One of the hardest landscapes to navigate in the fantasy football sphere is that of the running back position. For many teams this is the downfall of our seasons. It is a position that is hard to count on, as many games are lost to injury in a year. Unfortunately injuries or trades happen that stir every thing up. Most recently we have seen a few scenarios change drastically in the past few weeks. Due to this I am here to help break down the crazy headlines and give you the fact or fiction of the new situations. With this being said lets dive right in!
Travis Etienne Injury: James Robinson is an RB1?
Last season we saw a rookie undrafted free agent de throne a form first rounder in Jacksonville. He would go on to rush for over a thousand yards and produce 10 total touchdowns. Along with finishing as a top five fantasy back in PPR scoring. This player was James Robinson, he helped many of us win our championships. This offseason Urban Meyer chose to add Travis Etienne to the fold. He selected him in the first round of this years entry draft. For many this was writing on the wall, James Robinsons time may have been short lived in Jacksonville. Due to an unfortunate injury to Travis Etienne in the preseason James Robinson is back on top.
The newest headline is that Robinson should be in line for a similar season as last year, finishing as an RB1. I am here to say lets pump the brakes on that. Robinson proved he is very talented and can do everything you would like an NFL running back to do. However this season is a touch different than last, first off they have more competition in the back field with Carlos Hyde on the roster. Although a shadow of his former self he will still vulture some touches and most likely a few touchdowns from Robinson. As we should see and improved passing attack, this may reduce the over number of carries Robinson sees. I for see a solid RB2 finish this season for Robinson, so he is worth acquiring or if you still manage him, you are the benefit of a terrible situation.
Conclusion: Fiction
Sony Michel is the RB1 in LA?
Earlier this offseason we lost another budding star to a terrible injury, Cam Akers went down with an Achilles injury. This left the Rams looking for depth at a very shallow position on there roster. Many rushed to the wavier wire for players like Xavier Jones and Jake Funk. However this week we saw their chances deplete. The Rams went out and acquired former first rounder Sony Michel from the Patriots. This move has caused managers to start scrambling, and start thinking who is the RB1 Henderson or Michel.
My feelings here are very simple, Henderson should have the advantage having been in this system for a few years now. However the Rams keep trying to supplement, slash replace him. Sony Michel and Cam Akers are similar players, and have shown it over there careers. Both had a two 1000 yard season in college with a sup par year sandwiched in between. Also both players are similar sizes and have similar work out metrics. Not only that Playerprofiler.com has both Akers and Michel comped to Marlon Mack. I believe that Michels profile fits more of what Mcvay wants to do in Los Angeles, however I also think this is a RBBC again in 2021. Both of these backs will see viable weeks, however we may play the weekly guessing game on who it will be that week.
