The Indianapolis Colts offense looked lost for most of Monday night’s 20-7 loss to the New York Jets, and fantasy football owners who were relying on their running backs were not rewarded.
Frank Gore and Josh Robinson failed to gain any traction against an imposing New York defensive front, which resulted in ugly fantasy numbers. Here is a look at their final tallies:
That marks two lackluster showings in a row for Gore after he ran for a meager 31 yards with no scores in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills. That would lead to panic time for many running backs around the league, but it is too early to give up on Gore.
Gore topped 1,000 rushing yards in eight of the last nine seasons, and the only he time didn’t during that stretch was in 2010, when he played only 11 games. Gore also boasts 64 career touchdown runs.
Those numbers are impossible to ignore, although Gore’s age is a concern at 32 years old, as are the 2,450 career carries he tallied coming into Monday’s contest. However, he is still getting used to a new offense after spending his entire career with the San Francisco 49ers, and the opposing defenses he has faced deserve plenty of credit.
The Bills were loaded up front with a defensive line that included Mario Williams, Kyle Williams and Jerry Hughes, and the Jets held the Cleveland Browns to 10 points and their three running backs (Duke Johnson Jr., Isaiah Crowell and Shaun Draughn) to a combined 46 rushing yards in Week 1.
Chase Stuart of FootballPerspective.com and Pro-Football-Reference.com was impressed with New York’s defense Monday:
Gore’s production was also limited by the fact that the Colts fell behind early in Week 1 against the Bills and were forced to throw more than they had likely planned to. In all, Gore notched eight carries in the game.
The bottom line is that Gore faced two formidable defenses in the first two contests and doesn’t appear to be fully comfortable with the Colts in the early going. Don’t ignore his track record yet, especially with showdowns against the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars looming.
The Titans were 31st in the league against the run in 2014, while Jacksonville checked in at 27th. If Gore struggles against those groups as well, you can consider taking him out of your lineup. Until then, trust the production.
As for the rookie Robinson, he is clearly behind Gore on the depth chart. He notched only four carries in the first game and appeared sparingly for most of Monday’s contest.
Talent is not the question for the shifty 5’8” back after he posted 1,203 rushing yards, 370 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns for Mississippi State in 2014. However, early indications suggest he is not going to see many opportunities in an offense that is loaded with playmakers.
With Gore as the No. 1 back and a passing attack that will likely bounce back behind Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson, Donte Moncrief, Coby Fleener and Phillip Dorsett, the chances to contribute will be limited for Robinson. There is only one football to go around, and it likely won’t go to the rookie often, even if he proved Monday he can get involved in the passing game.
You should still monitor his progress in case Gore does physically break down at his age. Don’t count on it, though, because Gore appeared in all 16 contests in each of the past four years and is one of the most durable playmakers in the league.
If Gore does finally suffer a physical setback on the wrong side of his 32nd birthday, Robinson will likely fly off the waiver wire as a potential starting running back in an offense that is expected to score plenty of points this year, even if it hasn’t yet.
But the rookie is nowhere near fantasy starter conversations through two weeks.
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