Bijan Robinson entered Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, split touches with fellow Atlanta Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier against the New Orleans Saints, and appears to be battling another issue entering Week 5.
What’s going on with Robinson, and what’s his status for Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Here’s the latest on Atlanta’s RB1.
Will Falcons RB Bijan Robinson Play in Week 5?
Robinson popped up on the Falcons’ injury report last Thursday when Atlanta listed him as limited with a shoulder injury.
However, Robinson fully practiced on Friday. The Falcons removed him from their injury report, and the 2023 first-round pick appeared good to go for Sunday’s NFC South matchup against the Saints.
But Robinson only handled seven rush attempts and received four targets. His 11 total opportunities in Week 4 represented his lowest involvement of the season. Robinson had earned 20, 19, and 23 opportunities over the first three weeks of the year.
Bijan Robinson TD wiped out on a pretty, pretty, pretty weak holding penalty pic.twitter.com/1Cm8Ishs41
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz)
Robinson is back on Atlanta’s injury report ahead of Week 5 — but this time, he’s dealing with a hamstring issue.
Because the Falcons are playing on TNF, they haven’t actually practiced this week. Both their Monday and Tuesday walkthroughs were estimated practices.
Still, Robinson would have been limited had Atlanta put in a real practice yesterday or today.
While there’s been no indication that Robinson is in danger of missing Week 5, his Wednesday practice participation will be worth watching. As long as he manages at least a limited practice, Robinson should be good to go against Tampa Bay.
Fantasy Implications of Robinson’s Injury
Losing Robinson for a week would be a blow for fantasy managers, but at least he’s playing on Thursday night. That gives managers ample time to find a replacement while eliminating the potential stress of a Sunday or Monday night game-time decision.
You’re starting Robinson if he plays in any capacity. He’s clearly reached the caliber of fantasy star you put in your lineup regardless of almost any health concern.
If Robinson doesn’t play, the calculus remains relatively simple, given that Allgeier is one of the NFL’s top “one injury away” RBs.
When Robinson managed just one carry while dealing with headache symptoms in Week 7 of the 2023 season, Allgeier stepped in to take 21 carries and receive three targets.
The Falcons have a new coaching staff this season, but Allgeier remains a plug-and-play handcuff. It’s not as if Atlanta would start giving valuable touches to fellow RBs Avery Williams and Jase McClellan over Allgeier, who rushed for 1,035 yards in 2022 before Robinson’s arrival.
Tampa Bay represents a solid matchup for whoever is carrying the ball for Atlanta.
Through four weeks, the Bucs defense ranks 26th in rushing success rate and 29th in yards per carry. They’ve allowed the 12th-most points to opposing running backs.
