The Jets acted quickly after rookie running back Breece Hall suffered a season-ending ACL injury on Sunday. New York acquired James Robinson from Jacksonville for a conditional sixth-round pick on Monday night.
The standout rookie broke out for 97 yards in Week 5, 116 in Week 6, and had a 62-yard touchdown prior to the injury on Sunday. He was leading the way on the ground for a surprising Jets team.
Faraz Siddiqi and Zach Rizzuto of the Audacy Original Podcast “Upper Hand Fantasy” talked about what this trade means for the Jets and fantasy managers alike.
Michael Carter has been a decent complementary back so far this season with 228 yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries. The Jets may have decided to run with him if they weren’t off to such a great start.
Robinson broke into the league in 2020 as an undrafted rookie and ran for over 1,000 yards. He picked up 767 yards on the ground last season and has 340 yards on 81 carries through seven games this year.
It’s unclear which running back will hold more value in the long run, but it may be better to stick with the guy that’s been there all season
“If I had to pick between Michael Carter and James Robinson being the fantasy-relevant running back – if only one of them’s going to be fantasy-relevant – I would go with Michael Carter. I think he’s going to get the passing work. I think James Robinson is more of the early-down guy,” Rizzuto said.
“They felt they need, I think, the Jets to replace what they lost with Breece Hall, who is a very good early-down running back and he was obviously a really good talent – he could also catch the ball and do that,” he continued. “But if they want to talk about just filling a role in the offense that they don’t have anymore, I think they brought in James Robinson to do that. I think that Michael Carter is still the guy to have.”
Siddiqi echoed those sentiments.
“I could see James Robinson being the early-down guy. I could see him being the goal-line guy. This is a team that is playing good defense and they probably want to continue to run the ball, and I don’t see one running back just running away with the carries,” he said. “I don’t think that one of these guys is just going to completely stand out. I do think Michael Carter is the more talented back, but it’s possible that they don’t view him as an early-down option to be the primary early-down option at least.”
We’ll get a better idea of how these two will be used in the coming weeks. For now, Robinson, Carter, and the rest of the Jets are preparing to host their division-rival Patriots on Sunday.
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