The Atlanta Falcons were trying to go all-in on bringing in free agent quarterback Deshaun Watson. Once he agreed to lift his no trade-clause to the Cleveland Browns, the Falcons were able to turn their attention to making some moves with their cap space. They brought back utility player Cordarrelle Patterson, per Mike Garofolo. He has played a mix of running back and wide receiver while also being a prolific kick returner.
Patterson was brought in ahead of the 2021 season to provide some depth at wide receiver and give the Falcons a talented return man. Something finally clicked for Patterson and he had the best season of his nine-year career. He had 618 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, 548 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns which were all career highs.
Fantasy football analysis: Cordarrelle Patterson
Fantasy outlook for Cordarrelle Patterson
It is tough to determine what Patterson’s fantasy value is ahead of the 2022 season. On the one hand, he is going to get the volume of a lead running back and will also see a high target share in the passing game as he did in 2021. On the other, defenses now have a full year of tape and unless the Falcons bring in another free agent of note, they have no other firepower other than tight end Kyle Pitts, and defenses are going to be able to key on Patterson in the backfield.
How signing impacts Mike Davis, Damien Williams
Davis had only 15 fewer rushing attempts than Patterson and three fewer touchdowns, and it still felt like he was nonexistent in this offense. He still got a lot of work in the passing game bringing in 44 of his 58 targets. He will still factor into their offensive gameplan, especially with the razor-thin wide receiver depth chart, but he won’t be more than a hail mary flex option for a fantasy football lineup.
Damien Williams is an interesting addition to the running back room for the Falcons. He shouldn’t get that much work between the 20s, but he is certainly going to have a role in the redzone. This isn’t going to necessarily give him fantasy relevancy, but it could eat into the ceiling for Patterson.