2022 Finding ‘The Next Deebo’ (Miami vs. Atlanta) -- March Madness Tourney (Super Bowl/Finals)

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 = The Finals: MIA v. ATL

WR/RB Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL

vs.

WR Tyreek Hill, KC

Seems like a ‘chalk’ final, but the original mapping out of this tourney did not have either of these guys in the finals. As we kicked this off, free agency was starting, Patterson hadn’t signed with Atlanta just yet and Tyreek was in prison in KC, about to be sprung. What a month March was… But now we have the ultimate matchup!

Cordarrelle Patterson…the underutilized for 8 seasons, working four different teams, not-even-planned to be such a weapon in his 9th season (2021)/team #5 WR/kick returner signee by Atlanta…he was just supposed to play some WR, but only part-time…in the distance/deferring to Ridley-Gage-Pitts, and maybe take a few, occasional relief carries behind the great Mike Davis. Patterson was so good right off the bat that he forced his way into becoming a star, a revolutionary player to start the 2021 season – the team’s best tailback and best wide receiver.

Patterson was SO good, that Arthur Smith soon pulled back on all the greatness and just made him a boring starting running back behind a bad O-Line. CP was stripped of his interesting passing game work as the season wore on.

However, now the Falcons have been stripped of any talent at RB or WR, aside from Patterson…plus, a new, differently styled QB is at the helm – could the Falcons be forced back into Patterson as a do-it-all weapon again?

Tyreek Hill…the case speaks for itself. The most dangerous player of the modern era goes to a team, on purpose/hand picked by him, to get more touches…with a head coach he was drawing up scenarios for Deebo Samuel last season. It's a chocolate and peanut butter meeting, in this Deebo fantasyland.

The question is – how much, how hard do you work Tyreek in a dual role? Will it just be an elevated amount of cute jet sweeps here and there, but more than he saw in KC…or will they really give into it and get him 3-5 carries per game to go along with 10+ targets per game? Should they work him like that, or try and preserve him some?

Whose situation should be the most likely ‘Deebo’ of 2022 title winner of this competition?

It’s a coin flip. I could go either way. Both players are great options. Both were originators of this mindset…the WR who can run the ball. Tyreek sparked a revolution as a rookie years ago. Patterson was trying to be the forerunner of all this several years ago – but finally got a real chance to shine in 2021 and set the NFL on its ear/left everyone dumbfounded on his production and abilities early in 2021 season, getting a spotlight while Deebo was just a regular WR who took 0-1 jet sweeps a game (but was about to explode 2nd-half of 2021 season).

Tyreek now brought out of a terrible situation (for his Deebo upside) and into a much more purposed one (to get him the ball in more unique ways). The change is tantalizing.

Patterson ended 2021 on a bit of a Deebo-downer but could have just lost his momentum late last year when he hurt his ankle and tried to play through it. With another year of planning, the Falcons could get more interesting.

Pick your poison.

Let me ask it this way…

Who would you predict scores more TDs and accumulates more yards in 2022?

1) Cordarrelle if he takes 12 carries and sees 3-5 targets per game…some as an RB, a few as a spread-out flanker?

Or…

2) If Tyreek sees 10+ targets a game, most of them designed to get him the ball (bubble screens, tunnel screens, etc.) and he takes 1-2 jet sweeps plus 1-3 straight up backfield running plays per game?

I’ll be more narrow on the question… Who do you think RUSHES for more yards and TDs in a season if Patterson sees an average of 12 carries a game as a regular tailback, and Tyreek sees 5 carries a game as a ‘weapon’?

12 is not greater than 5, in this instance, I think. Tyreek would do more, break more big plays (running the ball) with 5 carries a game then CP would as a normal tailback getting around 12 carries a game. If that’s true, then you know Tyreek gets more pass game work – so, if that’s close to true…it’s a clear choice/hope for the winner of this tournament.

WINNER/THE GRAND CHAMPION = Tyreek Hill, based on the move to Miami…it wouldn’t have happened if he had stayed in KC for 2022.

That’s it! Thank you for following along with this series!!