One of the top wide receivers in the NFL and fantasy football, Los Angeles Rams WR Allen Robinson projects to be a potential value pick as his 2022 fantasy outlook rivals some of the better players in the game. With the NFL season and fantasy drafts closing in, what is Robinson’s fantasy outlook in 2022, and could he prove to be a value at his current ADP in fantasy football drafts?
Allen Robinson’s fantasy outlook for 2022
I’ve been on record for the past several years that Robinson is one of the most underrated elite receivers in the game. At one point, the guy made Blake Bortles look like a franchise QB. Like everything, the situation a player finds themself in is massive. Robinson was in about as rough of a situation as you could find the last few years. Yet, he succeeded — mostly.
Stuck in a stagnant Chicago Bears offense that lacked a stable QB, Robinson saw his yearly totals fall. After averaging 152.5 targets, 100 receptions, 1,198.5 yards, and 6.5 TDs in 2019 and 2020, Robinson was the WR82 last year (12 games). He caught just 38 passes (66 targets) for 410 yards with one touchdown.
To put all of this on Robinson, in my opinion, is wrong. Hardly anything went right for the Bears in what was Matt Nagy’s final season. Entering 2022, things could not be any more different for Robinson.
Following an offseason that saw more movement amongst the big names as we can remember, Robinson took his skills out west and joined the defending Super Bowl champion Rams on a three-year, $46.5 million contract that includes $30.7 million guaranteed. He steps in as the immediate No. 2 behind Cooper Kupp, taking the role Robert Woods and Odell Beckham Jr. held last year.
Allen Robinson walks into an incredible opportunity
What does this role look like? Well, in his nine games alongside Kupp, Woods averaged 7.7 targets, five receptions, 61.8 yards, 0.56 TDs, and 15.9 PPR points a game. That’s a 17-game pace of 130 targets, 85 receptions, 1,050 yards, 10 TDs, and 250 PPR points, which would have been good enough for WR12 ahead of Mike Williams.
The volume and opportunity are 100% there for Robinson to cash in, and he’s in the best spot of his career to smash for fantasy. Just one year removed from back-to-back top-10 finishes, Robinson is on the short list of players who could crack the WR1 range when the fantasy football season ends.
If players age 29 and older worry us so much, why is Kupp the undisputed No. 1, yet Robinson is written off as more deserving of AARP than a 20%+ target share in one of the NFL’s most powerful offenses? Something seems off there in this line of thinking. Do not overlook Robinson in 2022 based on the ineptitude of Nagy and the Bears last season.
How the Rams’ depth chart impacts Robinson’s fantasy projection for the season
Hands down, this is the most talented roster Robinson has ever been a part of. And for the first time, he does not need to be the guy. He just needs to be himself. That’s better than 90% of receivers in the league.
Offensively, Los Angeles is stacked. The Rams have Kupp coming off one of the greatest seasons ever for a receiver and is primed to repeat. Matthew Stafford showed the world how good he was after getting out of Detroit, throwing for a career-best 4,886 yards and 41 TDs as the QB5 in fantasy.
With Sean McVay, the Rams are once against title favorites and, if anything, got better. Add in a healthy Cam Akers and a third-year Van Jefferson, and the Rams shouldn’t miss a beat in 2022.
Defensively, the Rams should have no issue getting the ball back despite playing a champion-caliber schedule. Losing Von Miller to the Bills hurts, but Los Angeles added former All-Pro LB Bobby Wagner, giving them an elite player at all three levels of the defense. Jalen Ramsey is arguably still the top corner in the league, and Aaron Donald is the best defender — period. Top to bottom, this is a team to fear in 2022 as they challenge for another Lombardi Trophy.
Robinson’s ADP for 2022
With an ADP of 69, Robinson is coming off the boards as the WR29 in PPR formats at the moment, placing him right at the back-half of the fifth in 12-team fantasy leagues.
In PFN’s 2022 fantasy football rankings, Robinson comes in quite a bit higher due to the hopeful return to form as the WR20 and 48th overall ranked player, moving him into the fourth round. I’m even higher, which shouldn’t come as a shock if you made it this far. Robinson comes in as my WR16 for fantasy and No. 36 overall player for 2022.
That is lower than I had him at one point this summer, with him reaching high-end WR2 status, but cooler and calmer heads prevailed. Having seen what this offense is capable of unless you genuinely believe Robinson is, in fact, washed, I have a hard time seeing how he doesn’t explode in 2022.
I am by no means saying you need to draft Robinson as highly as I have him. He’s a better value at his ADP than in mine or our rankings. What I would suggest if you want Robinson on your fantasy roster is to consider reaching a bit over his current ADP. It only takes one person to be high on him to miss out. There are few players you can draft as a middle-round receiver with the upside of Robinson.