The running backs showed out once again.

The Falcons capped off an NFL fantasy football championship weekend with a victory over the Arizona Cardinals (who did not have many of their players due to injuries and outright tanking).

It was a game which was a microcosm of Atlanta’s season from a fantasy football perspective — the running backs dominated and delivered while everyone in the passing game fell flat, and Younghoe Koo had a nice performance. That being said, if you started any Falcons, I hope it was the RBs and/or maybe Koo.

There is a lot of great content available here at The Falcoholic, and I encourage you to check it out if you want some in-depth analysis. This article will look at things strictly from a fantasy football perspective (that means looking at nothing other than pure statistics). Here is Atlanta’s fantasy stud and fantasy dud from Week 17’s victory against the Arizona Cardinals.

Fantasy Stud/Dud 2022 History:

Past Studs: Tyler Allgeier (4), Cordarrelle Patterson (3), Drake London (3), Marcus Mariota (2), Kyle Pitts (1), Younghoe Koo (1), Olamide Zaccheaus (1)

Past Duds: Kyle Pitts (4), Drake London (3), Marcus Mariota (2), Younghoe Koo (2), Cordarrelle Patterson (2), Falcons D/ST (1), Desmond Ridder (1)

Fantasy Stud – Cordarrelle Patterson

Stat Line: 9 carries, 42 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 6 catches, 42 receiving yards: 14.40 standard league points; 20.40 PPR points

This spot could have easily gone to Tyler Allgeier as well, but Patterson gets the nod on account of his better finish in the PPR format (even though Tyler scored one more point in standard leagues). Going into the Monday Night Football game, Patterson is the RB8 in PPR meaning that there will be a likely RB1 finish during championship weekend.

The carry discrepancy that we noted in last week’s article one again came to fruition, with Patterson taking a back seat to Allgeier when it came to number of carries (nine vs. 20), but this was the first time all season where there was a concentrated effort to use CP’s receiving skills — his eight targets, six catches and 42 receiving yards were all season highs. I figured this would become a trend after Kyle Pitts went down, but it’s better late than never.

What took Patterson over the top was his second quarter five-yard touchdown plunge following a blocked punt. That was his career high seventh rushing touchdown to go along with his career high 677 rushing yards. This is the second year in a row where Patterson has set career highs in both of these marks. His career has been revitalized and taken to new heights as a Falcon.

Patterson will be draftable next season, but with the presence of Allgeier I would label him as a high level handcuff who will likely take a back seat on the depth chart.

Dud

Drake London: 5 catches, 47 receiving yards: 4.7 standard league points; 9.7 PPR points

Following three straight games where he had at least six catches and 70 yards, it was a bit disappointing to see London contained with his first sub-50 yard performance since Week 12.

The rookie out of USC was still looked at plenty by Desmond Ridder, tying for the team lead with eight targets, but his average depth of target and yards per reception both took a tumble in comparison to the other Ridder starts. It seemed less like London was the number one receiver and more like he was among a group of targeted pass catchers, with Patterson and tight end MyCole Pruitt receiving their fair share of looks.

London may have been more of a disappointment for managers who started him in championships this weekend but he is still such a valuable asset in dynasty leagues. He’s proven his chemistry with Ridder already, and looks poised to make a second year leap in 2023. London could end up being a value selection in next August’s drafts.