Bijan Robinson's talent is real – but the same can't be said for his Instagram following.
The electrifying Atlanta Falcons running back showed the immense promise in 2024 that the Falcons believed he had when they drafted him eighth overall a year earlier, rumbling for 1,423 yards and 14 touchdowns in his second NFL season.
But while there's no doubting that Robinson's talent is legit, his Instagram account (@bijan_robinson) is more fake than real. Robinson earns the distinction of having the most fake Instagram followers of any NFL player in the top 50 in total followers, coming in at a staggering 52.28%.
Key Takeaways
🤖 Bijan Robinson (52.28%) is the runaway leader with the highest percentage of fake Instagram followers
📵 Fellow running back Derrick Henry (46.73%) is the only other NFL player ranked inside the top 50 in total followers with a fake follower rate north of 40%
👻 Cleveland's Jameis Winston (24.93%) leads all active NFL quarterbacks in fake Instagram follower rate
🧟 Miami wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (4,212,796) has far and away the most total fake Instagram followers
Here's a breakdown of the 10 NFL players with the largest share of fake Instagram followers (among those ranked in the top 50 in total followers):
NFL players with the highest fake Instagram follower rate
| Player (Team) | Handle | Followers | Fakes | Fake % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bijan Robinson (ATL) |
@bijan_robinson | 1,037,454 | 542,381 | 52.28% |
 Derrick Henry (BAL) |
@last_king_2 | 1,811,381 | 846,458 | 46.73% |
| Von Miller (FA) | @vonmiller | 2,045,958 | 540,338 | 26.41% |
 Jameis Winston (NYG) |
@jaboowins | 1,099,057 | 273,995 | 24.93% |
| Russell Wilson (NYG) |
@dangerusswilson | 5,587,994 | 1,381,352 | 24.72% |
 Odell Beckham Jr. (MIA) |
@obj | 17,308,120 | 4,212,796 | 24.34% |
 Jalen Ramsey (PIT) |
@jalenramsey | 1,550,821 | 371,422 | 23.95% |
| DeAndre Hopkins (BAL) |
@deandrehopkins | 1,729,132 | 411,015 | 23.77% |
 DeShaun Watson (CLE)* |
@deshaunwatson | 1,247,665 | 285,715 | 22.90% |
 Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET) |
@amonra_stbrown | 891,385 | 203,058 | 22.78% |
 AJ Brown (PHI) |
@1k_alwaysopen | 889,957 | 199,528 | 22.42% |
 Jayden Daniels (WAS) |
@thatkidjayden | 1,174,616 | 262,997 | 22.39% |
| Myles Garrett (CLE) |
@flash_garrett | 1,166,928 | 256,724 | 22.00% |
 Ezekiel Elliott (DAL) |
@ezekielelliott | 2,589,693 | 566,366 | 21.87% |
| Lamar Jackson (BAL) |
@new_era8 | 3,618,966 | 767,583 | 21.21% |
 Kyler Murray (ARI) |
@k1 | 1,280,689 | 270,482 | 21.12% |
| Tyreek Hill (MIA) |
@cheetah | 2,754,804 | 580,713 | 21.08% |
| Deebo Samuel (WAS) |
@1deebosr | 1,217,469 | 252,625 | 20.75% |
 Chase Young (NO) |
@chaseyoung | 783,957 | 161,966 | 20.66% |
| TJ Watt (PIT) |
@tjwatt90 | 1,110,212 | 227,149 | 20.46% |
*Former New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr was initially ranked No. 9, but retired this offseason.
NFL players with the highest fake "cost per post"
| Player (Team) | Handle | Total $ Per Post | $ Per Post (Fakes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odell Beckham Jr. (MIA) |
@obj | $93,792 | $22,829 |
| Russell Wilson (NYG) |
@dangerusswilson | $30,281 | $7,485 |
 Travis Kelce (KC) |
@killatrav | $35,906 | $6,991 |
| Patrick Mahomes II (KC) |
@patrickmahomes | $36,411 | $6,026 |
| Derrick Henry (BAL) |
@last_king_2 | $9,816 | $4,587 |
| Lamar Jackson (BAL) |
@new_era8 | $19,611 | $4,159 |
 Joe Burrow (CIN) |
@joeyb_9 | $22,591 | $3,560 |
| Saquon Barkley (PHI) |
@saquon | $19,105 | $3,393 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster (KC) |
@juju | $15,690 | $3,174 |
| Tyreek Hill (MIA) |
@cheetah | $14,928 | $3,147 |
| Ezekiel Elliott (DAL) |
@ezekielelliott | $14,033 | $3,069 |
| Bijan Robinson (ATL) |
@bijan_robinson | $5,622 | $2,939 |
| Von Miller (FA) | @vonmiller | $11,087 | $2,928 |
 Christian McCaffrey (SF) |
@christianmccaffrey | $14,278 | $2,856 |
| Dak Prescott (DAL) |
@_4dak | $12,054 | $2,343 |
| DeAndre Hopkins (BAL) |
@deandrehopkins | $9,370 | $2,227 |
| Jalen Hurts (PHI) |
@jalenhurts | $11,478 | $2,146 |
| Jalen Ramsey (PIT) |
@jalenramsey | $8,404 | $2,013 |
| CeeDee Lamb (DAL) |
@cee2x__ | $10,030 | $2,010 |
| DK Metcalf (PIT) |
@dk14 | $9,956 | $1,987 |
Notable players with the most fake Instagram followers
- Free-agent linebacker Von Miller is the runaway leader in fake Instagram follower rate among defensive players, the only defender with more than one in four of his total followers categorized as bots. Cleveland's Myles Garrett and New Orleans' Chase Young are the only other defensive players ranked inside the top 20.
- Beckham has more fake Instagram followers than the majority of his NFL brethren have live followers. At just over 17.3 million total Instagram fans, Beckham's "cost per post" is valued at a sky-high $93,792 – though nearly $23,000 of that value is devoted to bots.
- No. 18 Tyreek Hill is the highest player on this list with more TikTok followers than Instagram fans. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver (@cheetah) counts 580,713 fake followers as part of his 2.75-million Instagram fan count (good for a 21.08% bot rate), but boasts more than 3.5 million on TikTok. No word on how many of those followers are fake.
- Travis Kelce gets the better of his famous teammate when it comes to fake Instagram follower rate. Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and boyfriend of mega-star Taylor Swift, counts 19.47% of his 6.63 million followers as fake. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes comes in at a 16.55% fake follower rate on 6.72 million Instagram fans.
- It might come as a surprise to some, but new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers actually ranks low on this list. Rodgers boasts 2.25 million Instagram followers, and only 15.87% of those are considered bots. Rodgers doesn't yet have a TikTok account – but maybe he's saving that one for retirement.
Methodology
To identify the NFL player with the highest number of fake followers, the analysis first focused on players with the most Instagram followers. Then, we used a follower-audit tool to estimate the percentage and number of fake followers for each account.
To estimate how much each player potentially earns through Instagram based on their follower count, a simple proportional method was applied using data from The Instagram Rich List. Reported earnings of influencers on the list were compared to their follower counts, and that ratio was used to project the potential earnings of the NFL players analyzed.
