The darling of your fantasy leagues and player you either flipped for a massive gain in dynasty or rode to a title, RB James Robinson, the UDFA from Illinois State, stole the show this season for the Jacksonville Jaguars and proved he could be a true workhorse in the NFL. With no draft capital, will the Jaguars look to replace him in the 2021 draft?
2020 SEASON RECAP
Robinson started the year as an unheralded free agent who promptly allowed the Jags to cut former top-four pick Leonard Fournette. Many speculated that Devine Ozigbo could be the back to take the lead, but Robinson landed the starting gig and never looked back.
Robinson only saw a sub-50% snap share in two contests this year (and he scored 21.0 and 30.9 PPR points in those contests). Robinson proved to be every bit the RB that the Jags could lean on through a tough season in both the passing game (49 receptions) and run game (240 carries). Mostly playing in negative game scripts, it was speculated that receiving back Dare Ogunbowale might lead the RB room, but Robinson proved time and time again that he was the true workhorse.
Robinson played in 14 of 15 fantasy contests before missing Week 16 with an ankle injury. Despite seeing a massive workload in year one, Robinson appears to be durable.
| Attempts | Yards | Rush TDs | YPC | Targets | Rec | Yards | Rec TDs | PPR Total | RB Finish |
| 240 | 1070 | 7 | 4.46 | 60 | 49 | 344 | 3 | 250.4 | RB7 |
THE WAY FORWARD
Talk about a story! Robinson looked every bit an elite NFL back during his rookie season despite having numerous factors stacked against him. No offseason, former first-round pick ahead on the depth chart, negative game script, you name it, Robinson overcame it. Going forward, Robinson should be the workhorse in this offense. You will read speculation that the Jags, who are flush with draft capital, could add a high round RB to compete with Robinson. If I were the GM of the Jaguars, I would be playing Robinson until the wheels fell off. His contract is ridiculously cheap, and he has proven he can dominate in the NFL game.
Add in the presumptive first pick of QB Trevor Lawrence and likely an offensive-minded coach to groom Lawrence, the Jags offense could be on a rocket-like trajectory into 2021 and beyond. If you didn’t acquire Robinson early in the season, you might be too late. Robinson should maintain his top 15 status in 2021.
