Fantasy
10/24/22
3 min read
Fantasy Impact of James Robinson Trade From Jaguars to Jets
If the season ended today, the 5-2 Jets would be the fifth seed in the AFC playoff race. Offensive Rookie of the Year contender Breece Hall has been one of the primary catalysts behind that success. Unfortunately for Hall, Jets enthusiasts, and really anyone who loves the game of football, Hall will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL that he suffered last week in Denver.
That’s why New York just sent a conditional sixth-round pick to Jacksonville for running back James Robinson. Let’s take a look at how that trade impacts fantasy football for both the Jets' and Jaguars' backfields.
The Jets' Backfield
The Jets have been a run-centric offense over the last month, one that needs two quality running backs. Since Zach Wilson returned to action in Week 4 he’s had 101 passing attempts, while Jets running backs have totaled 98 carries. If the Jets keep up that type of run-to-pass ratio, two running backs could consistently breach double-digit carries every week.
We can reasonably expect Michael Carter to lead the Jets' backfield for the rest of this season. Carter was already on flex radars when Hall was active. Now, Carter is in line for double-digit carries and multiple targets every week. Carter is a solid RB2 option going forward.
Ty Johnson was the next man up behind Carter before this trade. We can expect Johnson to see some role expansion this week against the Patriots and perhaps the following week against Buffalo. The Jets then enter their bye in Week 10. From there, we can reasonably expect Robinson to be a consistent factor in the Jets’ offense. Barring anything unforeseen, Robinson is going to roughly split carries with Carter while Carter has a larger, more consistent role in the passing game. In a best-case scenario for Robinson, he takes a slight lead in carries per game over Carter while seeing a similar share of high-value touches inside the ten.
The Jaguars' Backfield
Robinson began the year as the primary runner for Jacksonville through the first three weeks. Since then, his run-heavy usage has started to decrease, while Travis Etienne’s has been on the rise. Robinson’s trade is very good news for Etienne, who is a premium RB2 that’s now bordering on RB1 territory. In deep leagues, former 49ers running back JaMycal Hasty could see some role expansion as Etienne’s direct backup. If Etienne were to miss any time, Hasty would be positioned to take over the passing game role in the Jaguars' backfield. No. 154 overall pick Snoop Conner should see more looks as the season progresses, and is now an interesting stash in leagues with very deep rosters.
