Injuries continue to wreak havoc on fantasy lineups. It’s even worse when they coincide with bye weeks. Last week, Minnesota Vikings RB Alexander Mattison sustained a concussion. Fortunately, he’s progressed through the protocol rather quickly. Can fantasy football managers bank on him playing Sunday night?
Latest Injury Update on Alexander Mattison
Last week, Mattison left the game with a concussion. As always, players need to progress through the protocol before getting cleared.
Ever since Tua Tagovailoa’s situation last season, the NFL has been much more cautious when it comes to concussions. We rarely see players get cleared for the following week without missing a game.
Mattison did not practice on Wednesday but got in a limited session on Thursday, followed by a full session on Friday. He is trending toward being the exception.
Editor’s note: According to Ian Rapoport, Mattison is expected to be good to go for Sunday night.
Will Mattison Play This Week?
The Vikings listed Mattison as questionable on the final injury report. As of Saturday afternoon, he remained in the concussion protocol.
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The full practice on Friday puts Mattison on track to play. He will still need final clearance from an independent neurologist, but The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, a very dialed-in Vikings beat reporter, expects Mattison to play.
Update: According to Adam Schefter, Mattison is “good to go” and is expected to play Sunday night.
What Does This Mean for Mattison’s Fantasy Ranking?
Last week’s top waiver wire addition was Mattison’s backup, Ty Chandler. Even before Mattison went down, Chandler was seeing increased work and even punched in a short touchdown. He took over as the primary back once Mattison left the game.
Assuming he gets cleared, Mattison will remain the starter this week. However, Mattison’s struggles with inefficiency this season have had the Vikings looking for a suitable alternative. They traded for Cam Akers and now are giving Chandler more looks.
Fantasy managers should fully expect Mattison to lead this backfield, but the days of him seeing an 80% snap share are over. In his last four games, Mattison’s highest snap share was 61%.
If Mattison continues to underwhelm, it would not be surprising to see this devolve into a true timeshare, and perhaps even with Chandler flipping it slightly in his favor.
With that said, if there were ever a week for Mattison to bounce back, it’s this one. The Broncos are an extreme run-funnel defense, allowing 5.6 yards per carry to running backs and by far the most fantasy points per game to the position. They’re allowing one rushing touchdown per game to running backs.
Both Mattison and Chandler are startable. Mattison remains the better option, but that could change quickly. For now, consider both RB3s, with Mattison as the upside play and Chandler as more of a dart throw.
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