Alexander Mattison Fantasy

The Minnesota Vikings re-signed running back Alexander Mattison this offseason with the plan for him to be the starter. There have been trade talks surrounding Dalvin Cook, but no deal has materialized. He will officially be released on Friday, with several teams, including the Miami Dolphins, set to inquire about him. Up until this point, Mattison has strictly been a handcuff for Cook, but he's been a productive plug-and-play option at RB when Cook has missed time with injuries. Ty Chandler and DeWayne McBride could steal some touches away, but this should mostly be Mattison's show in 2023. The 24-year-old has averaged 4.1 yards per carry in his four seasons in Minnesota and has also caught 70 passes for 526 yards. Mattison's fantasy stock has skyrocketed in recent days after the official news that the Vikes will be moving on from Cook.

11:08 AM

The Minnesota Vikings released Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook on Thursday. The team saved $9 million by cutting Cook while taking on a $5.1 million dead cap hit this season and a $3.1 million dead cap hit in 2024. https://twitter.com/tompelissero/status/1666806520359849986?s=42&t=nmclxZ4zP1Gqt9CUbbpkHw The 27-year-old back has been a big part of Minnesota's offense since he was drafted in 2017. He has topped 1,100-plus rush yards over the past four years, including 1,173 yards on 264 carries and eight touchdowns last season. With Cook now gone, the Vikings will call on Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, rookie DeWayne McBride, and Kene Nwangwu in the running game. But which running back takes over the RB1 job? What's his fantasy value like with Cook out of town?   Who is the Vikings RB1 After Dalvin Cook Was Released? Mattison is set to take over the lead-back role in Minnesota after backing up Cook for four seasons. He was a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and will finally get his shot to shine as the RB1. The Vikings re-signed the 24-year-old to a two-year, $8 million deal this offseason. The former Boise State product has been highly efficient as the backup in Minnesota's offense since 2019. He finished with 500-plus scrimmage yards in three of his four NFL seasons and has averaged 4.1 yards per carry throughout his career. But he has really excelled when stepping up for an injured Cook. In 2021, Mattison had over 120 scrimmage yards in three of the four games as the Vikings' starter. He showed potential in that role since entering the league and will now be the top back in the offense for the first time in his career. https://twitter.com/nfloncbs/status/1666816519681245188?s=42&t=nmclxZ4zP1Gqt9CUbbpkHw Alexander Mattison 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook Mattison was regarded as one of the best handcuffs to Cook in fantasy football since 2019. The latter not only missed multiple games per season due to injuries, but the former always came in and put up just as good numbers. These were Mattison's fantasy numbers and stats as the RB1 since 2020: Week 6, 2020: 10 carries for 26 yards, one catch for four yards (4 points) Week 17, 2020: 21 carries for 95 yards and one touchdown, three catches for 50 yards and one touchdown (29.5 points) Week 3, 2021: 26 carries for 112 yards, six catches for 59 yards (23.1 points) Week 5, 2021: 25 carries for 113 yards, seven catches for 40 yards, and one touchdown (26.3 points) Week 13, 2021: 22 carries for 90 yards and one touchdown, three catches for 34 yards (21.4 points) Week 16, 2021: 13 carries for 41 yards and one touchdown, three catches for 29 yards (16 points) Mattison averaged 20.05 PPR fantasy points and 115.5 scrimmage yards in games as the Vikings' RB1 in 2020 and 2021. That type of production will likely put him in the RB1 conversation this season. He should be drafted higher in drafts in 2023 as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2.

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The Minnesota Vikings have been slowly transitioning away from running back Dalvin Cook and to Alexander Mattison, who was re-signed in March to a contract that guarantees him $6.35 million over the next two seasons. Mattison said he returned because of an "understanding how it's all laid out and how it's all going to work out." Head coach Kevin O'Connell recently lauded Mattison's demonstration of "that all-three-down kind of ownership that he's been capable of for a long time." Mattison is a physical inside runner, having averaged 1.91 yards per rush after contact, but only one of his 404 career carries has gone for more than 24 yards. All indications are that the Vikings would use Mattison as an every-down back if Cook is out of the picture, which would make him a steal in fantasy drafts at the moment.

Jun. 2nd • 11:06 AM