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The New York Jets are acquiring RB James Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars for draft picks, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Jets just lost rookie RB Breece Hall to a torn ACL sustained in Week 7 vs. the Denver Broncos. New York wanted to shore up the position with a chance to compete for a playoff spot this season. The Jets are 5-2 on the season and only trail the Buffalo Bills by 0.5 game for first place in the AFC East. The Jets are trading a conditional sixth-round draft pick, which can become a fifth-rounder, per multiple reports.
Robinson had started the season strong for the Jaguars after tearing his Achilles late in the 2021 season. Over two seasons with Jacksonville, Robinson had over 1,800 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He had 81 carries for 340 yards and three touchdowns this season prior to the trade. Robinson had become expendable with the emergence of second-year back Travis Etienne.
So what does this mean for the Jets and Jags in terms of fantasy football? Well, if you’re a manager of Etienne, congrats. You’re patience has paid off and he could pay dividends the rest of the fantasy season. Etienne had his best game of the season in Week 7 vs. the Giants, rushing for 114 yards and a TD. He should get the bulk of the snaps/targets/carries out of the backfield the rest of the season. JaMychal Hasty becomes the backup behind Etienne, so the former Niner could have some value as well.
For the Jets, you would think they would have been OK rolling with Michael Carter as the primary back. That’s a bit murky after this move. Robinson and Carter should form a time-share of sorts. Both are pretty well-rounded. Carter should see more work in the passing game. It’s tough to count on Carter being a lead back or even an RB2 in fantasy after this move. So Carter and Robinson are more FLEX plays until we get a good look at them together.