the offense.
2022 FANTASY SLEEPERS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | One from each team
Last season, Robinson scored a good amount of his fantasy points inside the 20-yard line with eight rushing touchdowns, which was good for ninth in the NFL (tied with Derrick Henry). Robinson also took 42.1 percent of Jacksonville’s red-zone rushing attempts. It’s unclear how touches will be divvied up this year, but Robinson has some size on Etienne, so he could continue his goal-line role.
2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs
If Robinson can shake off the rust from dealing with a torn left Achilles, there’s no reason why he cannot outproduce his ADP. Pederson said in June he sees Robinson as a three-down running back, but with Etienne reportedly “starring” in training camp, this situation is up in the air. We obviously like Etienne much better entering the season, but Robinson is a must-have handcuff for even non-Etienne owners. If Robinson is healthier and more explosive than we expect, he’ll be a steal is the middle rounds.
Hits: 0
