Robinson turns 19 touches into 81 yards vs. CAR

Bijan Robinson handled 20 carries and five targets with his backup, Brian Robinson, sidelined in Week 7. The backup should be considered questionable to play at this time, though he could make a late-week return. Stay tuned.

Robinson did add 59 yards receiving on five catches to help salvage his fantasy day, but this is the third straight week he has delivered a modest fantasy return after explosive performances in Weeks 3 and 4. In fact, this is now five of seven games this season that Robinson has been held under 90 yards rushing. He’s contributing as a pass-catcher, and he looks elusive when he can get beyond the line of scrimmage, but the Falcons may need to make an adjustment on offense with defenses clearly keying on stopping Robinson. We’d expect them to focus on getting him going next week against the Bucs.

The Falcons’ No. 2 running back was limited yesterday. This series of events suggests Robinson strained his hamstring on Wednesday, putting him on the wrong side of questionable for the Falcons’ Week 6 game against the 49ers. Bijan Robinson would handle a few extra touches in Robinson’s absence. The team does not have a third running back on the active roster.

Robinson couldn’t get anything going against a Chicago defense allowing the fifth highest rate of yards before contact. The Bears were intent on snuffing out the Atlanta rushing attack and forcing Michael Penix to move the ball through the air. It worked for much of the game. Robinson, who had 425 rushing yards in his previous three games, remains the engine of the run-heavy Falcons offense and should get back on track in Week 7 against the Niners.

Robinson suffered through poor offensive efficiency in the first half, finally breaking loose for a 38-yard carry on the team’s first possession of the third quarter. Although the receiving production and yardage total were enough to salvage a usable fantasy week, it was only the second time in five games in which Robinson failed to find the end zone. Robinson remains an elite fantasy RB1 ahead of a Week 6 showdown against the Bears in Atlanta.

Week 4 marked Robinson’s second consecutive game going over 100 yards with two touchdowns on the ground, this time aided by a 59-yard touchdown run on his first touch of the game. The Falcons tied a franchise record with five rushing scores, with backfield mate Brian Robinson adding three to the two of Bijan. The return of quarterback Michael Penix has given the Falcons the threat of passing after dropping their first two games of the season behind suboptimal play from the position, and nobody has benefited more from reduced numbers in the box than Robinson. He’ll look to keep the momentum going as a top-tier RB1 when the Falcons host the Ravens in Week 5.

Robinson single-handedly out-gained the Packers in the first half after clearing the century mark on the ground early in the second quarter. His patience and burst through the gap were on full display, routinely gaining chunk yardage on first down while making the Green Bay defensive front look like Swiss cheese. A 55-yard scamper on a wide zone carry in the first quarter got the All Pro back off to a blazing start, adding his first of two touchdowns to cap the drive. He would take on a second score late in the fourth quarter to send the Packers to their first home opener loss in 14 years. Robinson remains an elite RB1 ahead of a Week 4 matchup with the division rival Saints.

To say Bijan Robinson was the majority of the team’s offense would be an understatement. He had 173 of the team’s 238 total yards and 29 of the 43 touches by any skill player. He played on 47 of the team’s 61 total snaps and only lost carries to Brian Robinson because the team couldn’t possibly continue to ride Bijan Robinson any more than they were. His involvement in the short passing game, especially given who will be at quarterback, makes Bijan Robinson seemingly matchup-proof for fantasy purposes.

McFadden notes that Robinson had more outside runs than any other player last season. He believes new Falcons OC Tommy Rees and new OL coach Bill Callahan are focused on diversifying the run game tactics by adding a north-south approach. He thinks Falcons running backs “should benefit from a penetrating approach oriented around getting them into second-level space quickly.” McFadden also checked in with Robinson, who said Rees is implementing new screen game concepts, derived from his time with the Browns. Last year in Cleveland, Rees’ offense racked up 413 yards via the screen game, ranking second in the NFL. Adding more ways to get Robinson the ball in space only solidifies his status as the overall RB2 in fantasy drafts this year.

The deal includes a whopping $51 million in guarantees. Robinson becomes the highest-paid running back in NFL history, surpassing Saquon Barkely. Under the new deal, Robinson, 24, will make $22.25 million per year, according to ESPN. This ends Robinson’s brief hold-in at Falcons training camp. Robinson over his first three NFL seasons has totaled 5,648 yards and 34 touchdowns as the centerpiece of the Atlanta offense. That won’t change under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, who has talked up Robinson’s pass-catching ability this offseason. Robinson should be among the first two picks in every fantasy format this summer.