Fantasy football managers who had high expectations for the collection of Minnesota Vikings running backs once the team parted ways with Dalvin Cook have likely been disappointed with the overall production from this running game through the first 16 weeks of the season.
However, should fantasy managers trust either Ty Chandler or Alexander Mattison in their fantasy starting lineup heading into the fantasy championship round in Week 17? Let’s take a closer look.
Should Fantasy Managers Start Ty Chandler or Alexander Mattison in Week 17?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Chandler is the player to start. His projected 9.3 points include a projection of 93 rushing yards. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, it outperforms the consensus projection for Mattison (5.7 points).
Chandler’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Let’s get this out of the way from the jump: The Vikings’ running game last week against the Detroit Lions was terrible. The running back duo of Chandler and Mattison combined for 16 rushing yards on 10 carries, an awful performance by any standard or metric you can find out there.
Fortunately for fantasy managers who rolled with Chandler on Sunday after his career day against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15, he managed to find the end zone on one of his eight carries, which managed to salvage his otherwise rough fantasy outing.
Another positive for Chandler was his efficiency compared to Mattison’s against the Lions. Sure, Chandler’s 17 rushing yards on eight carries is rough, but it is far better than Mattison’s negative one yard on two carries on Sunday.
The fact that Chandler had four times as many carries as Mattison had last week could suggest he has taken the leading role in this backfield.
While his goose egg in the passing game certainly isn’t great, Chandler had previously caught a pass in his four previous games, which makes me feel like he will be involved in the passing game again this week against the Green Bay Packers.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
And speaking of the Packers, Chandler will take his two-game rushing TD streak into a matchup against a Green Bay defense that has given 15 rushing scores this season, the ninth-highest mark in the league.
The Packers’ defense also allows the third most rushing yards at 135.9 per game, firmly putting Chandler in the RB2 conversation heading into Week 17.
Mattison’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
It just hasn’t come together for Mattison throughout the 2023 season. Whether it’s injuries to his quarterback, injuries to his All-Pro receiver, or injuries to himself, Mattison has been unable to make the most of his leading role in this Vikings backfield this year.
Mattison doesn’t have a single rushing touchdown through his 14 games this season, and it felt like he was completely phased out of this offense last week when seeing just 9% of the offensive snaps against the Lions.
It’s possible that the Vikings were limiting his work coming off of an injury, but unless you are very desperate for a home run-type dart to throw at the running back position this week, then I would look to go in a different direction for Week 17.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
