Bijan Robinson vs Christian McCaffrey

“Robinson is viewed as a clear extension priority for the Falcons, who are poised to take the interesting step of firing a GM but extending his first three first-round picks.”

“Allgeier is familiar with backing up an elite running back prospect, as he shared time with Bijan Robinson in Atlanta for three seasons.”

“Robinson has been a fantasy star since entering the NFL, posting a top-12 non-PPR finish every year of his career. Furthermore, the former Texas star finished as the RB4 in 2024 and the RB3 last season despite totaling only seven rushing touchdowns. Yet, the superstar had 366 touches for 2,298 scrimmage yards despite splitting work with Tyler Allgeier.”

“Many executives around the league believe Atlanta's former coaching staff under Raheem Morris "tamped down the production" of Robinson. Executives think the running back will get an extension before Week 1, with one anonymous executive stating: "If you tagged Pitts and you extended London, that tells me Bijan is next. He's the best football player on that roster."”

“Bijan Robinson is the top taken player according to Yahoo's mock auction data. He is projected to have a value of $62, meaning Yahoo thinks $62 is a spot-on price for what his stats are projected to be. But Bijan is going for an average auction value of $71.4. That's over 15% higher than his projection!”

“He also appeared on 18.5% of champion teams, according to FantasyPros' league sync tool. That was the highest percentage of any player.”

“Where Robinson can take the leap is simple — touchdowns. Robinson scored only seven rushing touchdowns, which resulted in the lowest touchdown rate (2.4%) among the top seven running backs in fantasy.”

“Last year's PPR RB2 in fantasy points per game, and now free from Tyler Allgeier, Bijan Robinson feels primed to take a big step forward in 2026. Robinson led the league in missed tackles forced (75), with 27 more than any other player, while also ranking in the top five in rushing yards, explosive run rate and yards per carry, while topping the league in yards after contact per attempt (3.06).”

“Gainwell ranked fourth among all backs in receptions in 2025, trailing only the dual-threat elites of Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs.”

“Bijan Robinson got the nod at 1.01 here. Worm pointed directly to Atlanta's new play caller and Robinson's elite talent profile as the deciding factors. Even in a three-receiver league where someone like Ja'Marr Chase could easily justify the top spot, Robinson's combination of workload and explosiveness ultimately won out.”

“Atlanta's coaching changes could finally unlock the every-down role fantasy managers have been waiting for. Robinson has already produced elite numbers despite sharing goal-line work in previous seasons. If that usage shifts fully in his favor, he could challenge for the overall RB1 finish in fantasy football.”

“If you have him and Bijan Robinson on opposite sides, those are two guys that can house it from anywhere on the field.”

“Christian McCaffrey is coming off quite a poor year by his standards in the ground game, rushing for 3.9 yards per carry, his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina. But for fantasy purposes, that simply didn't matter, as McCaffrey saw 129 targets, more than A.J. Brown, Courtland Sutton, Keenan Allen or Zay Flowers had. McCaffrey was the RB1 in points per game, scoring 2.5 points more than the RB2.”

“It's true that Christian McCaffrey is coming off quite a poor year by his standards in the ground game, rushing for 3.9 yards per carry, his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina, which ranked 48th among running backs with 50+ rush attempts, while also ranking 47th in yards after contact per attempt.”

“McCaffrey saw 129 targets, more than A.J. Brown, Courtland Sutton, Keenan Allen or Zay Flowers had. McCaffrey was the RB1 in points per game, scoring 2.5 points more than the RB2.”

“But for fantasy purposes, that simply didn't matter, as McCaffrey saw 129 targets, more than A.J. Brown, Courtland Sutton, Keenan Allen or Zay Flowers had. McCaffrey was the RB1 in points per game, scoring 2.5 points more than the RB2.”

“It's true that Christian McCaffrey is coming off quite a poor year by his standards in the ground game, rushing for 3.9 yards per carry, his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina. This ranked 48th among running backs with 50+ rush attempts, while also ranking 47th in yards after contact per attempt and 29th in missed tackles forced.”

“McCaffrey recently turned 30, and while he can maintain his value in the receiving game, the cliff edge can come fast for running backs.”

“McCaffrey is coming off one of his worst rushing performances of his career, averaging 3.9 yards per carry, his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina. This ranked 48th among running backs with 50+ rush attempts. He also ranked 47th in yards after contact per attempt and 29th in missed tackles forced.”

“Last season, Christian McCaffrey finished as the RB1, averaging 24.5 PPR fantasy points per game, totaling 45.8 more fantasy points than any other running back. However, McCaffrey had 413 regular-season touches last year, a career-high. Unfortunately, the last time he had over 375 touches in a season, McCaffrey missed 13 games the following year.”

“McCaffrey says he's had heavy workload seasons where he felt rough after and some he felt great after, making it all about how he prepares mixed with some luck. "Sometimes you can get through a season with 400-plus touches and feel great, and sometimes you might only put in three games and you feel terrible. I've experienced both."”

“Coming off a year where McCaffrey had five games with at least 30 touches, HC Kyle Shanahan has talked about reducing the star's workload as he ages. McCaffrey said he obviously doesn't want the ball less, but he's still preparing his body to be ready to handle 35 touches a game.”

“McCaffrey turns 30 on June 7th, and while 129 targets last year isn't to be sniffed at, this bet does feel slightly thin at times. McCaffrey is a stronger pick slightly later than this.”

“The trouble is that McCaffrey PPR scammed his way to first place with his worst rushing production in a while. His 3.9 yards per carry was his lowest mark since 2020 in Carolina. This ranked 48th among running backs with 50+ rush attempts, while also ranking 47th in yards after contact per attempt and 29th in missed tackles forced.”