2022 Finding ‘The Next Deebo’ (NY Giants vs. Atlanta) -- March Madness Tourney (Final Four)

Same Intro each day: We all know what the phrase ‘next Deebo’ means – a player who works at one position primarily but takes on a second position (in-game) beyond just a random 1-2-3 carries or targets…that they become a real dual-threat option for their team, and thus a great producer for Fantasy Football.

Before there was ‘Deebo’ (midway through the 2021 season), there was ‘Cordarrelle’ as the breakout WR who started also taking a good workload at RB…so much so he became the team’s lead RB, but then got all but dropped on his WR aspect.

Before ‘Cordarrelle’ there was Curtis Samuel trying to breakthrough as a ‘nails’ WR in 2020, but also a guy taking 3-5 carries a game in CMC’s absence and looking like he might make the turn – but then he went to Washington in free agency, got hurt, and barely played/impacted in 2021.  

Before Samuel there was everyone looking for the ‘next Tyreek’. We might forget that Tyreek started out as a low target WR taking 1-2 carries a game, and then taking every carry for a 50+ yard TD…then he was converted over from random WR/RB to main WR, and they stopped pushing him in the running game the past two years (definitely don’t get that guy the ball more, whatever you do).

We’ve had some promising guys try to breakdown this ‘Deebo’ wall, but Cordarrelle really was the one who kicked in that door to start 2021 season (then ATL went away from it)…after the door was kicked in, then Deebo ran right through it 2nd-half of 2021 and became the ultimate/best dual threat of our lifetimes – so much so every analyst is running around saying certain players ‘can be their Deebo’, and you’re going to get sick of hearing about it they say it so much now. But credit to Deebo (really, credit to Kyle Shanahan) the ‘Deebo’ role is a thing now…I think some teams are going to copy because of its success, as they should…as they should’ve created it years ago. It’s the evolution of the game – players/weapons who you don’t know where they’re gonna lineup or what they’re going to do, and they’ll draw plenty of mismatches to expose.

With that in mind, we’re going to have a ‘next Deebo’ tournament/FFM daily series for the next few weeks during March Madness time.

I am going to nominate one player from each NFL team to be the possible ‘next Deebo’…the ‘their Deebo’ hopeful. I’ll explain why I choose that player, and why not others if there was a close option – and then like March Madness, we’ll pit two of them against each other/state the case and I’ll choose a winner…the one most likely to be used as ‘the next Deebo’ for the 2022 season.

We’ll go by division, matchups by 2021 record (so #1 v. #4, #2 v. #3 in the division), one matchup/winner declared each day into April until we have one AFC rep and one NFC rep and then we’ll declare a final ‘Super Bowl of Deebo’ winner.

Now, San Francisco has their own Deebo already…so he is not in this tournament. For the SF slot, there will be a play-in game between two current draft prospect options. Unsigned free agents will be an option for the team they were last on in 2021. Got it? Good. Let’s go…

Today’s Matchup = NFC Finals: NYG vs. ATL

WR Kadarius Toney, NYG

vs.

WR Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL

The battle of ‘wills’…

WILL Arthur Smith go back to using Cordarrelle Patterson the way he did to start the 2021 season…as a true dual threat? One play/one series as a legit, route running weapon WR…the next play/series he’s lined up in the backfield as their top tailback. As 2021 went on, Smith just made CP more of a tailback who saw normal RB targets…not a full-scale weapon, as he was to start the season.

Why he did that…I will never know.

WILL Brian Daboll unleash Kadarius Toney to his fullest, to become a top WR weapon…ace receiver with jet sweeps, wildcat QB, sometimes straight up RB? Not just here and there, but 10+ touches a game in all the ways.

Toney’s reminder of what could be: https://youtu.be/6Ky1IMTzhKg

The Toney tape is exciting, and filled with promise…but in 2021 you saw mostly passing game work with a few wrinkles sprinkled in. Now look at Patterson’s Week’s 1-4 when he was the ‘O.D.’…the original Deebo: https://youtu.be/-SoG7dMb9oU

Patterson WAS truly working the Deebo role in its purest form…legit WR…legit RB, mixing and matching from series to series.

I want to promote Kadarius here because of ‘what might be’… But how can you deny Patterson an advancement to the finals. He’s the best RB on the Falcons roster. He’s the best WR on the Falcons roster. There’s not even a close second. Sure, they may draft something and alter things…but Patterson is already a star in both roles, the best player on the team, and a leader for the coaching staff. I don’t think they’ll stiff CP in 2022. They may not work him enough as a one or the other option, not the way we’d all hope – but he’s gonna get used. He’s gonna get 10-15+ touches a game, in a variety of ways…even if confined more as an RB…or if he’s pushed to work WR more, he’ll still get decent run game touches.

You have to push Patterson as more ‘next Deebo’ for 2022 than the ‘hope’ of Toney.

WINNER = Cordarrelle Patterson, who goes onto the finals to face the winner of the AFC Finals: Tyreek Hill vs. Ja’Marr Chase  

Final Four Results:

Cordarrelle Patterson defeats Kadarius Toney

Coming Up (The Final Four):

Tyreek Hill vs. Ja’Marr Chase