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Cordarrelle Patterson never seemed to be able to find a consistent role for himself throughout his career. Patterson was always one of the best kick returners in the NFL, but he could never find his fit on offense. A wide receiver by trade, Patterson was often used a gadget player, but that never allowed for him to stay on the field consistently.
Patterson ended up on the Atlanta Falcons for the 2021 season and blossomed into a dual-threat offensive playmaker. Patterson emerged as the Falcons top running back, while also being a receiving threat out of the backfield and as a wide receiver. There wasn't much that Patterson didn't do for the Falcons last season.
Heading into the 2022 season, Patterson figures to have a similarly big role on a Falcons team that has even fewer offensive playmakers than they did last season. But is Patterson's success in 2021 sustainable, and will he continue to get as many touches as he did last season? Let's take a closer look at Patterson's fantasy outlook for the 2022 season and answer some of the questions.
Cordarrelle Patterson's 2022 fantasy football outlook
Cordarrelle Patterson did it all last season with the Falcons, in large part because they had virtually no one else they could count on to produce for them. Patterson's numbers from last season (153 CAR, 618 YDS 6 TD, 52 REC, 548 YDS, 5 TD) allowed him to become one of the most valuable fantasy players in the NFL because of his ability to be a deadly threat on the ground and as a receiver.
Patterson finished the 2021 season as the 13th best running back in terms of fantasy scoring, which shows the major impact he had for the Falcons and fantasy owners everywhere. The Falcons haven't gotten any better this offseason, meaning Patterson could be in line for an even larger workload in 2022.
Patterson figures to lead the way in a weak Falcons running back room. Damien Williams is the only guy who is a real threat to take away carries from Patterson, but given Patterson's value as a receiver as well as a running back, it's clear he will be on the field for the majority of Atlanta's plays.
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Despite that, there are a couple of critical concerns when it comes to Patterson's fantasy status. For starters, the Falcons offense is desolate. Marcus Mariota figures to the be the team's starting quarterback, and he hasn't started in a game since the 2019 season. Drake London and Kyle Pitts are talented young playmakers too, but other than that, there isn't much talent alongside Patterson.
Patterson also cooled off quite drastically towards the end of the 2021 season. From Week 13 on, Patterson was hardly a playable option (47 CAR, 129 YDS, 2 TD 8 REC, 30 YDS) and looked more like the Patterson of old than the one who had broken out earlier in the season with Atlanta. It's fair to wonder whether he will be able to play at a high-level throughout the entire 2022 season now that he has a starting role all to himself.
It's very likely that Cordarrelle Patterson is due for some regression this upcoming season, and won't be a top 15 running back as a result. But given the volume of touches he may see come his way, he figures to still be an effective running back. Counting on the Falcons offense to produce in 2022 isn't exactly a safe bet either, though.
There's a lot to consider when assessing Patterson's fantasy outlook. Some only have him ranked as a top 30 running back, while others still believe that he could hover around the top 20. If he receives the volume of touches he got last season, chances are he can find himself closer to 20, especially in PPR leagues where he's much more of a receiving threat than other top running backs.
Patterson was an RB2 for most of the 2021 campaign, but it seems unwise to count on him for such production right out of the gate again to start the 2022 season. Patterson faded down the stretch last season, and the Falcons offense is undoubtedly worse than they were last season. Patterson could be a FLEX option to start, with the potential to become an RB2 depending on how the Falcons offense operates moving forward.
The sweet spot to draft Patterson is probably going to be rounds 8-10. There are too many question marks on the Falcons offense for Patterson to be a reliable weapon, and he may not even be a productive FLEX option to start the season either. The eighth round may be a bit too early to take him, but he reaches the ninth or tenth round, there wouldn't be a ton of risk associated with drafting Patterson. Cordarrelle Patterson clearly has upside, but whether he will be able to produce on a limited Falcons offense remains to be seen.
