For most of the fantasy football season, Bijan Robinson has been a frustrating player. He’s tied to a maddening offense, a mercurial coach and an erratic role.
But there’s no ignoring the Robinson rampage from Week 12. He’s starting to look like a league-winner.
Robinson was the dominant fantasy player in Sunday's early window, rolling up 123 total yards and a couple of touchdowns in a 24-15 victory over New Orleans. Robinson had one touchdown by ground, one by air, and succeeded in a number of Atlanta offensive sets. Sometimes the Falcons were under center, sometimes in the shotgun or pistol. The offensive line pushed New Orleans around, and when Robinson has time to get a head of steam and pick his lane, exciting things happen.
Peruse the Robinson tape, see what you make of it. Robinson wasn't touched on his first touchdown, a mix of dynamic blocking and Robinson's world-class burst. The second score was a nifty timing throw from up-and-down quarterback Desmond Ridder, which turned into the game-clinching points.
Robinson posted plenty of solid fantasy games before this week, but we were still waiting for that monster performance. His best half-point PPR grading through the first 10 weeks was a couple of RB8 showings in the first two weeks. Sunday's 25.8 points slotted him as the RB3 in Yahoo scoring as we go to press, trailing just Christian McCaffrey and Kyren Williams on the week.
Robinson was a common name mentioned in Sunday's start-sit discussions. That's probably come to an end now. The Falcons are leaning into him for the stretch run, and the remaining schedule looks delightful. Four of Robinson's next five opponents — the Jets, Panthers, Colts and Bears — rank in the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to running backs. The only tricky mark on the schedule is the Week 14 home date against Tampa Bay — and heck, the Buccaneers didn't keep Jonathan Taylor down Sunday.
Tough to trust other Falcons
I wish I could emphatically endorse the rest of the Atlanta offense. It’s still a hit-and-miss group. Drake London was impressive on a 5-91-0 afternoon, absorbing seven targets. That’s 33% percent of the passing-game pie here, but it’s a small pie — the Falcons only attempted 21 passes. Desmond Ridder threw a couple of bad picks, and you get the idea the Atlanta coaches view Ridder as a quarterback who needs to be carefully managed.
And with London and Robinson combining for 13 targets, there wasn’t much room for other Atlanta players. Kyle Pitts caught both of his targets, for 22 yards. The Falcons haven’t unlocked him all year. He's no longer a fantasy consideration in most pools.
Missed opportunities for Saints
The Saints offense had no trouble moving the ball (444 yards, 22 first downs), but left a bunch of points on the field, failing to get into the end zone. Injuries didn’t help. Chris Olave was dominating (7-114-0, nine targets) before a third-quarter concussion ended his day. Raheed Shaheed (2-9-0, five targets) suffered a second-quarter hamstring injury and didn’t return, either.
Alvin Kamara is stuck on three touchdowns, but at least volume carried him to a passable fantasy score (15-69 rushing, 4-50 receiving). Derek Carr killed one drive with an interception, and Taysom Hill lost a fumble.
The Falcons and Saints are now tied for the NFC South lead, both teams at 5-6. Although the Buccaneers still have a shot, just a game back, it’s likely the New Orleans-Atlanta rematch Week 18 will be for the divisional title, perhaps flexed into the evening slot.
Maybe watching Arthur Smith coach in prime time isn't your idea of a party. But Bijan Robinson is ready to take a sad song and make it better.
Editor's note: This story will continue to be updated with more fantasy analysis from Week 12.