Bijan Robinson might be a top-three lock for fantasy football redraft as the best running back option besides Saquon Barkley in all formats. Even after a rough 2024 start with Kirk Cousins, he finished as a top back with Michael Penix Jr. taking over at quarterback.
While Bijan is behind Barkley in half-PPR and standard, he does carry the high-volume ceiling as a receiver that other running backs don’t have, Saquon included. In PPR, there’s a case to be made that he should be the 1.01 selection in redraft, even over Barkley and potentially a wide receiver like Ja’Marr Chase. Here is why the upside case for him is so high with Penix under center.
Bijan Robinson 2024 Stats and Fantasy Production
The 23-year-old Pro Bowl running back followed up his rookie year with an elite season, yet there were more opportunities for him left on the table. However, due to bad quarterback play and the offense at times struggling, he had lower upside for the majority of the season. Still, Bijan was a top-three back for fantasy in 2024 as the former 8th overall draft pick, as he improved from being the 9th-ranked back in PPR for fantasy as a rookie, according to Fantasy Pros.
The first five weeks of Bijan were rough, as he finished outside the top 15. But from Week 6 on, he just had two weeks where he wasn’t in the top 10 at the position. But the last three weeks, with Penix taking over Cousins, the star running back finished 8th, 3rd, and 2nd consecutively. He had 1,456 yards on the ground and 431 receiving yards with 61 catches. This is on top of 14 rushing and one receiving touchdown with just one fumble.
Whether that was matchup-based or not, Bijan’s touchdown rate went up in a small sample size with a trio of two rushing touchdowns. He only had two other games with more than a touchdown in 2024, and with his usage spike midseason, along with better offensive efficiency, Bijan should be the lead back under Zac Robinson in year two for 2025.
Bijan Robinson 2025 Fantasy Outlook
The Falcons mostly have Drake London and Darnell Mooney as the main target getters in Atlanta, with some Kyle Pitts here and there. But with not many changes up front and with the weapons, there’s no reason why Bijan can’t repeat last season and improve upon it. While their defense got better, they should still get into shootouts and high-scoring games, especially within their division.
The NFC South, across the board, had bad run defenses last year or were matchups he exploited, and that will bode well for Bijan entering his third year. While Jahmyr Gibbs is the other back in the top tier of backs along with Barkley, he will have a new offensive coordinator in former Denver Broncos passing game coordinator John Morton, replacing now Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Final Thoughts
While some may have been disappointed with Bijan’s start to the 2024 season, fear not, as that shouldn’t be a factor with the group in year two. With the 5th-best strength of schedule for running backs on paper, he should be a no-brainer pick in the top three for fantasy football redraft, but especially in PPR.
The one thing that has helped split his workload, but taken away some production, is Tyler Allgeier, who was a factor earlier in the season last year and the season before. But by the middle of the year, he was essentially phased out and was seeing less work as the backup, mainly. Allgeier can still be a viable handcuff for 2025 at the very least.
While Saquon had the highlight reel runs and Philly’s offensive line can be impossible to stop, the one positive Bijan has over both Barkley and Gibbs is injuries. Bijan has only missed a game each year, while Saquon and Gibbs have had a few. With the workload he is projected to get, that could be a sign that we mention his name at the top in next year’s redraft leagues.
