Week 1 vs. New Orleans Saints
The Falcons offense certainly looks a lot different this year with Marcus Mariota at quarterback. The backfield should be different as well. Instead of Cordarrelle Patterson sharing time with Mike Davis, he'll work with a powerful rookie in Tyler Allgeier. Damien Williams is also in the mix. Allgeier may get some early-down work, limiting the ceiling for Patterson, who should be involved in passing game. Atlanta also faces a very good Saints defense, making Sunday tough sledding for Patterson. Consider him a flex at best.
2022 Fantasy Upside
Who would have thought a 30-year-old converted running back would have the best season of his career? Well, that’s exactly what happened with Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson, who totaled over 1,150 yards and scored 11 total touchdowns (6 rushing, 5 receiving). He also caught 52 passes for 548 yards, including three games with at least 80 receiving yards and 126 in Week 9 against the Saints. Arthur Smith figured out a way to utilize Patterson and should continue to do so in 2022. He should continue to see plenty of touches and opportunities this season.
2022 Fantasy Downside
The Falcons finally realized they need to hit the reset button and, as a result, took a major downgrade at the quarterback position. No disrespect to Marcus Mariota (or Desmond Ridder), but he’s no Matt Ryan. The passing offense also won’t be as strong now that Calvin Ridley is suspended for the entire season, though that could turn into a positive for Patterson to see more targets.
2022 Bottom Line
Patterson will be the main pass-catching running back in Atlanta, as rookie Tyler Allgeier should mostly handle early-down work. He’s currently a top-30 running back for us, partly due to the quarterback and the limited work, but he still has RB2 upside as long as his pass-game usage remains the same. Not bad for a 31-year-old running back.
Week 17 vs Bills
Surprisingly, Cordarrelle Patterson only saw eight touches last week, his fewest since Week 10 when he had just five. Yet he still managed his sixth rushing touchdown and 11th total touchdown this season, as Atlanta's offense as a whole continues to look slow. He gets Buffalo this week, 26th in our schedule-adjusted ranking against opposing running backs and just allowed 103 yards and three touchdowns to Damien Harris last week. Patterson could still be a league-winner this week and should be viewed as a solid RB2.
Week 16 vs Lions
Credit the 49ers for stifling the Falcons' offense, namely Cordarrelle Patterson. His 23 total yards is his fewest in a game all season and that was with playing over 60 percent of snaps for the first time since Week 8. He should turn things around this week against the No. 27-ranked defense against opposing running backs in fantasy. At least Patterson extended his streak of catching at least two passes but he has just six receiving yards in the last two games. Here's thinking that number goes up this week.
Week 15 vs 49ers
Cordarrelle Patterson reached 10 total touchdowns last week against the Panthers and is seeing 13-16 carries over the last three weeks since missing the New England game to injury. And he does all that while only playing in about half of Atlanta's snaps. He could potentially be a league-winner in these playoffs, but he does face our No. 9-ranked defense against opposing running backs, the 49ers. Of course, Patterson hasn't been a typical running back. That's what makes him a top-ten option this week.
Week 14 vs Panthers
Cordarrelle Patterson is the Falcons' playmaker and MVP this season, no question about it. That has a pretty good chance to continue this week. In Week 8 against the Panthers, Patterson had 72 total yards on 14 touches, including five receptions and a touchdown. Last week, it was 96 yards on 16 touches. There's not much stopping Patterson, which is why we have him as a top-five running back in PPR formats this week.
Week 13 vs Buccaneers
Cordarrelle Patterson is back and fantasy owners are rejoicing. After missing the New England game, Patterson surged with his first 100 yards rushing performance of the season and two touchdowns against the Jaguars. This week, he gets the Buccaneers, against whom he had 58 yards on seven catches and also caught and rushed for a touchdown in Week 2. Patterson is the Atlanta offense at this point and why they still have a pulse in the playoff race at 5-6. Continue riding the hot hand of Patterson. He's a top-10 RB in half-PPR for us this week.
Week 12 vs Jaguars
I think it's safe to say the Falcons severely miss Cordarrelle Patterson. Fortunately, he could be on his way back this week. The Falcons need all the help they can get as, somehow, they are still in the playoff hunt. How Atlanta uses Patterson if he plays Sunday will be interesting to watch. But at this point, even a limited Patterson still looks like Atlanta's best player on offense. Track his status through the week.
Week 10 vs Cowboys
It feels like very few people are actually talking about how good Cordarrelle Patterson has been this season. Atlanta has done a brilliant job utilizing him to his fullest. He's become one of their best receivers and he plays running back. We have him as a top-10 PPR RB this week as he continues to see a healthy number of targets for a running back.
Week 9 vs Saints
Cordarrelle Patterson should continue to get fed targets in the passing game with Calvin Ridley out. Matt Ryan will focus on him and Kyle Pitts for the most part. Of Atlanta's seven games thus far, Patterson has at least five catches in five of those games, so if you're in a PPR league, you've built plenty of trust in Patterson, even in a matchup against a strong rush defense such as the Saints, as Patterson can help try to neutralize that run defense. He's a top-10 back this week with four teams on a bye.
