Is Bijan Robinson A Good Fit For The Falcons? Fantasy Football Outlook

Texas running back Bijan Robinson was the consensus pick 1.1 in rookie drafts taking place before anyone even knew what team he was going to be playing for. His complete skill set and elite ability to make cuts while running like a bell cow made him a generational talent.

Now he has gone No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons, making him the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley was taken No. 2 in 2018. With this much draft capital behind him and a run-heavy team picking him, people are excited.

So is Robinson a good pick for the Falcons? Will he shine as both a fantasy football league winner and a real-life star?

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Is Bijan Robinson a Good Fit with the Falcons?

Bijan Robinson joins a Falcons team with limited competition at the running back position. The Falcons drafted Tyler Allgeier in the fifth round of last year's draft. Allgeier was a walk-on at BYU and only ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, but he had a good rookie season, rushing for 1,035 yards on 210 carries.

The Falcons also have Cordarrelle Patterson, who had a career resurgence, gaining 1,166 yards from scrimmage in 2021, his first season in Atlanta. But Patterson is 32, and his usage diminished as last season went along.

No matter who picked him, Robinson was going to be the RB1. He's that talented, and no team would pick a running back in the first round if they didn't want to use him. But the Falcons backfield in particular will not be difficult for Robinson to conquer. Allgeier is a good backup running back. Patterson, who averaged just 9.4 carries per game in the final five games of 2022, is in the last year of his contract.

The Falcons averaged the second-most rushing attempts (32.9) and second-most rushing yards (159.9) per game last season, so the Falcons will have a lot of opportunities and can sustain multiple productive running backs.

Coach Arthur Smith commits to the run even when his team is losing. According to Dan Comer of the Ringer,

On the year, Atlanta is tied for first in early-down rush rate (64 percent), and they’re passing just 37 percent of the time in the second halves of games—the lowest rate of any team over the past 10 years. These numbers are shocking, especially when considering Atlanta enters the third quarter down by an average of four points per game.

 

What is Bijan Robinson's Fantasy Outlook with the Falcons?

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry led the league in rushing yards in both seasons Smith was offensive coordinator. It sure helped that Derrick Henry was, well, Derrick Henry, but Bijan Robinson is the caliber running back who could end up being at Henry's level.

Smith has already done good things with running backs of lesser talents. Allgeier finished 13th in rushing yards, although he was only RB28 in standard scoring because of his dearth of receiving yards and only three rushing touchdowns. Patterson was the RB12 in 2021 in standard scoring and the RB9 in PPR.

If Patterson and Allgeier could do that in the Atlanta offense, imagine what Robinson could do. Robinson ought to remain the 1.1.

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