Finding production from backup players, especially at the running back position, can make a world of difference in a fantasy football lineup.
Here’s the fantasy outlook for a couple of reserve running backs that could very well see their best performance this weekend in the Minnesota Vikings’ Ty Chandler and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Cordarrelle Patterson.
Should You Start Ty Chandler or Cordarrelle Patterson This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Chandler is the player to start. His projected 8.3 points include 32 rushing yards, two receptions, and 18 receiving yards. That stat line outperforms the consensus for Patterson (7.2 points, 26 rushing yards, one reception, and 12 receiving yards)
However, when you isolate my rankings, I see Patterson outperforming Chandler. I feel as if the almost certain added time Patterson will have on the field due to the Steelers’ injury situation at running back will allow him to surpass Chandler in fantasy production this week.
Chandler’s Week 4 Fantasy Outlook
Following his Week 2 performance against the San Francisco 49ers — 82 rushing yards on 10 carries — hopes were probably high for fantasy managers that Chandler was going to continue to be productive for the Vikings.
But last week had to be a red flag. After getting at least 10 touches in each of the first two games of the season, Chandler had only seven touches in Week 3, all on the ground.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
The numbers were not pretty. Just 13 rushing yards on those seven carries and an average of less than two yards a carry (1.9). In addition, for the second straight week, Chandler was not targeted once in the passing game.
While Week 4 is certainly a candidate for a bounce-back week from Chandler, it’s still concerning to see a Week 2 performance basically wiped away last week. The fact that the Green Bay Packers defense has fared well against the run — 10th in rush yards per game allowed at 105.7 — is another factor that doesn’t necessarily work in Chandler’s favor.
Patterson’s Week 4 Fantasy Outlook
While Chandler’s Week 3 was a disappointment, Patterson’s Week 3 was the complete opposite. Patterson went from a player basically invisible in the Steelers’ game plan over the first two weeks to one who suddenly could provide value for fantasy managers Sunday.
Patterson is coming off a Week 3 effort that saw him not only rush for 33 yards on only four carries (8.2 yards per carry), but catch three passes (on five targets) for 15 yards. Patterson finished with 7.8 fantasy points after racking up only 1.6 fantasy points combined over the first two weeks.
This, along with the Steelers’ injury situation at the position, makes Patterson’s role an appealing one for Week 4. Pittsburgh’s backup running back Jaylen Warren is out with a knee injury, so even more opportunity should come Patterson’s way.
And with the momentum of last week’s performance still fresh, Week 4 could be Patterson’s best of the season.