Who Should I Start? Tavon Austin or Cordarrelle Patterson

Tuesday, August 13, 8:09 PM

Wide receiver Tavon Austin officially announced his retirement from the NFL on social media on Tuesday. Austin was originally drafted by the St. Louis Rams with the eighth overall pick in 2013 out of West Virginia. He spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Rams before playing for the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars. The 34-year-old hadn't appeared in an NFL game since 2021 with the Jags, when he caught 24 of his 37 targets for 213 yards and one touchdown in 13 games (three starts). The nine-year NFL veteran finished his career with a total of 244 catches on 407 targets for 2,239 yards and 16 touchdowns in 113 games (53 starts). Austin's two best seasons were in 2015 and 2016 with the Rams, when he combined for 982 yards and eight touchdowns.

Monday, July 28, 2:17 PM

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released running back Cordarrelle Patterson, according to a tweet from Patterson himself on Monday morning. The 34-year-old appeared to be fifth on the team's depth chart at running back behind Jaylen Warren, Kaleb Johnson, Kenneth Gainwell, and Trey Sermon, so this news does not come as a huge surprise. Patterson appeared in 13 games for Pittsburgh in 2024, rushing for 135 yards on 32 carries and catching 12 passes for 80 yards. He also served as a kick returner, which is where Patterson has arguably made the biggest impact throughout his career. It remains to be seen whether the 12-year vet will look to catch on with another team as a gadget piece on offense and contributor on special teams, or hang up his cleats. Either way, his days as a fantasy-relevant player are in the past.