James Robinson's fantasy outlook: Should you drop him?

James Robinson was ninth among running backs in the NFL last year with eight rushing touchdowns. A sizable portion of his fantasy points came inside the 20-yard zone. Robinson also participated in 42.1 percent of Jacksonville's rushes in the end zone.

In the first three games of this season, the Jags mainly relied on Robinson, but in games four and five, Travis Etienne eventually outperformed him.

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James Robinson's stats and fantasy points

Robinson has been one of the most reliable running backs for fantasy football managers ever since signing as an undrafted free agent for Jacksonville.

The 24-year-old running back nearly had consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons and scored 15 rushing touchdowns in his first two years. Unfortunately, Robinson's 2021-22 campaign ended prematurely due to a left Achilles problem that arose in December.

After scoring a touchdown in the first three games of 2022, Robinson's feel-good early-season story about recovering from an Achilles injury might have come crumbling down. Robinson only carried 18 times for 56 yards in Weeks 4 and 5, dropping from 51 times for 230 yards and three touchdowns in games 1-3.

In Game 5's 13-6 defeat to the Texans, James Robinson gained 27 yards on 10 carries and added another 12 yards by catching both of his targets.

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Should you drop James Robinson?

Robinson's decline this year has continued as his turnover has decreased from 61.8% to 43.1% over the past four matches. As a result, in consecutive weeks, he came in outside the top 48 RBs. In addition, his yards after contact per attempt have decreased every week since the second game, and his effectiveness has continued to drop.

Robinson hasn't rushed for more than 10 yards since the third game. The only advantage Robinson still has left over Etienne is redzone production. He has recorded an average of 13.4 touches and 61.3 total yards since the third game.

It's unclear how the backfield will turn out as Travis Etienne appears to be Jacksonville's new focal point. Fantasy owners who can afford to leave Robinson on the bench would be right to do so. The back's production will likely decrease as Etienne's presence becomes all the more central to the Jags' offense.