The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a brutal home loss to the Chicago Bears two weeks ago, in which Josh Dobbs threw four interceptions. With that in mind, the Vikings would probably like to get the ground game going, something they couldn’t do at all in that loss to the Bears. Does that mean you should consider starting Alexander Mattison or Ty Chandler in fantasy football? Let’s look at each player heading into Week 14.
Fantasy Outlook for Alexander Mattison This Week
There is some big news for the Vikings on offense this week, as superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson is finally back after missing the majority of the year with an injury. With him back, that should take one defender out of the box and create more running lanes for the Vikings.
That could be a big thing for Minnesota this week, as their opponent (Las Vegas Raiders) really struggles to stop the run. Entering the game this Sunday, the Vikings rank 25th in rushing defense (127.0 YPG allowed). Take out the statistics in this — Minnesota has just been way better this year when they make it a point to run the ball.
The Vikings are 6-2 this season when they have at least 20 rush attempts and 0-4 when they are held under 20. Assuming Minnesota gets back to putting an emphasis on running the ball, Mattison could be the guy who benefits the most.
Mattison’s best games this season haven’t just come when he gets a lot of carries — his best receiving games are when he is most active out of the backfield. Mattison’s three best games, in terms of receiving yards, have occurred in games where Mattison is getting at least 15 carries.
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Mattison has been much better as of late rushing the ball, as he carried the ball 28 times in the last two weeks for 133 yards. That comes out to 4.8 yards per carry, which is a full yard more than what he is averaging this year.
What makes him very difficult to play is the fact that he hasn’t scored a touchdown this year running the ball. He has the most rush attempts this season without a rushing touchdown (158). Right now, there just isn’t enough consistency to have him in your lineup.
Fantasy Outlook for Ty Chandler This Week
Although he had just four carries last week against the Bears defense (for eight yards), Chandler opened everyone’s eyes back in Week 12, when he ran for a career-high 73 yards on only 10 carries.
Assuming the Vikings try to run the ball more, that could give Chandler a few more carries on Sunday.
With that being said, if you are going to go with a Vikings running back in your lineup, Chandler shouldn’t be played above Mattison. Three games ago, Chandler was on the field for 33 offensive snaps. Two games ago, it was just 23 snaps, and in the last game, he was only on the field for 18 offensive snaps.
The fact he is losing snaps is not a good thing. Right now, I don’t love either of the Vikings’ running backs, but Mattison is definitely the guy over Chandler.
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