While Dalvin Cook managers are jumping with joy over his return, Alexander Mattison managers are left to wonder whether he still belongs in fantasy football lineups. What can we expect from Mattison with Cook back in action?
Alexander Mattison remains behind Dalvin Cook
Mattison has filled in for Cook twice this season. In Week 3, he carried the ball 26 times for 112 yards while adding 59 yards on 6 receptions. In Week 5, Mattison ran it 25 times for 113 yards and racked up 40 yards on 7 receptions. To say there wasn’t an ounce of a drop-off would be an understatement.
The bad news for Mattison managers is we’ve seen this before. Mattison was the lead back filling in for Cook in Weeks 6 and 17 of the 2020 season. In each instance, Cook was right back to being the main guy the following game with Mattison as a pure backup.
Although Cook is the RB1, Mattison earned more touches
Make no mistake about it, Cook will be the primary back this week. He will see the most touches and play the most snaps. However, Mattison managers should not be completely discouraged.
Cook is probably not going to return to playing 75% of the snaps. Even though Cook isn’t on the injury report, it seems unlikely that he’s 100% recovered.
It doesn’t make sense for the Vikings to stuff Cook with 20+ touches — Mattison has been too good. The truth is there’s no discernable difference in productivity between Cook and Mattison.
The Panthers are easily Mattison’s toughest matchup of the season
No team has allowed fewer fantasy points per game to running backs than the Panthers (12.92 PPR points on average). While two of the first five teams the Panthers faced were the Jets and Texans, they also faced Alvin Kamara and completely shut him down to the tune of 5 yards on 8 carries.
Cook and Mattison should still be able to produce
Although the Panthers are a tough challenge for any opposing running back, they can be beaten. The Cowboys left teams a roadmap for running on Carolina in Week 4 when Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard combined for 210 rushing yards on 30 carries. Cook and Mattison more closely resemble those two than any other running back duo the Panthers have faced.
Should fantasy managers start Mattison in Week 6?
This is a very difficult decision. Mattison’s splits with and without Cook are not pretty. Without Cook in the lineup, Mattison averages 21.23 ppg. But when Cook plays, Mattison averages just 4.86 ppg. That makes Mattison a very risky start this week, even with a projected increase in usage.
One factor that could inure to the benefit of Mattison is the Vikings’ upcoming Week 7 bye. The team may make an effort to be cautious with Cook, give him the week off to rest, and then fully unleash him in Week 8. At the same time, the fact that Cook is without an injury designation and is playing the week before the team’s bye suggests he’s ready for a full workload.
All we can do is make our best guess as to what the touch split will look like and act accordingly. With all of the injuries around the NFL and a couple of big-name running backs on bye, Mattison managers may not have a better alternative. Consider Mattison a suspect RB3 this week, but one with plausible upside.