The Commanders welcome in the Steelers on Sunday as Pittsburgh returns from its bye week to take on the surprising NFC East leaders. Last week, Washington improved to 7-2 by beating the Giants in New York, and it got that win without starting running back Brian Robinson Jr. ($6,300; hamstring). Here’s the latest on Robinson’s potential return in Week 10, and how he can help Jayden Daniels ($7,500) and the Commanders keep marching to victories:
The latest on Brian Robinson Jr.
On Wednesday, coach Dan Quinn had good news about Robinson’s status:
Brian Robinson will practice today and Dan Quinn says signs are looking the right way to play vs the Steelers
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 6, 2024
If Robinson is able to play, I have him ranked as my No. 19 RB this week mostly due to a tough matchup and the fact that he could be eased back into a rotation. He definitely brings a much higher ceiling than that and has regularly ranked higher in my rankings throughout the season.
He has been the primary running back for the Commanders this season, scoring six touchdowns and averaging 15.0 fantasy points per game. He has averaged 14.4 carries per game but has only caught nine passes all season.
He’s a startable RB in most season-long formats but is touchdown-dependent since he doesn’t catch many passes.
For DFS contests like this week’s NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], Robinson is a solid play at just over $6,000, although he will need to find the end zone to be worth that price, and the Steelers have only given up five running back touchdowns in their eight games this season.
The Impact on the Commanders’ backfield
If Robinson is out or limited, Austin Ekeler ($5,800) would be a strong option after filling in last week with 17.3 fantasy points against the Giants. He finished with 42 rushing yards and 41 receiving yards while rushing for a score in the Commanders’ 27-22 win in New York.
Jeremy McNichols ($4,400) also got some extra carries on early downs and finished with 20 yards on eight carries, although he failed to bring in his only target. Chris Rodriguez Jr. ($4,300) was elevated from the practice squad due to Robinson’s injury and had 52 yards on his 11 carries. He is back on the practice squad but could be elevated again if Robinson has a setback or isn’t quite ready to play.
Ekeler is involved enough as a third-down option to still have some value if Robinson plays, but McNichols and Rodriguez would probably not.
The Bottom Line
Check back to be sure, but for now it seems that Robinson will be able to return and take over back as the Commanders’ top running back. His return will give Daniels his best playmakers in place as he continues to look to carry the Commanders back to the playoffs. Right now, the Commanders are 2.5-point home favorites in this matchup, -750 to make the playoffs and +1000 to win the NFC.
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