Allen Robinson Fantasy Impact On The Rams 2022

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Allen Robinson Fantasy 2022

Allen Robinson recently signed a 3-year, $46.5M deal with the Los Angeles Rams, including over $30M guaranteed. This contract places Robinson within the top-20 in average yearly salaries for WRs and earns him more guaranteed money than names like Kenny Golladay and Davante Adams. 

Now, Robinson is stepping into the clear WR2 role in a high-upside Rams offense, playing opposite Cooper Kupp. So, what are the expectations for Allen Robinson heading into the 2022 season? In this article, I will outline how signing with Los Angeles could revitalize Allen Robinson’s career in 2022.

What Do The Odds Say?

Despite being the Super Bowl LVI Champions, the LA Rams aren’t frontrunners in a number of categories in many United States sportsbooks. The Rams are in a three-way tie with the Chiefs and Packers to win next year’s Super Bowl (+1000) behind the Bills and Bucs. Matthews Stafford is tied for 8th for MVP and 5th for being the passing yards leader.

There aren’t any over/under receiving totals out yet when it comes to Allen Robinson himself, but with training camp starting shortly we could have projections very soon. If you are in the U.S. and are interested to know whether you are in a state where sports betting online is legal, you can find the list here.

Context For Allen Robinson’s 2021 Season

Allen Robinson finished as a top-12 WR overall and top-15 in PPG in both 2019 and 2020, while also commanding a target share over 25% in both years. Then, last season, Robinson was playing with rookie QB Justin Fields, missed three games with a hamstring injury and two games due to COVID, plus was rumored to have considered holding out for a contract extension. Due to all these factors, Allen Robinson’s target share dropped significantly in 2021:

However, when only looking at games where Robinson was healthy, this 2021 target share jumps to 18.6%. While this may not be outstanding, this shows us that even when some consider Allen Robinson to be “washed,” he’s still commanding enough targets to make an impact when playing. Furthermore, the Rams showed us how they felt about Allen Robinson’s talent when they signed him to a major contract immediately following the worst statistical season of his career, with 400 YDs and 1 TD over 12 games.

I truly believe that despite the down year, Allen Robinson is still a great wide receiver. Best of all, he now has an immediate opportunity to succeed as the Los Angeles Rams WR2 in 2022.

Los Angeles Rams’ 2021 WR2

Of course, Cooper Kupp will continue to be the main target on this offense. We already saw the insane rapport Kupp was able to build with new QB Matthew Stafford last year, and there is no reason to believe that this will change dramatically in 2022. However, there is still a massive opportunity available for the WR opposite Kupp to succeed in fantasy football.

Last season, Robert Woods was the WR11 through Week 9, before unfortunately suffering an ACL tear during practice. Then, Odell Beckham Jr. joined the Rams mid-season to take that exact role. While OBJ was still getting acclimated to the new scheme in his first game (Week 10), after their Week 11 bye, he became a pivotal piece of the offense:

Despite Kupp commanding well over 30% of the team’s target share, the second receiver consistently earned a 20% share, no matter who was at the helm. Now, this Rams WR2 role is being held by none other than Allen Robinson.

Expectations For Allen Robinson in 2022

As someone who has consistently seen the 25%+ target share mark throughout his career, I have no doubts that even after his down year, Allen Robinson can and will creep back into the low-20% range. We already saw how the Rams were able to revitalize OBJ’s career last season, and Robinson could easily follow the exact same path back to relevance. Furthermore, we saw both Woods and OBJ perform in this same role at 29 years old, just like Robinson will be heading into 2022. 

I’m fully willing to throw Robinson’s 2021 season in the trash based on all the weird factors affecting his performance, including the terrible QB play, injuries, COVID, and more. Now, he gets to step into a brand new offense in the Los Angeles Rams, and he is playing alongside one of the best WRs in the league to take attention away from him. Robinson is in a great position to succeed as the Rams WR2 in 2022 fantasy football.

According to the Fantasy Football Calculator, Allen Robinson is currently being drafted as the WR32, behind Lockett, Renfrow, and Thielen. I’d draft Robinson ahead of all of those names, and would also have no issues drafting Robinson ahead of DeVonta Smith, Woods, or even Godwin, which would put him around WR20 in my ranks.