Until the injury to Travis Etienne, it appeared that James Robinson would not have a repeat of his excellent 2020 season in which he took the league by storm. But with Etienne in town, Robinson’s receiving upside was expected to take a hit. Now with Etienne out for the season, how high can Robinson finish at the running back position in 2021? We will do an in-depth look into his 2020 season and project where he will finish in 2021 fantasy football rankings.
2021 Fantasy Football Player Previews: James Robinson
| PPR Finish in 2020 | Half-PPR Finish in 2020 | Standard Finish in 2020 |
| RB #7 | RB #7 | RB #7 |
| PPR PPG Finish in 2020 | Half-PPR PPG Finish in 2020 | Standard PPG Finish in 2020 |
| RB #7 | RB #8 | RB #9 |
The Jaguars Backfield in 2020
Before Jacksonville cut Leonard Fournette, no one had any idea who Robinson was. Ryquell Armstead was thought to be the guy for Jacksonville after the release of Fournette, but he was put on COVID IR. Then everyone was beating the drum for Chris Thompson to be the guy. Instead, Robinson exploded out the gate and ran for over 1,000 yards.
Robinson’s Production in 2020
Robinson had excellent production on a team that ranked 32nd in run plays per game. That lack of volume rarely produces top-10 running backs in all formats, but that is exactly what Robinson did. He had 240 carries (sixth) for 1,070 yards (fifth) and 49 receptions (eighth among backs) for 344 yards (13th) and 10 total touchdowns (ninth).
Is Robinson an Efficient Runner?
Considering Robinson finished as a top-10 running back in all scoring settings, he had to be somewhat efficient. But Robinson was not as efficient as one would think. He ranked 32nd with 4.3 true yards per carry, which discounts all runs greater than 10 yards. He also ranked low when it came to breakaway run rate, only busting carries of 15 or more yards 2.9% of the time (48th).
Robinson’s Outlook in 2021
It is safe to say that with Etienne out Robinson’s true upside will be unleashed. But there are still concerns, mostly with Carlos Hyde. While Hyde is not anywhere near as skilled as Robinson, he will still be utilized. That does not mean that Robinson will be a bad pick, but it does mean that unless Urban Meyer feeds Robinson, he will likely just finish somewhere in the range of RB13 to 24. The verdict here is to draft Robinson but understand that Meyer may hold him back from a top-12 finish like last season.
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