Jaguars: James Robinson could be a fantasy difference maker

Can James Robinson make some noise with the Jaguars?

James Robinson took the step from fantasy sleeper to a must-own player when the Jacksonville Jaguars released their unofficial depth chart on Monday. The undrafted rookie, who attended Illinois State, was in the RB1 slot for the Jags, and speculation is mounting that he could see a heavy workload when the team takes on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

We mentioned Robinson after the NFL Scouting Combine as a player who boosted his stock and, while it wasn’t enough to see him drafted, the attributes on display look to have endeared him to Doug Marrone, Jay Gruden, and the rest of the Jaguars’ coaching staff.

If Robinson is the starter then it will have been a meteoric rise. Only a few weeks ago it looked as if he’d be behind Leonard Fournette, Devine Ozigbo, Ryquell Armstead, and Chris Thompson on the depth chart if he even made the final 53 man roster.

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Fournette was the first domino to fall, with his release leaving 341 touches from last season unaccounted for. Armstead, a fifth-round pick from 2019, is now set to miss significant time after testing positive for COVID-19 and has been placed on injured reserve while he recovers.

Chris Thompson will have a role and serve as the team’s primary receiving back, but nothing in his career so far has indicated that he’s capable of handling a heavy load on early downs. His career-high for rushing attempts in an NFL season is 68 and Gruden, who was his offensive coordinator in Washington is aware of his limitations.

The Jags claimed Ozigbo off waivers a year ago after he had spent the preseason with the New Orleans Saints, so they have very little invested in him. Robinson has clearly impressed the coaching staff in Jacksonville and his ascension from RB5 to RB1 puts him in the driving seat to take over the rushing attack.

We’ve seen undrafted rookies contribute early at running back in fantasy. It’s not a position that has the same learning curve as others do. Phillip Lindsay took advantage of a substandard running back room with the Denver Broncos and stepped right in as the starter in his first game of the 2018 season.

It’s easy to assume that the Jaguars will be facing negative game script and use that as a reason to fade Robinson. If he starts in week one then his value is never likely to be this low again, though. The Jags were actively trying to get rid of Fournette for the majority of last season and he still saw the volume required to finish as the RB13 in standard scoring. This will still likely be a committee but if one player is going to become the workhorse then why can’t it be Robinson?

You shouldn’t go crazy for James Robinson in fantasy and I’d be hesitant to start him in week one but the well quickly runs dry at running back and he looks as if he’s going to be given the first opportunity to stake his claim to the starting position. He’s a savvy pickup in redraft leagues and could be a solid depth piece at the very least for years to come in dynasty leagues.