The Las Vegas Raiders will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Alexander Mattison.
Is Alexander Mattison Playing in Week 16?
Updated at 2:55 PM ET on Sunday, December 22
Mattison is active for today's game.
With Sincere McCormick done for the season, Mattison is back in the RB1 role. He was listed on the practice report with a neck injury but has practiced in full. He will play on Sunday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Raiders’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Alexander Mattison in Week 16?
Mattison out-carried Ameer Abdullah 7-3 with Sincere McCormick going down early last week and profiles as this team’s leader in rush attempts against a vulnerable Jacksonville defense this week (24th in RB rushing TD%).
That said, last week wasn’t an intimidating matchup either, and yet, Desmond Ridder (28 yards on five carries) was as effective as it got on the ground for Vegas (RBs: 17 carries for 37 yards).
We’ve seen this Mattison story before (under 4.0 yards per carry in four straight games) and I’m not betting my fantasy season on him flipping the script in an offense that offers very little in terms of versatility.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 16 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Alexander Mattison’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 16
As of Sunday morning, Mattison is projected to score 8.5 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 9 rushing attempts for 32.8 yards and 0.2 touchdowns. It also includes 1.9 receptions for 14 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Jaguars' Defense
After a nice Week 14 respite against the Titans, the Jaguars allowed Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams to turn the clock back to their halcyon Green Bay days.
Jacksonville posted a 68.8 (D+) grade in Week 15, its fourth-worst of the season. The 7.4 yards per play allowed was the second-worst figure of the season, behind only the record-setting beatdown at the hands of the Lions.
The Jaguars don't rank above average in a single metric that goes into Defense+. They're close on defensive EPA per rush (0.06), which ranks 16th and is right at league average for the season. Of course, even that area faltered vs. the Jets, as the Jags had the fifth-worst EPA per rush (-0.01) of any defense a week ago.
Last year, Mike Caldwell's firing was viewed as a sacrificial lamb for Doug Pederson, and the defense has gotten considerably worse. It seems highly unlikely Pederson and Ryan Nielsen can make a case that things will only get better in Year 2 of their partnership.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Alexander Mattison’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 6:05 AM ET on Sunday, December 22. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 16 RB PPR Rankings
1) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. NYG)
2) Saquon Barkley | PHI (at WAS)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. PIT)
4) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. NO)
5) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at CHI)
6) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. CLE)
7) De'Von Achane | MIA (vs. SF)
8) James Conner | ARI (at CAR)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (at NYJ)
10) Joe Mixon | HOU (at KC)
11) Jonathan Taylor | IND (vs. TEN)
12) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (vs. ARI)
13) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. TB)
14) Bucky Irving | TB (at DAL)
15) Aaron Jones | MIN (at SEA)
16) James Cook | BUF (vs. NE)
17) Tony Pollard | TEN (at IND)
18) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. PHI)
19) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (at BUF)
20) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. HOU)
21) D'Andre Swift | CHI (vs. DET)
22) Rachaad White | TB (at DAL)
23) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (vs. MIN)
24) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. LAR)
25) Jerome Ford | CLE (at CIN)
26) Najee Harris | PIT (at BAL)
27) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at ATL)
28) Tank Bigsby | JAX (at LV)
29) Kendre Miller | NO (at GB)
30) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (at LV)
31) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (at MIA)
32) Jaylen Warren | PIT (at BAL)
33) Kimani Vidal | LAC (vs. DEN)
34) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at IND)
35) Javonte Williams | DEN (at LAC)
36) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. HOU)
37) Justice Hill | BAL (vs. PIT)
38) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. NYG)
39) Cam Akers | MIN (at SEA)
40) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. LAR)
41) Gus Edwards | LAC (vs. DEN)
42) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (vs. LAR)
43) Raheem Mostert | MIA (vs. SF)
44) Devin Singletary | NYG (at ATL)
45) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (at WAS)
46) Blake Corum | LAR (at NYJ)
47) Alexander Mattison | LV (vs. JAX)
48) Antonio Gibson | NE (at BUF)
49) Ty Johnson | BUF (vs. NE)
50) Roschon Johnson | CHI (vs. DET)
51) Ameer Abdullah | LV (vs. JAX)
52) Israel Abanikanda | SF (at MIA)
53) Will Shipley | PHI (at WAS)
54) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. PHI)
55) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. NE)
56) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (at CIN)
57) Jaylen Wright | MIA (vs. SF)
58) Audric Estimé | DEN (at LAC)
59) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (at BAL)
60) Sean Tucker | TB (at DAL)
61) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (vs. MIN)
62) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (vs. MIN)
63) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (vs. TB)
64) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (vs. PHI)
65) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. NO)
66) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. CLE)
67) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. NO)
68) Mike Boone | CAR (vs. ARI)
69) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at KC)
70) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. HOU)
71) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. TB)
72) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at KC)
73) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at MIA)
74) Jamaal Williams | NO (at GB)
75) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at CIN)
76) Trey Sermon | IND (vs. TEN)
77) Hassan Haskins | LAC (vs. DEN)
78) Ty Chandler | MIN (at SEA)
79) Tyler Goodson | IND (vs. TEN)
80) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (at MIA)
81) Michael Burton | DEN (at LAC)
82) Eric Gray | NYG (at ATL)
83) Darrynton Evans | BUF (vs. NE)
84) Alec Ingold | MIA (vs. SF)
85) Dylan Laube | LV (vs. JAX)
86) Carson Steele | KC (vs. HOU)
87) C.J. Ham | MIN (at SEA)
88) Keilan Robinson | JAX (at LV)
89) Craig Reynolds | DET (at CHI)
90) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. PIT)
91) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at CAR)
92) George Holani | SEA (vs. MIN)
93) Rasheen Ali | BAL (vs. PIT)
94) Adam Prentice | NO (at GB)
95) Julius Chestnut | TEN (at IND)
96) Travis Homer | CHI (vs. DET)
Jaguars at Raiders Trends and Insights
Jacksonville Jaguars
Team: It’s easy to remember the 52-6 loss in Detroit (Week 11), but that’s the only Jaguar game since Week 8 that has been decided by multiple possessions (five of those six games have been decided by fewer than six points).
QB: Mac Jones is 0-for-17 with five interceptions when throwing the ball more than 20 yards downfield this season.
Offense: Brian Thomas Jr. has four games of 5-85-1 as a rookie ... the only other rookies to do that since 2016 are Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ja'Marr Chase
Defense: For the second time this season, the Jaguars have gone four straight games without forcing a turnover (also: Weeks 1-4).
Fantasy: QB Issues? What QB Issues? Thomas’ expected PPR points over his past five games: 4.7 - 11.9 - 18.0 - 20.6 - 26.1.
Betting: Over tickets have cashed in five straight Jaguar games played indoors.
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: This is the Raiders' first double-digit losing streak since they bridged the 2013 and 2014 seasons with 16 straight L's.
QB: Desmond Ridder threw 11 passes in the first half -- exactly none of them were in the direction of a receiver.
Offense: The Raiders failed to score in the third quarter on Monday night, the eighth time this season they've done that.
Defense: Maxx Crosby’s season came to an end before this game started, yet the Raiders held the Falcons to 30.8% on third downs, the first time Vegas has posted a sub-40% rate since Week 7.
Fantasy: The Vegas run game might be broken, but Ameer Abdullah has reached double figures in terms of PPR points as a pass catcher in three of his past five games.
Betting: The Raiders have covered five straight games played on short rest (remember that 63-21 win over the Chargers last season?).