James Robinson was among the few bright spots on the Jacksonville Jaguars roster in their forgettable 2021 NFL season made even more disastrous by the Achilles injury the running back suffered in December 2021. While he's not a lock to make it back to the field just in time for Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season, James Robinson does seem to be close to a return, with head coach Doug Pederson sounding optimistic about the tailback's status.

Via Michael DiRocco of ESPN:

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson says RB James Robinson is 100 percent back from his torn Achilles: “I think he's there. I think he's back.” Pederson said Robinson's workload will depend on how he looks, but he doesn't rule out him having his normal workload.

Having James Robinson back will give the Jaguars what can potentially be viewed as a sneaky good 1-2 backfield punch with second-year pro Travis Etienne. The running back out of the Clemson Tigers missed all of 2021 with a foot injury but is now healthy and installed as the no. 1 option on the ground attack for the Jaguars, who averaged just 103.2 rushing yards per game last season — good for only 22nd in the NFL.

The Jaguars' offense remains hard to trust for fantasy football managers, but for those who have Etienne on their team, a looming return by James Robinson could be a threat to his workload, especially with Pederson openly expressing that there's a good chance Robinson can have his normal workload again even with the presence of Etienne.

In 2020, James Robinson rushed for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns on 240 carries in his first year in the NFL. He followed that up with 767 rushing yards and eight rushing scores on 164 carries in 2022.