Falcons scoop up Robinson

The Falcons selected Texas RB Bijan Robinson with the eighth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Once heralded as the top RB in the 2020 high school recruiting class, Robinson made an immediate impact as a freshman. By the end of 2020, Robinson had seized the starting job and won the Alamo Bowl MVP with a 10-182-0 rushing performance against Colorado. From then on, he never let go of the job and consistently wowed the nation with his incredible combination of size, speed, quickness, and pass-catching abilities. Robinson logged nearly 2,000 scrimmage yards as a junior this past season with 20 total TDs. Still just over 21 years old, the 5’11, 215-pound back is an immediate candidate to lead the league in carries. (Atlanta led the NFL with 559 team carries in 2022.) Robinson projects as a top-5 fantasy RB.

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson shared one of his goals for the 2024 season. "I want 2,000 yards rushing," Robinson told Sports Illustrated. "I know those are big expectations, what we can do as an offense, with all the weapons, our O-line with [OC] Zac [Robinson] being at the helm… it can be something special.” As a rookie, Robinson tallied 976 rushing yards across 17 games. And note: in league history, only eight RBs have reached 2,000 rushing yards. Clearly, it's an aspirational goal. Still, Robinson should push for the league lead in touches, making him a top-3 target in our fantasy football RB rankings.

The Falcons are hiring Zac Robinson as their new OC under HC Raheem Morris, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The 37-year-old Robinson played QB at Oklahoma State from 2006 to 2009. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Patriots but never attempted a regular-season pass across four seasons. Robinson then spent some time working as an analyst for Pro Football Focus before joining Sean McVay's Rams in 2019 as assistant QB coach. Robinson worked his way up to QB coach and passing-game coordinator over the last two seasons, but this will be his first time calling plays. Robinson's new offense has plenty of skill-position talent in RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, and TE Kyle Pitts, but QB remains a major question mark. Atlanta currently holds the eighth overall pick in this spring's draft.

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson posted 15 carries for 75 rushing yards in Week 17 vs. the Bears. The rookie was also able to haul in 3 of 4 targets for 11 yards as a receiver in the contest. Though Robinson’s debut campaign had its complications, he’s on pace to become the 17th rookie RB to accumulate 1,000 rushing yards in a season since 2013 and sits as the RB12 overall in PPR scoring. It’s not quite the dominant “2016 Ezekiel Elliott” first season that fantasy managers had hoped for, but it’s encouraging enough to remain optimistic about Robinson as a high-end RB1 in dynasty formats. The biggest potential boon for his value would be if Atlanta chose to move on from HC Arthur Smith after the season and allowed Robinson the opportunity to take on a larger workshare instead of splitting with teammate Tyler Allgeier. Be sure to keep up with us on that front as we head into 2024.

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson rushed a team-high 12 times for 72 yards in Sunday's win over the Colts. He added team highs in targets (10), receptions (7), and receiving yards (50). That followed his 7-carry, 1-catch Week 15 but marked his fourth game of 19+ touches among the past six contests. Robinson didn't find the end zone, watching RB Tyler Allgeier log the team's only rushing score. That came from 31 yards out, though. Robinson got all four RB opportunities from inside the 10-yard line for the game. That's good. It's less good that Allgeier garnered 9 carries and Cordarrelle Patterson 7 to Robinson's 12. Week 17 takes the Falcons to Chicago to face a defense that ranks third in rush DVOA.

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson finished the Week 15 loss to Carolina with seven carries for 11 yards and one catch for three yards. His 59% snap rate was his lowest in a healthy game all season. RBs Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson combined for 19 carries and four targets. It was a major letdown and surprise after Robinson averaged 16.5 carries and 5.0 targets over his previous four games. Fantasy owners who survived this dud will need to go back to Robinson in Week 16, barring any news about an injury that we haven't heard about yet. The rookie gets a plus matchup vs. the Colts' 31st-ranked RB defense. Week 17 brings a much tougher draw vs. Chicago.