The Minnesota Vikings gave Alexander Mattison a shot to be their lead running back last season, but he wound up losing his job to Ty Chandler. Now, Mattison seeks to revive his career with the Las Vegas Raiders. Is there anything here fantasy football managers should care about?
Should You Select Alexander Mattison at His Current ADP?
PPR Industry Consensus ADP: 231st Overall (RB63)
- Disappointing 2023 Season: After being given the opportunity to lead the Vikings’ backfield, Mattison failed to capitalize and eventually lost his job to Chandler. Despite having his best season statistically, averaging 8.3 fantasy points per game, it was a disaster given the expectations as the lead back.
- Role in Las Vegas: Mattison now hopes to secure the backup role behind Zamir White with the Raiders. However, it’s unclear if Mattison will even be the primary handcuff. The Raiders could use a committee approach, diminishing Mattison’s fantasy value.
- Concerns About Efficiency: Even if Mattison becomes the backup, his efficiency issues from last season could continue. He averaged just 4.2 yards per touch, and only 3.9% of his carries went for 15+ yards. This inefficiency raises concerns about his ability to produce if given another opportunity.
- ADP Analysis: Mattison’s ADP is currently RB66, with my ranking of him at RB63. The difference is negligible, and his lack of upside makes him an unappealing option, even as a late-round pick.
- Final Verdict: For the last running back on your roster, you want a player with upside. Mattison offers little to none. Given his past performance and the uncertainty in Las Vegas, I’m avoiding him in drafts.
PFN Consensus PPR Fantasy Ranking for Alexander Mattison
Note that these rankings are the PFN Consensus Rankings and may not fully match my analysis. Since Mattison is ranked outside the top 75 in the PFN Consensus Rankings, we’ve listed the consensus RB rankings instead.
57) Dameon Pierce, RB | Houston Texans
58) Elijah Mitchell, RB | San Francisco 49ers
59) Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB | Kansas City Chiefs
60) Miles Sanders, RB | Carolina Panthers
61) AJ Dillon, RB | Green Bay Packers
62) Alexander Mattison, RB | Las Vegas Raiders
63) Keaton Mitchell, RB | Baltimore Ravens
64) D’Onta Foreman, RB | Cleveland Browns
65) Jamaal Williams, RB | New Orleans Saints
66) Kenneth Gainwell, RB | Philadelphia Eagles
67) Bucky Irving, RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mattison’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 Fantasy Season
I still vividly remember my journey in evaluating Mattison for the 2023 season. After the Vikings cut Dalvin Cook, my kneejerk reaction was Mattison would be the RB1 he’d always been when filling in for Cook.
As the summer progressed and I did more research, my ranking of Mattison kept getting lower and lower. Eventually, I had no interest and wound up not drafting him anywhere.
Ironically, Mattison had the best “season” of his career, averaging 8.3 fantasy points per game. Of course, that’s an outright disaster, given that this was his first season as the lead back.
Some may point to Mattison’s injury opening the door for Chandler to take his job, but that wasn’t the case. Mattison played at least 68% of the snaps in five of his first six games. The Vikings gave him every opportunity to essentially be Cook 2.0, but Mattison failed to capitalize.
Beginning in Week 7, Mattison’s snap share began to decline. By the latter portion of the season, he was backing up a starting Chandler.
Mattison’s evaded tackles per touch rate was inside the top 20, but that was his only positive metric. He averaged 4.2 yards per touch (45th in the NFL), and just 3.9% of his carries went for 15+ yards. He was inefficient and ineffective, and once the volume went away, there was nothing left for fantasy managers.
Is Mattison a Good Value in Fantasy Drafts?
Heading into the 2024 season, Mattison hopes to be Zamir White’s clear backup. The first issue is that we don’t even know if that’s true.
White is going to be the starter. That much is clear. But if he goes down, will Mattison assume most of his workload?
When drafting handcuff running backs, a crucial part of the analysis is how much the player stands to benefit from the starter getting hurt. With Mattison, I think it will be him, but I’m not confident. Furthermore, I’m not at all confident in Mattison’s ability to produce even if he gets the opportunity.
We saw Mattison in a lead-back role in a much more favorable offensive environment. It did not go well — to the point where he lost his job.
In Las Vegas, the Raiders could easily use a three-man committee of Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, and rookie Dylan Laube. Mattison would still be the favorite for goal-line carries, but that really won’t matter much if he’s averaging a mere 40 rushing yards per game with no passing-game work.
Mattison or Laube will be the passing-down back. Last season, Mattison saw a 7.8% target share. Even if White were to get hurt before the season starts and Mattison is announced as the starter, I wouldn’t project Mattison to get to that number.
Mattison’s ADP sits at RB66. I have him at RB63, a meaningless difference this far down the rankings.
For the last running back on your roster, you want to take a player with upside. Mattison is the antithesis of that. I can confidently say he won’t be on any of my teams this year.