Tim

Patrick

Coming off three touchdowns in his past two games, Week 16 was a heat check for Patrick that he failed in dramatic fashion for fantasy managers. He was held without a catch for the first time since Week 10. With Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, and Jameson Williams all seeing at least seven targets and scoring, there simply wasn’t room in the game plan for a part-time No. 3 receiver to see the ball. Better days are ahead for Patrick, but any notion of a floor for the veteran wideout was nixed with today’s doughnut. He is a touchdown-or-bust WR5 for Week 17 against the 49ers.

Patrick has been emerging as a threat to Jameson Williams’ status as the number-two wide receiver in Detroit for a few weeks now, and he out-targeted Williams again today. Some of that had to do with the Bills’ keeping their safeties deep to take away the big play, but Patrick is a solid receiver who can do everything pretty well, so he is going to continue to command targets. With the Lions’ defense continuing to struggle with injuries and shootouts potentially on the horizon, Patrick is on the deep-league radar.

Patrick’s touchdown grabs came from three and one yards out. Both the catches and targets were easily new season highs for the former Bronco, who also doubled his 2024 scoring total. Although tonight was his biggest night, Patrick has cleared 40 yards in three straight appearances. With Kalif Raymond (foot) sidelined, Patrick is currently unchallenged for No. 3 status in this elite offense. That could change for Week 15 against the Bills with Raymond having 10 more days to get healthy. Patrick still isn’t producing enough to command WR4 fliers.

The Lions had just 225 yards of total offense in a game that their defense and special teams dominated. As a result, not many of their offensive players put up huge days. However, we should note that, with Jameson Williams suspended, Tim Patrick played the second-most snaps of any Lions wide receiver and ran the second-most routes on the team, one ahead of Sam LaPorta, and three behind Amon-Ra St. Brown. It didn’t lead to anything this week, but perhaps it could lead to deep-league fantasy points next week against the Packers.

Raymond also returned a punt for a touchdown and averaged 38 yards per return on five punts. Despite his production, Raymond played just 15 offensive snaps and ran a route on nine pass plays, which was fewer than both Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson. However, Raymond has the speed and athleticism to take the ball to the house anytime he touches it. While Patrick could be relevant next week against Green Bat, he had no catches this weekend and Raymond’s big-play ability will keep him on the deep league radar next week against the Packers.

Patrick came within a yard of scoring his first touchdown since 2021 before a review overturned the initial call on the field. Patrick’s 68-yard outing comings after the team’s Week 5 bye, and two weeks after he surprised by 2-52 in Week 4. The veteran receiver has been targeted 10 times in the four games he’s played in this season. While his recent yardage totals are enticing, Patrick is producing on very limited opportunities. We wouldn’t recommend starting him in Week 7 against the Vikings.

He spent the first three weeks on Detroit’s practice squad. It’s possible he finds a role in Detroit’s passing game — particularly if Matt LaPorta sits this week — but it’ll likely be fantasy-irrelevant status for Patrick until proven otherwise.

Patrick, who has not appeared in a regular season game since 2021, was released by the Broncos on Tuesday. The Lions certainly make sense from a need perspective. Now 30, it is admittedly uncertain if Patrick is still capable of working his way onto a 53-man roster. If and when Patrick earns a promotion from the taxi squad, it is difficult to believe he will manage to become fantasy relevant.

Patrick is an established name, but it’s not exactly surprising no one was willing to surrender compensation for a 30-year-old who hasn’t played in three years. Patrick will now try to re-establish some value on the workout circuit, though he could also end up back on the Broncos’ practice squad.

Patrick, 30, has bounced back nicely from back-to-back season-ending injuries. In his final preseason outing, the veteran receiver caught 4-of-4 targets for 30 yards and a touchdown while playing with the starters. The decision to move on from Patrick likely spells good news for Marvin Mims, who was among the group of players who did not suit up for the Broncos’ final preseason game. There are plenty of teams in need of help at receiver who could benefit from adding Patrick to their roster. He’s not likely to offer much as a full-time starter, but his size still makes him a threat in the red zone and down around the goal line. According to Klis, Patrick “is generating strong interest on [the] market.”