James Robinson Tries Out for Raiders After Two Years Away from the NFL
The former 1,000-yard back rushed for 324 yards in the UFL last season. Vegas gave him a look — but this is a deep-fantasy story at best.
A tryout isn't a contract — nothing to do until he signs.
- 324 rush yds in 6 UFL regular-season games
- 128 postseason yds, won UFL title with Louisville
- 2,264 career NFL rushing yards
- Did not play in the NFL in 2024 or 2025
- One carry in one game with Packers in 2023
James Robinson is trying to climb back into the NFL, and the Raiders gave him a Saturday audition. That's the news. The context is a résumé that's been collecting dust: Robinson didn't play a single NFL snap in 2024 or 2025, and his last real work came with the Louisville Kings of the UFL, where he ran for 324 yards in six regular-season games plus another 128 across two playoff games on a title-winning team.
For a guy with 2,264 career NFL rushing yards, the fall has been steep. Robinson was dealt to the Jets during his third season, spent 2023 with Green Bay appearing in exactly one game for one carry, then vanished from the league entirely. The UFL production is a real pulse — but a tryout is a tryout, not a roster spot.
He wasn't alone in Vegas, either. Nine-year vet Dare Ogunbawale, who spent his last four seasons in Houston, worked out alongside him, as did Kenny McIntosh, the Seahawks' 2024 seventh-round pick who was cut on July 27.
The Fantasy Fallout
Let's be blunt: none of these names moves your draft board right now. Robinson is the most intriguing purely on name recognition, but he's two years removed from NFL football and competing for a job, not a workload. Even if he signs, you're talking about a camp body angling for a No. 3 or practice-squad role — not a startable back.
McIntosh is the only one of the trio with recent NFL tape and StatSplit grades him accordingly: he sits at #384 overall (#86 at running back) after posting 172 rush yards, 3 catches for 22 yards and 22 PPR points across 17 games in the 2024 season. His last five games that year came in +2.8 fantasy points above his season average, which tells you how low the baseline was. He's a free agent again after his July release.
The move for fantasy managers is simple: don't do anything. This is a waiver-wire footnote, not a target. If Robinson actually signs with the Raiders and Vegas's backfield thins out through injury, revisit it in deep dynasty formats. Until then, keep him on your watch list and spend your FAAB somewhere that matters.
