Poised to start Patterson is expected to pick up his first career start Sunday against the Eagles after lead back Antonio Gibson (hip) was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday upon testing p... Impact Gibson's status for Week 17 was already murky after he downgraded from limited participation in practice Wednesday to no activity Thursday on account of the hip issue, and his placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list makes it even more likely that he'll miss his first game. Since Gibson is vaccinated, he'll theoretically have a chance to test out of the NFL's COVID-19 protocol before Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but that should be viewed as a long shot. Gibson's expected absences leaves Patterson as the next man up out of the Washington backfield on the heels of his nine-carry, 33-yard outing in last week's 56-14 loss to the Cowboys. The blowout nature of the contest likely played a factor in Patterson taking on a greater role in the game plan in the second half, but even if Washington is able to keep things more competitive this week, the undrafted rookie out of Buffalo should have a good chance of getting double-digit touches. Jonathan Williams is also expected to pick up some work on the ground and may steal snaps from Patterson on passing downs, as could Wendell Smallwood, who the Football Team is likely to promote from its practice squad.
DECEMBER 31, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
