Underwhelming since arriving from Cronulla this year, Atkinson goes head to head with rival five-eighth Kodi Nikorima in Friday's NRL clash with the Dolphins.
The New Zealand international joins the probable 2026 wooden spooners for two years from season as the latest acquisition in a bumper recruitment drive.
The signing blitz threatens to squeeze a middling Atkinson out of favour just months after entering the Dragons' roster amid much fanfare.
He has just one try and eight assists to show for his 17 appearances in 2026.
Young shut down discussion of future plans for 25-year-old half during a frosty exchange, ahead of the club's showdown with the fifth-placed Dolphins at WIN Stadium.
"It means we've got depth," he said when asked about what Nikorima's arrival meant for Atkinson.
"I'm not going to dive into our recruitment strategy right now. At the moment we've got a panel ... and we have recruitment meetings every fortnight.
"Things change really quickly in this game ... and we thought as a club it was a great opportunity to bring someone like Kodi with his skill set to improve our attack.
"That's the end of that."
Though versatile, Atkinson - whose Dragons contract runs until the end of 2028 - may struggle to slot into the spine given the arrivals Luke Metcalf, Scott Drinkwater, Connor Watson and now Nikorima.
The influx of star power has glued pundits' eyes to future seasons, but Young was determined to fix his gaze on the present.
"(I) don't really have an eye on future at the moment," he said.
"We've got six games to go, and we want to finish the year off really strong. So that's our focus."
It comes after the last-placed Dragons let a six-point halftime deficit unravel in a 20-point home loss to fellow strugglers Gold Coast on Sunday.
Young described the thumping as a "bump in the road" after his team had valiantly held minor premiership contenders the Warriors to a 20-12 scoreline away from home the previous week.
The Dolphins - hell-bent on consolidating their top-eight slot - will also be fresh from a bye as opposed to the Dragons, who are on a five-day turnaround.
"I'm not really worried about the Dolphins too much, to be honest," Young said.
"We're really disappointed with our performance against the Titans at home last week ... a really flat performance after a performance we're proud of against the Warriors.
"Kodi's a real threat. So is Hammer (Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow). So is Izzy Katoa, and we're expecting him to play.
"I'm a simple guy, so my messages are simple."
