Raiders RB Zamir White (groin) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Falcons. That’ll again leave Alexander Mattison as Vegas’ lead back, with Ameer Abdullah the No. 2.
There's "optimism" that Raiders RB Zamir White (groin) will play vs. the Steelers today, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "He’s considered more of a game-time decision," Fowler adds. It sounds like White is not a lock to play but is better than 50/50 to do so. We won't get Vegas' inactives until a little after 2:30 pm ET. White should not be in your Week 6 fantasy plans, but this news makes RB Alexander Mattison a much shakier play. Try to avoid the Raiders backfield this week.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls White a "long shot" to play. He should obviously be on fantasy benches. We'd still try not to use Mattison. He's not an exciting play even if White ends up inactive.
Raiders RB Zamir White (groin) is questionable for this weekend’s game against the Steelers. He only got in a limited practice on Friday. White should not be in your Week 6 fantasy plans, but his return would make RB Alexander Mattison a much shakier play.
Raiders RB Zamir White (groin) did not practice on Wednesday. With White out last week, RB Alexander Mattison played 57% of Vegas' offensive snaps and handled 15 carries with three targets. Expect a similar workload this weekend if White remains out, but a matchup against the Steelers' 11th-ranked RB defense would leave Mattison as an unexciting RB3.
The Raiders have ruled RB Zamir White (groin) out for this weekend's game vs. the Broncos. It looks like he injured his groin on Wednesday, going from a limited practice then to no practice on Thursday or Friday. His absence will leave Alexander Mattison as Vegas' clear lead back. He figures to lose some passing-down snaps to RB Ameer Abdullah (and potentially Dylan Laube) and is playing on a team with the week's lowest implied total at 16.5 points. So the upside here isn't exciting. But Mattison should compile enough volume to post a decent fantasy score this week.
After putting in a limited practice on Wednesday, Raiders RB Zamir White (groin) did not practice on Thursday. His status for this weekend's game vs. the Broncos is now in serious question. White's absence would likely turn Alexander Mattison into something close to an every-down back. We'll update White's status again tomorrow.
Raiders HC Antonio Pierce said Monday that RB Alexander Mattison "deserves more reps, and he'll get them." Mattison leads RB Zamir White in most rushing metrics this season, including:
White also fumbled for the second time this season in the Week 4 win over the Browns.
It's tough to get excited about Mattison in fantasy football unless he truly takes over as Vegas' feature back. But this backfield will be worth monitoring over the next few weeks. Mattison is worth grabbing in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams.
Raiders RB Dylan Laube has impressed the coaching staff early in camp. HC Antonio Pierce called him "special."
The Raiders selected New Hampshire RB Dylan Laube in Round 6 of the NFL Draft. Including a 2018 redshirt, Laube spent six seasons at New Hampshire. He'll turn 25 in December, making him one of the oldest prospects in the class. Not ideal – but the production speaks for itself. Playing against FCS competition, Laube led the nation in all-purpose yards per game in 2022 (194.3). Included in there: Three games north of 200 rushing/receiving yards, including a video game-like 12-295-2 receiving line against Central Michigan. Overall, he excelled as a receiver with 49 catches – good for second on the team. Per The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Laube passed on transfer opportunities (and NIL deals) ahead of last fall. Still, his workload dropped (16 carries per game vs. 20.4), and he declined in yards per carry, yards after contact per attempt, and forced missed-tackle rate. Known as a high character kid, Laube ultimately wins with quick feet and a versatile skill set. He’s racked up a nation-leading 117 catches over the past two seasons. Going in the late sixth round is a bad sign, but Laube at least landed in a Raiders backfield with only Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, and Ameer Abdullah. We’ll see if he can push Abdullah for a passing-down role. Laube isn’t worth a pick in early best-ball drafts but is a viable flier in deeper dynasty leagues.
Raiders HC Antonio Pierce called newly signed RB Alexander Mattison and TE Harrison Bryant depth pieces. "We’re talking about guys that could come in and, at some point — don’t know when it’s gonna happen — but, give us that starter, that little jolt or juice that we can use," Pierce added. Bryant was never a legitimate threat to 2023 second-rounder Michael Mayer. The bigger takeaway here is that the Raiders evidently don't view Mattison as a competitor for the starting RB job. Mattison's play could change throughout the offseason, of course. And Vegas could still add a RB in the draft. But Zamir White's odds of opening the season as the starter continue to climb. He remains a solid value in early best-ball drafts. For more on White, check out 2024 Fantasy Football Breakouts.
The Vikings are releasing RB Alexander Mattison, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The move saves the team $3.35 million in 2024 cap space. Mattison opened last season as Minnesota's lead back but eventually lost that job to Ty Chandler. Mattison has failed to reach 4.0 yards per carry in three straight seasons now and is unlikely to find more than a No. 2 RB job on the open market. The Vikings, meanwhile, are a virtual lock to add to the backfield this offseason. The level of addition will tell us how strongly they feel about Chandler, who played well down the stretch last year. He's currently RB38 in Underdog ADP but figures to get pricier now. Chandler sits 31st among RBs in our best-ball rankings.
There was a lot of chatter entering Week 16 surrounding the potential increase in Vikings RB Ty Chandler’s workload. Sunday’s game against the Lions didn’t see the second-year back dominate in the box score (8 carries, 17 rushing yards), though there is some good news that came from the contest. Chandler did find the end zone, which salvaged his fantasy contributions to a small degree, and teammate Alexander Mattison was almost completely uninvolved (2 carries, -1 yard). It’s clear that HC Kevin Stefanski’s comments from earlier in the week proved to be truthful. Chandler has certainly become the Vikings' RB1. Fantasy managers who survived and advanced to Week 17 should be comfortable going back to Chandler in lineups. The Packers rank 23rd in run defense DVOA this season and as the 10th-best RB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. It’s a good spot for him to net low-end RB2/flex-level value.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) is active for today’s game vs. the Lions. He only got in a limited practice on Friday and is expected to play well behind RB Ty Chandler today. Mattison isn’t a viable fantasy starter. Chandler remains a solid RB2 in the Week 16 Rankings.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) is expected to play vs. the Lions today, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Mattison got in just a limited practice on Friday and won't be at 100% today, Pelissero confirms. "Expect Minnesota to keep riding Ty Chandler," Pelissero adds. Mattison isn't a viable Week 16 fantasy play. His return puts just a slight dent in Chandler's Week 16 outlook.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Lions. He only got in a limited practice on Friday. Mattison won’t be a viable fantasy play if he ends up active on Sunday, but his return would put a slight dent in RB Ty Chandler’s projection.
On Wednesday, ESPN's Kevin Seifert reported that Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell spoke firmly about RB Ty Chandler being the team's primary back. "We're kind of building with the mindset that [Chandler] is going to be a guy we're trying to get the ball to a lot, both in the run and the pass," said O'Connell, adding that the potential availability of RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) will "be a huge bonus for the depth" at the position. It doesn't take much reading of the tea leaves to gather that Mattison has lost a grip on leading this backfield in touches whenever he returns from injury. Managers in season-long formats who picked up Chandler off of the waiver wire should be thrilled about his prospects of yielding a significant workload in Week 16 vs. the Lions, and seemingly beyond. See where Chandler lands in our latest RB rankings.
Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell said Monday that RB Ty Chandler "is absolutely a guy that is going to see a featured, featured role in our offense." Chandler gave the Vikings their best rushing performance of the season in Saturday's loss to the Bengals, ripping off 132 yards and a score on 23 carries. We'll see whether RB Alexander Mattison can make it back from his ankle injury for this weekend's game vs. the Lions, but it sounds like we should expect Chandler to lead the backfield regardless. He, of course, will be a much stronger fantasy play if Mattison remains out.
Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) is out for Saturday's game vs. the Bengals. That leaves Ty Chandler as Minnesota's lead back. This running game has been ineffective for most of the season. But Chandler leads Vikings RBs with 4.1 yards per carry and gets a Cincinnati team sitting 27th in run defense DVOA. See where Chandler sits in the Week 15 RB Rankings.
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