Fantasy Football

Alexander Mattison

RB - MIN

Height: 5-11

Weight: 220 lbs

Age: 25

College: Boise State

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2023 Season Outlooks

After Dalvin Cook was let go by the Vikings in early June, Mattison is now expected to be the lead running back for the Vikings. The 25-year-old only has eight career games with 15-plus touches. In those games he's accrued at least 15 Fantasy points six times, with five of them coming in 2021. And in those five 2021 games he averaged 4.2 yards per carry, 5.0 targets, 4.4 receptions and 9.6 yards per catch. These are better examples of his efficiency than the games he sporadically played, as in 2022 when he had 10 or more touches just twice. But they also included plenty of negative rush plays, something he's had a high percentage of his entire career. Minnesota figures to also stick to a pass-heavy offense that could lower Mattison's touch numbers, but last year they leaned heavily on Cook to handle a large workload and comments by the coaching staff this offseason suggest they'll give Mattison the same treatment. As a volume-dependent running back, Mattison will get taken between 35th and 50th overall in most drafts.

Mattison has performed well in scant opportunities to date. He should get his first shot at leading the backfield this year.
We're not excited about the player. But the offense should be strong and present scoring chances. And the rest of the RB depth chart doesn't look scary.
Mattison carries some fantasy upside for 2023, as long as you don't overrate him and reach too early.

What We Learned Last YearMattison served as the RB2 behind Dalvin Cook in 2022, finishing as the RB51 in PPR.He recorded a top-5 finish in Week 18 and four other top-36 weekly finishes. Mattison was otherwise a non-factor.The former third-round pick averaged just 4.4 carries and 1.1 targets per game.This mostly had to do with Cook starting and appearing in all 17 games. He received the 11th-highest opportunity share (18.8%) of any RB in the NFL.
What to Expect in 2023Mattison re-signed with the team this offseason for $7 million over two years.The Vikings also released Dalvin Cook in early June. That leaves Mattison as the clear top candidate to lead the 2023 backfield.We’ll see how much of Cook’s vacated work Mattison claims. But here’s what he has averaged over his six NFL starts to date:19.5 carries79.5 rushing yards4.5 targets3.83 receptions36.0 receiving yards0.83 total TDs20.36 PPR points per gameIf we play the extrapolation game, those averages over a full 17 games would’ve landed Mattison as the RB3 in PPR in 2022, ahead of Josh Jacobs.It would be a mistake, of course, to simply project from such a small, spread-out sample – especially one that came under a different coaching staff.Behind Mattison on the depth chart, the Vikings have seventh-round rookie DeWayne McBride, 2022 fifth-round pick Ty Chandler, and 2021 fourth-rounder/kick returner Kene Nwangwu. None of these players looks like a potential star.

Mattison re-signed with the Vikings and will take over as lead back after four seasons as the primary backup behind Dalvin Cook (released in June). Mattison's overall efficiency doesn't leap off the page (career 4.13 YPC, 1.91 YAC), but his production when Cook missed time can't be ignored. Cook was sidelined for four games in 2021 and Mattison proceeded to lead the NFL in touches (105), rushing yards (518) and fantasy points in his stead. Mattison has yet to clear 166 touches in a single season, so we don't want to get too carried away, but the 25 year old is well positioned as the lead back in one of the league's top-scoring offenses. He's safest as your second RB but he certainly has top 10 upside.