Brian Robinson

Robinson has yet to show explosiveness in the NFL while fumbling six times on 428 touches, but he remains the favorite for power-rushing work in a new-look Washington offense under coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. The bad news is that the Commanders signed Austin Ekeler, who could hold a monopoly on the passing-down snaps even after Robinson's 43 targets last season yielded a 36-368-4 receiving line. If Ekeler has a much larger role than what former backfield mate Antonio GIbson took on last year, Robinson's fantasy production will largely depend on Washington remaining competitive in any given game. There's also the potential for 2023 sixth-round pick Chris Rodriguez to steal some carries -- something that happened late last season before Rodriguez hurt his ankle -- especially if Robinson keeps fumbling (four in 2023) or simply isn't as highly regarded by the new coaching staff. Rodriguez might even be the more explosive runner of the two, so Robinson needs to minimize mistakes and perhaps do a better job using his 228-pound frame to pick up extra yards after contact.

In 2022 Washington entertained the theory that their years of poor offensive results were due to failures by Antonio Gibson, and they committed to that theory by feeding Robinson carries for 12 games. The results didn't get any better for the offense, and coordinator Scott Turner has since been fired, so it's not clear how committed to Robinson the Commanders might be at this point. Robinson holds on to the ball and always keeps an anchor as a runner, but he struggles to dodge defenders or create yardage after contact and won't run away from anyone. New OC Eric Bieniemy holds the keys to the Washington offense, so Robinson's fantasy value going forward largely depends on whether Bieniemy prefers Robinson over Gibson and rookie sixth-round pick Chris Rodriguez. Robinson was gifted rushing volume against a weak schedule in 2022 and still got nowhere near the production demonstrated by Gibson as a rookie, while Rodriguez was a more explosive runner in the SEC at Kentucky (6.2 YPC, 33 touchdowns) than Robinson was at Alabama (5.0 YPC, 29 touchdowns).

Alabama has churned out a number of productive NFL running backs in recent years, but Robinson could have a hard time living up to the standard set by Josh Jacobs and Damien Harris, much less Najee Harris and Derrick Henry. The third-round rookie is big and strong enough to handle a large workload, but his upright running style invites contact and he doesn't have the speed or elusiveness to avoid many tacklers. With the Commanders, the 6-foot-1, 228-pounder initially was expected to take some short-yardage work away from returnee Antonio Gibson and possibly push for a key early-down role, but his NFL regular season debut is on hold after he was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List on Sept. 1, as Robinson is recovering from wounds suffered during a robbery attempt. As a result, rookie back will miss at least the first four games of the season, with a timetable for his return yet to be determined.