Who Should I Start? Cordarrelle Patterson or Tyler Allgeier

Tuesday, October 8, 1:18 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that running back Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) is out for Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders, while running back Jaylen Warren (knee) is considered doubtful. Both Patterson and Warren missed the Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, and it looks like they'll both miss a second straight game this week. Lead back Najee Harris disappointed with 14 carries for 42 yards while catching both of his targets for 35 yards on Sunday night with both Patterson and Warren out. He needs to be in all starting fantasy lineups in Week 6, though, in a smash spot in Vegas with the backfield pretty much all to himself yet again. Warren was a solid weekly flex option in fantasy in 2023, but he hasn't been healthy early on this year and has just 14 carries for 54 yards and five catches for 28 yards in his three games played.

Wednesday, October 2, 8:02 PM

Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier showed he deserves a more significant proportion of the Falcons' backfield opportunities when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5. His performance in Week 4 was his best of the season. He turned just eight carries into 60 yards (7.5 yards per carry) and caught two passes for 20 yards, good for 10.0 PPR fantasy points. The backup running back is highly efficient, averaging 6.15 yards per carry, and had proven his ability to be a solid lead back through the last four games of 2022 before lead back Bijan Robinson (hamstring) was drafted. The Bucs have struggled to stop the run this year, too. Robinson has struggled so far, and Allgeier's runs have been much more successful on average. He shouldn't be started yet, but he is a must-have handcuff for Bijan managers and a fine speculative bench stash. Should Tyler's role continue to grow, he could be start-worthy at some point.