Robinson is expected to be the No. 1 running back in Washington, and he's worth drafting as a No. 3 Fantasy running back/flex with a mid-round pick. Robinson had a quality rookie campaign in 2022, especially after overcoming being the victim of a shooting prior to the start of the season. He missed the first four games, but he scored at least 10 PPR points in six of his final 11 outings. He'll compete with Antonio Gibson for playing time, but Robinson should lead the Commanders in carries, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns if he stays healthy. Where Robinson could struggle is the passing game, as he only had nine catches for 60 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets in his rookie campaign. Still, Robinson has the potential for 250 carries, and he could end up as a weekly Fantasy starter in all leagues based on his rushing prowess alone. Don't be surprised if Robinson ends up as a top-20 Fantasy running back in 2023.
Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr.: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Robinson has been fantastic so far to start the season, scoring 13.6 PPR points in Week 1 against Arizona and 28.9 PPR points in Week 2 at Denver. He has three total touchdowns over that span, but I'm worried that Robinson could be in for a letdown this week. Buffalo gave up some big plays to Breece Hall in Week 1, and he had 147 total yards on 11 total touches. But the Bills also clamped down on Josh Jacobs last week for nine carries for minus-2 yards and five catches for 51 yards on six targets. If the Commanders are chasing points this week then we could see more of Antonio Gibson and less of Robinson, who might need to score a touchdown to save his Fantasy value. He's still a flex option in the majority of leagues, but don't be surprised if he struggles in Week 3 against the Bills.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Big fantasy day
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Robinson rushed 18 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns while adding 42 yards on two receptions (three targets) in Sunday's 35-33 win over the Broncos.
Robinson helped rally the Commanders to a three-score comeback win with two touchdowns in the second half. The 24-year-old acted as Washington's lead back, receiving 18 of the 20 carries issued to running backs Sunday. Robinson followed up last week's receiving touchdown with a pair of 21-yard receptions, which should be considered a bonus for fantasy managers given his minimal usage as a receiver in past seasons. He'll look to continue his red-hot start to the 2023 season against the Bills next Sunday.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr.: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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It's a common refrain for those looking into starting Robinson: He needs to score to come through for Fantasy managers. That seems like a tall order given how good the Broncos run defense looked last week against a better running back. I'd rather roll with Samaje Perine, Isiah Pacheco and even Antonio Gibson.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Hauls in TD pass
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Robinson carried the ball 19 times for 59 yards and caught one of two targets for a seven-yard touchdown in Sunday's 20-16 win over the Cardinals.
The second-year running back got Washington on the board late in the first quarter when he slipped out into the flat and gave Sam Howell an open target as the quarterback tried to escape an Arizona pass rush that rang up six sacks on the afternoon. Robinson had only nine catches and one receiving TD in 12 games as a rookie, so that kind of production likely won't become a regular occurrence, but he still appears to be the top option on the ground for the Commanders. He'll look to get into the end zone the conventional way in week 2 against a Denver defense that held Josh Jacobs to 48 rushing yards in a season-opening loss.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr.: Sleeper RBs
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Robinson is one of my favorite plays in Week 1, but I also like Gibson in this matchup with the Cardinals. In 2022, Arizona allowed five sets of running backs (Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Latavius Murray and Marlon Mack, Leonard Fournette and Rachaad White, Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier and Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell) to score at least 12 PPR points in the same game. That could happen again this week. While Robinson should handle the bulk of carries for Washington, Gibson should be deployed in the passing game. I like him as a high-end flex against the Cardinals.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr.: Contrarian DFS Play
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I think the people looking for cheap backs this week will probably turn to Jamaal Williams, Raheem Mostert, or Deon Jackson. But Robinson has arguably the best matchup on the board and could see a large workload in the fourth quarter after Washington builds a two-score lead. I even like stacking Robinson with contrarian QB Sam Howell as we expect Eric Bienemy to lean heavily on the screen game.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr.: RBs to Start
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Robinson and Antonio Gibson are both worth starting this week, but Robinson is the preferred choice in all leagues. I almost made him the Start of the Week. This game has the chance to be a Commanders' blowout, and Robinson should get plenty of carries against a bad defense. Last year, Arizona was No. 3 in most PPR points allowed to opposing running backs, and the Cardinals might be worse in 2023. Robinson closed last season as the bellcow in Washington with at least 18 carries in four of his final five outings, and he should improve this season with Eric Bieniemy now calling plays for the Commanders.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Splits with Gibson again
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Robinson took five carries for 21 yards and four catches for 17 yards in Monday's preseason game against the Ravens.
He and Antonio Gibson worked in what appeared close to a 50/50 split, with the latter recording four carries for 15 yards and three catches for 10 yards and a touchdown. It was essentially the same rotation as the previous week, including Robinson being the starter, only with Washington's first unit playing an entire half instead of the first 19 minutes of game time. The split won't necessarily be this even once games count, but the smart money is on Robinson and Gibson both getting a bunch of touches in a Week 1 home game against Arizona.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Gets feet wet Friday
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Robinson carried the ball three times for 16 yards in Friday's preseason win over the Browns.
The start of the game was delayed due to a thunderstorm, but the Commanders elected to send out their first-team offense to begin the night even with wet field conditions. Robinson ended up seeing one less touch than Antonio Gibson (two carries, two receptions) over three drives before the backups took over, perhaps giving an early glimpse at how new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy plans to split the workload in the backfield. Robinson should remain the primary option on early downs, but the 2022 third-round pick's fantasy value could depend on how much usage he sees in the red zone and at the goal line.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Feeling healthier for Year 2
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Robinson said Friday that he feels healthier than he ever was last season, ESPN's John Keim reports.
Four months after being drafted in the third round last spring, Robinson was shot in the leg twice in an attempted carjacking two weeks before the start of the regular season. He came back Week 5 and quickly became Washington's lead runner, averaging 17.1 carries for 66.4 yards in 12 games. It sounds like Robinson anticipates being more explosive this year, after averaging only 3.9 yards per carry with a long gain of 24 last season. He also mentioned the likelihood of seeing more targets (12 last year) under new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, though Antonio Gibson recently suggested he'll be the one getting most of the snaps in obvious passing situations. A shared backfield with Robinson doing more of the running and Gibson more of the receiving is logical given the former's size (225 pounds) and the latter's background as a college wideout. For what it's worth, RBs coach Randy Jordan agrees that Robinson looks more explosive this summer and has been more confident making cuts.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Healthy for OTAs
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Robinson (knee) is participating in OTAs without any apparent limitations, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
Robinson missed Week 18 of his rookie season with a knee injury, but it may not have had any impact on his offseason plan given that the team never reported that the required surgery. The 2022 third-round pick had an eventful debut campaign, missing the first four games after he was the victim of a shooting before he returned to average 17.1 carries for 66.6 yards (3.9 YPC) over the next 12 games. He caught only nine passes and scored only three times, but Robinson and Antonio Gibson could be headed for similar-sized roles under new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, whose backfield at the start of OTAs consists of four holdovers from the 2022 Commanders (Robinson, Gibson, Jaret Patterson, Jonathan Williams) in addition to rookie sixth-round pick Chris Rodriguez.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Ruled out for Week 18
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Robinson (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Dallas, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Antonio Gibson (knee) missed Week 17 and was then placed on injured reserve Thursday, leaving the Commanders with Jonathan Williams and Jaret Patterson as the team's healthy running backs for the season finale. Williams had been the No. 3 option since late November, but that might be more for special-teams reasons and doesn't ensure he'll get more touches than Patterson on Sunday. Robinson, a third-round pick, wraps up his rookie year as the team's leading rusher with 205 carries for 797 yards, though he caught only nine passes in 12 games and found the end zone just three times (including once on a reception). While the Commanders could upgrade the position group this offseason, it won't necessarily be one of their priorities with the running-back room in decent hands between Robinson and Gibson.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Sitting out another practice
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Robinson (knee) wasn't present for Thursday's practice session, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Robinson has now sat out both of the Commanders' first two Week 18 practices, putting his availability in question for Sunday's game against the Cowboys. Even if Robinson demonstrates enough progress in his recovery from the knee injury to suit up this weekend, he could be in store for a more limited role than usual, given that the Commanders have been eliminated from playoff contention and may be reluctant to expose the running back to further injury heading into the offseason. With Washington moving Antonio Gibson (knee/foot) to injured reserve earlier Thursday, the team would be left with Jonathan Williams, Jaret Patterson and practice-squad member Reggie Bonnafon as its available backs if Robinson is sidelined Sunday.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr.: RBs to Sit
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Robinson missed practice Wednesday for an unknown reason, but even if he plays in Week 18 he should only be used as a flex option in non-PPR leagues. Despite getting at least 22 carries in each of the past two games against San Francisco and Cleveland, Robinson has combined for just 13 PPR points. He didn't catch a pass in two games over that span on just two targets, and he's now gone six games in a row without a rushing touchdown. The Cowboys have also allowed just one touchdown to a running back in their past five games, and the Commanders offense could be tough to trust with rookie quarterback Sam Howell starting his first game.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Dealing with knee injury
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Robinson was a non-participant at practice Wednesday due to a knee injury.
Neither Robinson nor Antonio Gibson (knee/foot) logged any on-field work to begin Week 18 prep, so the Commanders backfield currently is without its top two options. Gibson sat out Week 17 due to his pair of injuries, while Robinson's health concern is a new one, so the entire situation will be one to watch to get a sense of who may be available Sunday versus the Cowboys. Currently, Jonathan Williams is the only healthy running back on Washington's active roster, and Jaret Patterson is a candidate to be elevated from the practice squad if either or both of Robinson and Gibson end up sidelined for Week 18.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Impressive volume against Browns
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Robinson carried the ball 24 times for 87 yards in Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Browns.
Robinson accounted for 24 of 33 carries by Commnaders' running backs in the absence of Antonio Gibson (knee), which helped him to a mediocre performance despite a lack of big plays. Robinson managed only one carry of more than 10 yards and was limited to 3.6 yards per attempt. Even so, he has at least 80 rushing yards in five of his last seven games.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr.: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Antonio Gibson is dealing with a sprain of some sort (Ron Rivera did not indicate a body part on Tuesday), and if he's out in Week 17 against Cleveland then Robinson would be a starter in all leagues. This is a great matchup for the Commanders to run the ball since the Browns are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and 11 running backs have scored at least 12 PPR points against Cleveland this year, including two in a row. Robinson has at least 100 total yards or a touchdown in four of his past six games, and he could see an increased role in the passing game if Gibson is out. If Gibson plays, Robinson is no worse than a flex option in all leagues.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr.: Sleeper RBs
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Antonio Gibson (knee) is out in Week 17 against Cleveland, and you should consider Robinson a starter in all leagues. This is a great matchup for the Commanders to run the ball since the Browns are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and 11 running backs have scored at least 12 PPR points against Cleveland this year, including two in a row. Robinson has at least 100 total yards or a touchdown in four of his past six games, and he could see an increased role in the passing game. Robinson has top-10 upside in non-PPR leagues and top-20 potential in PPR.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson: Unchallenged in lead role this week
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Robinson should have expanded usage Sunday with Antonio Gibson (knee) unavailable against the Browns, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
Gibson was ruled out Friday after missing practice throughout the week. He'd taken a backseat to Robinson in recent weeks anyway, but this could open the door for the rookie to play more snaps and draw more targets. He's averaged 18.1 carries for 76.4 yards over the past seven games, starting each week, but with only 1.0 catch for 6.7 yards on 1.3 targets per game. Touchdowns also have been an issue with Robinson scoring only two from 582 total yards during that seven-game stretch, though that part is less about Gibson, who has only one TD (and 379 total yards) in the same span. Jonathan Williams and Jaret Patterson are the depth options behind Robinson for Week 17.
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Commanders' Brian Robinson Jr.: RBs to Sit
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Robinson has done well lately for Washington and Fantasy managers, scoring a touchdown or gaining 100 total yards in four of the past five games. He has also scored at least 12 PPR points in three of those outings. But Robinson is continuing to share playing time with Antonio Gibson, and this is a tough matchup against the 49ers, who are No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to running backs. Only one running back has scored a touchdown against San Francisco since Week 7, and no running back has rushed for 60 yards against the 49ers all year. Robinson is barely a flex this week in the majority of leagues.
