Fantasy football: Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. one of Week 9’s best plays

Brian Robinson could be in store for a big game in Week 9.

When setting up your fantasy lineups for Week 9, whether you play full-season fantasy or weekly fantasy, Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. should be on your radar.

Players like Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey (when healthy) receive all the headlines, other quality backs fall off the radar in fantasy. Robinson is one such example.

Robinson is battling a knee injury, but it shouldn’t keep him out of Sunday’s game. After all, Robinson loves playing New York. Robinson averages 83 rushing yards per contest in five career games against the Giants and 5.5 yards per attempt. Also, the Commanders have one of the NFL’s top three rushing offenses, while the Giants have a bottom-five run defense.

NFL.com’s fantasy preview for Week 9 believes Robinson is one of 10 players who will outperform his projected numbers:

One of the easier benchmarks for a player’s projected performance against an opponent is his previous performance against that same team. Robinson had 17 carries for 133 yards against the Giants in Week 2. He totaled 14.6 fantasy points without even finding the end zone. With that in mind, it’s hard to imagine why he’d be projected for just 11.8 points in the rematch.

Moreover, Robinson’s particular strength — rushing inside the tackles — is one of New York’s biggest weaknesses. According to Next Gen Stats, his +67 rush yards over expected on such runs is the fifth-most in the NFL, while Big Blue’s +163 inside rush yards allowed is the most of any defense. It’s a match made in heaven, making Robinson a surefire RB2 (at worst).

The Commanders successfully ran against the Giants in Week 2, and don’t expect that to change on Sunday. If you own Robinson, he’s a must-start on Sunday. If you play Daily Fantasy, add him now.