The Loop Fantasy Football Report Week 10: Star of season no stranger to Vikings
Nov. 10—The NFL season is now at the halfway mark, and the fantasy campaign is past that. And while there are plenty of sudden stars lighting up the stage, there is one player who has stood out as the most surprising, most impressive fantasy factor of the 2021 campaign.
And he used to be a Viking.
Cordarrelle Patterson wasn't even considered a running back at the start of the season. He was classified as one of many second-tier wide receivers with the Atlanta Falcons. Mike Davis was the team's No. 1 back, and Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Kyle Pitts were way above No. 84 on the
receiving pecking order in the ATL.
What a difference two months makes. Patterson is now a dual-threat, top-five running back. He has almost singlehandedly kept the 4-4 Falcons in playoff contention.
Patterson has scored seven touchdowns in the Falcons' first eight games, and he's averaging roughly 100 total yards per game. Going forward, he's Atlanta's top offensive threat, as Ridley has stepped away due to personal issues.
Not bad for a guy who was unremarkable in his four years in Minnesota, or the next three years bouncing between Oakland, New England and Chicago.
Here are some others who have greatly exceeded expectations:
James Connor (Cardinals RB) — The former Steeler is a borderline top-10 running back after being cast off from Pittsburgh. An NFL-leading 11 touchdowns will do that, even though he's averaging only about 60 total yards per game.
Leonard Fournette (Buccaneers RB) — Turns out Ronald Jones is NOT the man in Tampa, as Fournette has scored four touchdowns in the past four games and is on pace to challenge the 1,000-yard mark. His late 2020 revival was no mirage.
Cooper Kupp (Rams WR) — He came into the season barely in the top 20 among receivers. And he has been the unquestioned No. 1 since Day 1. He has 10 touchdowns already, and his 1,019 receiving yards is 137 more than anyone else in the league.
Ja'marr Chase (Bengals WR) — Remember when the former LSU star was having a case of the drops this summer? Neither does anyone else, as the future Rookie of the Year is fourth in the league with seven TDs and is averaging nearly 100 yards a game.
Deebo Samuel (49ers WR) — Where would the San Francisco offense be without this guy? He's the fourth-ranked wideout so far this year with five TDs and more than 900 total yards. For a team that has mostly been an offensive catastrophe.
Marquise Brown (Ravens WR) — Everyone remembers his horrible day in Detroit that nearly cost Baltimore a victory. But Hollywood has been a box office smash since, with six touchdown catches. He's on pace to finish with more than 1,400 yards. Surprise!
Carson Wentz (Colts QB) — It's probably news to you that the former NDSU Bison legend has posted top-10 numbers in the first half. Why is it hard to believe he has accounted for 18 touchdowns and almost 250 passing yards per game? Because it has been occasionally ugly.
Dalton Schultz (Cowboys TE) — The tight end landscape is pretty much a crapshoot, and Dallas' latest standout TE has been the biggest revelation. He has quietly moved into the top 10, averaging 50 yards and scoring three TDs. And he was mostly undrafted in summer.
SITTING STARS
Christian McCaffrey didn't post the usual CMC numbers in his return last week, and he'll be limited again this week vs. Arizona. ... The Rams' defense will rebound after their Sunday night loss to Tennessee, and the main victim of that will be 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell. ... You better make sure Russell Wilson is back before counting on receivers D.K. Metcalf or Tyler Lockett against the Packers. ... Denver's defense made Dallas' Dak Prescott look bad last week and will do the same with Philly's Jalen Hurts. ... Other QBs who will have a tougher time this week are Cleveland's Baker Mayfield vs. New England and Indy's Carson Wentz vs. Jacksonville.
MATCHUP GAME
Taking advantage of less-than stellar defenses in the Vikings-Chargers game, look for L.A. quarterback Justin Herbert and Vikings RB Dalvin Cook to have big games, which is particularly good news for the one facing a lawsuit. ... Las Vegas QB Derek Carr stunk up the joint last week, but the Chiefs' defense will be more to his liking. ... Got a hunch that our old pal Adrian Peterson will reach the end zone again this week for the Titans against New Orleans. ... Devonta Freeman will cement his role as Baltimore's top runner vs. Miami. ... Buffalo's Stefon Diggs will pad his stats vs. the Jets ... And in our longshot pick of the week, Detroit's Jared Goff will do well against a Steelers defense that made Justin Fields look like a hall of famer in the second half Monday night.
INJURY WATCH
The big question this week, obviously, is whether Aaron Rodgers will return from the COVID-19 list. So you'll have to check in with Joe Rogan on that one. ... It looks like both Seattle QB Russell Wilson and Arizona's Kyler Murray will also be back under center, though it's less certain for Miami's Tua Tagovailoa. ... Keep an eye on Rams QB Matthew Stafford and his recently rolled ankle ... As for running backs, New England's Damien Harris and Buffalo's Zack Moss could be out. ... Arizona WR DeAndre Hopkins is considered questionable, along with Jaguars RB James Robinson, Seattle RB Chris Carson, Detroit RB Jamaal Williams, Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Pittsburgh WR Chase Claypool, Tampa Bay wideout Antonio Brown and Patriots TE Jonnu Smith.
THE DEEPEST SLEEPER
We hit a home run here last week with Pittsburgh tight end Pat Freiermuth, who caught two TD passes Monday night. Let's try to keep the streak going with Arizona running back Eno Benjamin. The former Arizona State Sun Devil got his first decent chunk of playing time last Sunday after Chase Edmonds left with a high ankle sprain. Benjamin ran nine times for 39 yards and a touchdown. He could see a decent amount of work while Edmonds is out the next couple of weeks, as the Cardinals will be hesitant to overtax James Conner. With Carolina and Seattle on the slate the next two weeks, Benjamin could be a very good flex option.
THE THURSDAY PICK
Ravens at Dolphins (+7 1/2 ):
Pick: Ravens by 7
BREAKING NEWS
We'll be updating our column, based on the latest injuries and innuendo, right up until Sunday's kickoff. Go to TwinCities.com/theloop.
You can hear Kevin Cusick on Wednesdays on Bob Sansevere's "BS Show" podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on Twitter — @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.
