Rookie Bijan Robinson has been having a good year. Heading into Week 7, he was RB15 — sure, he has been splitting the backfield with Tyler Allgeier more than fantasy managers would like, but overall, 2023 was shaping up nicely. Then Sunday happened, and Robinson didn’t take the field. He was dressed and looked ready to play, but he did not go on the field until two minutes were left in the first quarter.
And then Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith didn’t even use him. Robinson played only 17% of the snaps on Sunday and clocked one rushing attempt near the end of the game when it wasn’t even relevant. Smith told a sideline reporter at halftime that Robinson wasn’t feeling well, and that’s why he wasn’t utilized.
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Should You Trade Bijan Robinson in Fantasy Football?
After the game, Robinson said that he was suffering from headaches and began to “feel weird” on Saturday night. He tried to go to sleep and woke up “feeling completely out of it.”
Robinson said he took medicine to try to feel better, but his head continued to hurt. After the game, Robinson said that his head was still hurting, but he was not checked for a concussion and did not receive a COVID-19 test.
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Robinson was not in the locker room during Monday’s open media session. The league is now looking into the fact that the injury was not reported, and the Falcons responded saying that it was always in the cards that Robinson was going to play.
With all this drama surrounding a headache, could it be something deeper? Should you try to get ahead of it and trade Robinson?
I do not think this issue is more than a headache and an injury protocol that wasn’t followed correctly. Some fantasy football conspiracy theorists think this might mean some sort of schism between Smith and Robinson, but sometimes a headache is just a headache.
That being said, if someone in your league thinks otherwise, it is your time to pounce. Sell them on the fact that Allgeier continues to get volume, and if there is drama brewing between Robinson and the ownership, knowing when to start him will be a gamble. If you can acquire the talent of Robinson for any amount of discount in a trade, pull the trigger immediately.
Robinson is a generational talent, and even when he is splitting carries with another back, he is still turning in top-20 performances. Sure, we would all like Smith to simply give the rookie the reigns, but until he does, he is still a trade-for target at any tiny bit of a discount this week might have given him. This week he is RB10 in the PFN Consensus Ranking.