The Washington Commanders were either going to release or trade their presumptive starting running back after the team let it be known they were ready to move on this week. And thankfully for them, they’ve found a trade partner in the San Francisco 49ers, per ESPN’s Nicki Jhabvala. The 49ers reportedly will send a 2026 sixth-round pick for the third-year back.
The team apparently began to sour on Robinson toward the end of last season, but they didn’t spend much draft capital on running backs, opting to wait until the 7th round to take Jacory Croskey-Merritt with Pick 245. The good news for Washington is that Croskey-Merrit has proven his worth in trainmen camp and preseason, giving the team the flexibility to move on from Robinson.
Commanders backfield fantasy fallout
With Robinson out of the picture, the team now has Chris Rodriguez, Austin Ekeler, Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols as their top 3 backs. There are 225 touches vacated with Robinson gone, giving someone a big boost in work this year.
We know Ekeler isn’t going anywhere and should remain the top gut on third downs and the 4 minute drill, while the team likely looks to find the best fit for the early down role between Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt. Rodriguez hasn’t had enough work to prove himself as the no-doubt lead back going into his third year. He’s even been sent to the practice squad a couple times. Neither back has great draft capital, as Rodriguez went in the sixth round, so I expect Croskey-Merritt to get his shot at the job. That doesn’t mean Rodriguez won’t be the starter come Week 1, but I do like the rookie’s upside to take over the lead role as the season goes on. He’ll be worth grabbing in redraft unless his ADP skyrockets after this news.
49ers backfield fantasy fallout
Last season Robinson rushed 205 times for 797 yards and eight touchdowns, while catching 20-of-25 targets for 159 extra yards through 12 starts. It was his best season in Washington statistically despite the shortened season. The 49ers backfield is constantly in flux because their backs can’t seem to stay healthy. Last season Christian McCaffrey only played four games due to injuries, but is again slated to start. Behind him are second year player Isaac Guerendo and rookie Jordan James. Both have dealt with injuries this offseason, and when you add in McCaffrey’s injury risk, getting Robinson feels like a precaution.
Robinson isn’t a great runner by any means, but his ability between the tackles as a lead back is good enough, and could be really good in a Kyle Shanahan schemed run game. Guerendo played well in relief of McCaffrey last season and recently returned to practice. He should remain the RB2 for now, while Robinson mixes in to compete for that job as we start the season. This makes both Robinson and Gurendo decent late picks due to CMC’s injury history and Shanahan’s history of turning the majority of his running backs into fantasy starters.
