With New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram shelved after suffering a broken hand—which required surgery—during the team's Week 2 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Khiry Robinson became a sexy waiver-wire addition for fantasy owners. Unfortunately, his Week 3 performance against the Minnesota Vikings wasn't exactly comforting.
Robinson was given the lion's share of work out of the backfield against an average Minnesota Vikings run defense during a game in which the Saints maintained the lead for almost 55 minutes. That situation should have led to some massive fantasy numbers, but that just wasn't the case.
Receiving 18 carries, the ball-carrier rushed for 69 yards—an average of 3.8 yards per carry—and zero touchdowns. Making matters worse, he wasn't involved in the passing game whatsoever. In fact, Pierre Thomas looked like the more reliable running back for fantasy purposes. Thomas rushed eight times, gaining 30 yards and a score while adding three receptions for 21 yards.
The most unfavorable of those statistics to Robinson's fantasy value is Thomas' goal-line carry—and score—in the first quarter. Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports tweeted the occurrence:
As frustrating as that was, fantasy owners shouldn't panic over that carry, as New Orleans decided to snap the ball quickly after his previous reception took the team down to the 1-yard line.
Had the team decided to huddle, Robinson probably would have received the carry.
So, what does all of this mean moving forward?
Well, first off, we have to figure out Ingram's timeline to return. Head coach Sean Payton spoke with Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com and sounded optimistic, calling the injury "week to week."
Although, ESPN Insider Adam Schefter heard otherwise:
It sure sounds as though Ingram may miss a couple more weeks. If that's the case, Robinson has some more favorable matchups in the near future. The Saints take on the Dallas Cowboys—who are allowing an average of 110 rushing yards per game—in Week 4 and follow that up with a Week 5 contest against a terrible Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.
These matchups will give Robinson a legitimate chance to rebound from a mediocre performance in Week 3, and fantasy owners shouldn't hesitate to roll with him as an RB2 or flex option. At this point, we should be considering Robinson a spot starter, and the next two weeks could yield some big fantasy points.
Rotoworld's Adam Levitan tweeted a reason to continue to have faith in the running back, comparing Robinson's 2013 performance to several solid running backs:
If you're a savvy fantasy owner who is partial to wheeling and dealing, keep your eyes open in the near future, as Robinson will become excellent trade bait for running back-needy owners. When Ingram returns, he should be expected to supplant Robinson as the team's starter—after all, he's averaging 6.0 yards per carry this season—so don't hesitate to unload Robinson while you can.
Once Ingram returns, Robinson's value will be reduced to a handcuff, so sell while his value is high.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1x3n2br
via IFTTT September 22, 2014 at 04:32PM
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