Patterson is suddenly on the outside looking in on a Falcons RB room that’s suddenly crowded with youth and talent. A soft-tissue injury for Patterson adds another degree of difficulty to the uphill battle for touches he figures to see this season, but the primary takeaway here is that he may not be ready for Week 1.
His absence could allow Atlanta to operate a simple two-man backfield at the very worst to open the 2023 season – a preferable alternative to Patterson mixing in and taking valuable touches from 1st round NFL and fantasy draft pick Bijan Robinson. Patterson doesn’t figure to be fantasy relevant unless one of the two other lead backs in Atlanta would get hurt, but his absence will help to funnel touches to the right players for fantasy purposes.