Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or James Robinson

Monday, March 11, 2:57 PM

Free-agent running back Saquon Barkley is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million deal. The deal includes $26 million in guaranteed money and has an additional $9 million available in incentives. After a 2018 rookie season that saw the former Penn State star go for over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, he has struggled to stay healthy over a chunk of the next five years of his career. He missed 21 games from 2019 to 2021. He bounced back in 2022 with 1,312 rushing yards but regressed to 962 yards in 14 games in 2023. However, the Eagles believe in him as a game-changing running back, as his average salary ($12.58 million) ranks only below Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jonathan Taylor. Although the Eagles' offensive line could take a hit after the retirement of Jason Kelce, Barkley should be playing behind the best offensive line of his career in 2024. He will have an immediate high-end RB1 upside in fantasy football.

Monday, January 8, 6:23 PM

The New Orleans Saints signed free-agent veteran running back James Robinson to a futures deal on Monday. The move to keep Robinson around heading into the 2024 season comes after he was added to New Orleans' practice squad in early December. The 25-year-old was brought in to provide running back depth behind Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams and rookie Kendre Miller, who missed Weeks 10-17 with an ankle sprain. Before landing a deal with the Saints, Robinson spent time with the Green Bay Packers' practice squad and was active in Week 13, only to see one carry for two yards while catching one pass for a loss of two yards against the Kansas City Chiefs. The former undrafted rookie free agent had a 1,000-yard season in his rookie year in 2020 with the Jacksonville Jaguars out of nowhere but hasn't been the same since and has been passed around the league as RB depth.