Last year’s overall RB5 is off to a slow start in 2021. Can you trust Jacksonville Jaguars RB James Robinson as a flex play in Week 3 fantasy football lineups?
James Robinson’s usage improved in Week 2
After being out-touched by Carlos Hyde 11-8 in Week 1, Robinson retook control of Jacksonville’s backfield in Week 2. J-Rob carried the ball 11 times for 17 yards during Sunday’s 23-13 loss to the Broncos. He caught all 3 of his targets, adding another 17 yards in the air. Meanwhile, Hyde saw just 2 carries and didn’t catch either of his 2 targets.
Robinson saw a 10% increase in snap count compared to Week 1. He is locked into the starting role.
Yes, he’s the starter, but you just can’t trust James Robinson
Fantasy managers who shelled out a third- or fourth-round pick for Robinson following Travis Etienne’s season-ending foot injury are learning a valuable lesson about how NFL teams value undrafted free agents.
Robinson has yet to crest 10 PPR fantasy points, and the Jaguars are once again staring down the barrel of negative game script. Jacksonville currently leads the NFL in passing rate by throwing 72.88% of the time. This is obviously not by design — when you’re constantly trailing, you don’t have much of a choice.
The Cardinals have a suspect run defense
Robinson now gets to face the questionable run defense of the Cardinals in Week 3. Dalvin Cook absolutely gashed them last week, posting 131 rushing yards on 22 carries. Truthfully, the box score doesn’t fully encapsulate the size of the lanes Cook was running through. It was like a five-lane highway had been constructed in the Arizona desert.
Now, to be fair, Robinson is not Cook. While Robinson certainly looked like an above-average talent as a rookie, his sophomore season is off to a much rockier start. He’s looked every bit like a replacement-level talent. I’m not sure if Robinson has the ability or the supporting cast to exploit this favorable matchup.
Should James Robinson be in your Week 3 fantasy lineups?
The answer to whether to start Robinson obviously comes depends on your alternatives. But in a vacuum, I would be trying to remove Robinson from my fantasy football lineups.
Volume is king and James Robinson doesn’t have the crown
In 2020, Robinson played 71% of his team’s offensive snaps and posted an 85% opportunity share. Through two weeks in 2021, Robinson has carried the ball 16 times for 72 yards. For context, Robinson carried the ball 16 times in 10 out of 14 games last season.
Hyde likely won’t be as involved going forward as he was in Week 1, but he’s a larger part of the Jacksonville offense than any of Robinson’s backups were in 2020. Jaguars running backs are scoring fantasy points at just over half the league average rate this season.
Robinson comes with a decent enough floor in that he won’t completely faceplant. Unfortunately, his ceiling just isn’t there this season. If possible, you should leave Robinson out of your fantasy lineups in Week 3.
