Former Michigan quarterback/athlete Denard “Shoelace” Robinson was an electric playmaker on the field for the Wolverines and made a huge impact on the offense from the get go his freshman year.  Early on it was evident that Robinson wouldn’t make it to in the NFL as a quarterback, but his natural talent and ability as a runner translates extremely well to the next level.  The Jacksonville Jaguars decided to take a chance on the versatile athlete, despite having Maurice Jones-Drew, Justin Forsett and a few other running backs already on the roster.  Let’s take a look at Jacksonville’s running back situation a little more in depth, and see how things will shake out for Shoelace from a fantasy perspective. 

As you can see, Robinson was a proven producer on the ground during his four years at Michigan.  Here’s the kicker though, he most of that while also server as the starting quarterback.  Imagine allowing Robinson not to worry about everything involved in being a quarterback, but instead; focusing all of his time and energy into just being a runner.  The ceiling is quite high for him at this point. 

The problem is, the floor is also quite low.  It remains to be seen if Robinson will be able to adjust to the speed of the NFL and playing running back full time.  He has all the potential, and if he can put it all together; he’ll likely overtake Forsett as the No. 2 back behind Jones-Drew pretty quickly. 

At this, it’s hard to say what kind of impact Robinson will have this season.  As far as value in 2013 in any format, he’s probably a bench FLEX option at best at this point, but obviously he’s worth just a bit more in PPR leagues.  As far as dynasty goes though, Robinson is a great option for the future, with Jones-Drew likely headed for decline soon, even if he can stay healthy.  Stash Robinson on the bench or taxi squad and wait for his time to shine. 

2013 Stat Projections: 68 carries, 400 rushing yards, 25 receptions, 260 receiving yards and 5 total touchdowns.