Getty Images Cordarrelle Patterson breaking off of an attempted tackle.
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are being innovative once again. You can never really guess what this coach has up his sleeve. The Patriots were never a team that was known to utilize a heavy dose of one running back. They like a committee of backs, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re a three-down back or a wide receiver. If you can run the ball out of the backfield, you will get carries in the Patriots offense.
Remember a few years back when the Green Bay Packers got desperate in their backfield? They decided to utilize their former wide receiver Ty Montgomery as a running back, and they never looked back. Well, the Patriots had the same idea this past weekend with their veteran wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
Although the Patriots have a first-round running back on board with Sony Michel, he has been dealing with some injuries. Therefore, the Patriots decided that the next best thing they could possibly do is play Patterson at running back. And come to find out, Patterson is actually quite productive.
Over the last two weeks, Patterson carried the ball 21 times for 99 yards and a touchdown. Patterson became a hot pick up two weeks ago, but fantasy owners were disappointed to find out that the receiver-running back hybrid cannot be utilized as a running back in fantasy. Well, not anymore. According to Field Yates, Patterson is now available as a running back.
Great News for Patterson Owners
Keep in mind, this is just for ESPN’s fantasy platform for now. But we’re sure with ESPN making the change, other major fantasy football platforms will follow up. At this point though, it’s unclear as to what Belichick plans to do beyond week nine with Patterson. First off, he’s dealing with an injury of his own. And second off, Sony Michel is expected to make his return during week ten.
If Patterson is available to play though, it won’t come as much of a surprise if he still gets a fair share of carries out of the backfield. We are all well aware of Belichick’s trickery, and just because Michel is a first-round back doesn’t mean that the backfield is all to himself. As long as Patterson is around, there’s a good chance that he gets some substantial opportunities from the Patriots in both, the passing and the run game.