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.