Brian Robinson injury: What status means for Week 5 fantasy football

Final Update: Robinson is ACTIVE on Sunday and will make his NFL debut.

Game day Update: Robinson is expected to make his NFL debut on Sunday, per Adam Schefter.

Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson returned to practice for the first time since suffering a gunshot wound at the end of August. Washington designated Robinson as eligible to return to practice on Wednesday, and he was with the team on the field to close out the week. Head coach Ron Rivera said this week that he expects the rookie to be available for the team’s Week 5 tilt with the Tennessee Titans. On Saturday, the team officially activated him.

There’s no official injury designation for Robinson since he’s coming back from the reserve/non-football injury list. But reports from the practice field seemed to indicate that Robinson picked up where he left off, impressing the coaches and everyone watching.

Fantasy football implications

The question for Sunday is just how much he’ll play. From a fantasy football perspective, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team ease him into the mix since he hasn’t practice or played in over a month. Still, it could be enough work to make Antonio Gibson a less attractive option for fantasy lineups. JD McKissic could still have his role as the pass catching specialist out of the backfield, though he’s not been especially productive himself.

Over the coming weeks, the expectation is that Robinson will eventually take over as Washington’s lead running back.