RB Alexander Mattison - Minnesota Vikings

5-11, 221

Born: 6-19-1998

College: Boise State

Drafted: Round 3, pick 2019

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News you need to know

From the upgrade/downgrade report (Mon Nov 11): Mattison ran strong to give Dalvin Cook a breather in his magnificent Sunday night performance. He remains the most valuable backup running to stash on your bench.

Week 11: vs Denver Broncos

All RB vs DEN

FBG says: Tough matchup. The Vikings rushing offense overall ranks third in the league with 153 rushing yards per game as Dalvin Cook is having an MVP-caliber season. Cook leads the league in rushing attempts (203) and rushing yards (991), averaging 4.9 yards per rush with 10 rushing touchdowns--third-most in the league. He has rushed 20 or more times in four straight games and in 7-of-10 outings this season, failing to score a touchdown in just two games this season. This entire Vikings offense runs through Cook for good reason as he has looked like one of the best pure rushers in the league this season. Alexander Mattison continues to be marginally involved spelling Cook, rushing eight times for 52 yards last week as he has crossed the 50-yard mark five times this season despite playing a clear second-fiddle to Cook while having yet to play on more than a third of the snaps in a game. The offensive line continues to excel in run-blocking while struggling against the pass. Right guard Josh Kline exited the game early last week with a concussion, so his status will be in question coming into this week. His absence would be a blow to this group, as backup Dakota Dozier has been a clear downgrade during the instances in which he has filled in throughout this season. The Broncos defense has been decent overall against the run since their Week 4 implosion against the Jaguars. In their last five games, they have allowed only one rushing touchdown and the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game (non-PPR scoring) to opposing running backs. That span of games included holding the likes of Melvin Gordon, Derrick Henry, and Nick Chubb all to fewer than 3.3 yards per carry with no touchdowns. This group has the pieces to maintain their success against the run, including a deep defensive line, a pair of excellent run-defending safeties, and what has been one of the most fruitful mid-season additions in football in A.J. Johnson--who has come on as an excellent run-defending linebacker after getting his first chance to start in Week 5. The elite Vikings rushing offense should have their hands full in this one.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	RSH	YD	TD	TARG	REC	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
7	at DET		21	7	18	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	1.8
8	vs WAS		19	13	61	0	2	2.0	3	0	0	6.4
9	at KC		6	3	6	0	1	0.0	0	0	0	0.6
10	at DAL		14	8	52	0	1	1.0	2	0	0	5.4
11	vs DEN	PROJ-Dodds	*	8	*	*		0.4	*	*	*	*
11	vs DEN	PROJ-Tremblay	*	7	*	*		0.4	*	*	*	*
11	vs DEN	PROJ-Bloom	*	7	*	*		0.0	*	*	*	*

Weekly Performance vs RB 1, RB 12, RB 24, RB 36

Percentile ranks

Alexander Mattison's percentile rank in each category, among RB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2019 Week 10 vs DAL (8 / 52 / 0 rush, 1 / 1 / 2 / 0 rec)

The rookie running back continues to impress for the Vikings. He had better than a 5 yards per carry average this week and rumbled off a 16-yard run that fell just short of the end zone. The play was initially ruled a touchdown before a review ruled him down at the 1-yard line. This drive almost turned into a disaster after a false start penalty pushed them back but Cook eventually took the ball in on 4th and 1 for the score. Mattison looked great carrying the ball and was able to find holes that Cook could not early in the game. He only saw a single target that he took for 2 yards and did not play a major role in the passing game. The Vikings have used Cook more as a receiver and even line up Ameer Abduallah over Mattison at times. The rookie back has played a major role this year and should continue to do so as they try and keep Cook healthy for the end of the year push.

2019 Week 9 vs KC (3 / 6 / 0 rush, 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

It was not a great game for Mattison this week. The Vikings did everything they could to get Cook going, but he was never able to break free. Rather than shift more carries to Mattison to try and vary the offensive attack they gave him just 3 carries and a single target in the passing game. Mattison did not make the reception and his longest rush of the game went for 3 yards. Nothing was really working for the Vikings on offense this week and Mattison's workload suffered because of it.

2019 Week 8 vs WAS (13 / 61 / 0 rush, 2 / 2 / 3 / 0 rec)

With every week that passes, it looks more and more like the Vikings got this draft selection right. Mattison showed flashes of speed, power, and hands catching the ball out of the backfield this week. He had his second highest number of carries and yardage on the season and would have had 30 more yards had 2 runs not been called back by penalties on the final drive of the game. Mattison had a 28-yard run where he showed bother power and speed by getting to the outside and lowering his shoulder to run through a defender to finish the run and would have tacked on a similar 19-yard run that was called back due to penalty. He also caught both of his targets but only managed 3 yards on screen plays that were read by the Washington defense. Mattison has been a great pickup for the Vikings and should see more and more work as the season goes on.

2019 Week 7 vs DET (7 / 18 / 0 rush, 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

It was not a great game for the rookie as he averaged just 2.6 yards per carry this week. The Vikings pushed the issue with Cook this week and only used Mattison when Cook needed a breather. His longest run went for 9 yards and he did not see a single target in the passing game. This is the type of ebbs and flows you expect to see from a rookie back who is playing behind one of the best running backs in the NFL this season. Mattison will have better games, but the Vikings wanted to rely on Cook this week in a very back and forth affair.

2019 Week 6 vs PHI (14 / 63 / 0 rush, 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

Everything was coming up Mattison this week until he put the ball on the ground and lost the fumble. Mattison was given 14 carries this week and turned it into 63 yards. This was just 2 fewer carries than Cook and showed that the Vikings feel confident enough in the rookie to give Cook a breather when needed. Mattison ripped off a big 35-yard run where he cut to the outside and shook his linebacker for a big gain. He also had another 18-yard run called back due to a holding penalty and could have had an even bigger day. Mattison was not targeted in the passing game this week but did see more work on the ground than any other time this season. The rookie has done a great job behind Cook and should continue to see plenty of volume in the run heavy Viking offense.

2019 Week 5 vs NYG (7 / 52 / 0 rush, 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

It can be hard playing behind a guy having as much success as Cook, but Mattison is making the best of his carries when given. He had just 7 carries for over 50 yards and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. His longest run of the day went for 19 yards and Mattison continues to show why the Vikings drafted him. He has been a great compliment to Cook and should start to see more carries as the Vikings try and preserve Cook for his first full season in the NFL. The Vikings have a dynamic duo in the back field to go along with Thielen and Diggs on the outside. This offense should be able to put up a lot of points as long as they get better play from their quarterback.

2019 Week 4 vs CHI (2 / 5 / 0 rush, 1 / 1 / 8 / 0 rec)

The usage for Mattison is always going to depend on how well things are going for Cook and this week things did not go well for anyone. There was no room to run on the ground for the Vikings and Mattison was only given 2 carries this week. After breaking through for his first career touchdown last week, it was a very quiet game this week. Mattison caught his lone target for 8 yards and had just 3 touches the entire game. Mattison needs the offense to click in order to receiver more touches and that is not going to happen unless Cousins starts to play better.

2019 Week 3 vs OAK (12 / 58 / 1 rush, 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

The Vikings ran the ball right down the throat of Oakland and Mattison was rewarded with 12 carries this week. Minnesota had a 21-0 lead in the first half, and they elected to give Cook a bit of a break after using him extensively in the first 2 games. Mattison ran for almost 60 yards on his 12 carries, had a long run of 21 yards, and chipped in a 10-yard touchdown of his own. Mattison took the ball up the middle and leapt up and over a defender into the end zone for the first touchdown of his career. His 21-yard run came off tackle and he showed a great burst of speed to get the edge and turn up field. Mattison has shown to be everything the Vikings wanted when they drafted him and has shown early returns as a rookie. Look for him to get more work down the stretch as Minnesota tries to manage the work load for the oft injured Cook.

2019 Week 2 vs GB (4 / 25 / 0 rush, 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

Cook was not the only one to have success on the ground, Mattison chipped in 25 yards of his own on only 4 carries. He had another first down run nullified by a penalty but has shown that he is the clear number 2 in Minnesota right now. Ameer Abdullah was given a single carry, but Mattison is not in any jeopardy of losing his backup role. Mattison did not have a single target in the passing game, but Cousins would have probably over thrown him like he did almost all of his other receivers anyway. The Vikings are rising Cook hard early this season and we should see more carries for Mattison in the coming weeks as they try to manage his workload. The offensive line is doing a great job run blocking and Mattison should have several holes to run through when given the chance.

2019 Week 1 vs ATL (9 / 49 / 0 rush, 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)

There is a reason the Vikings took Mattison in the 3rd round last season and he proved that this weekend. Serving as the primary backup to Cook, Mattison amassed 49 yards on the ground and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. He was not targeted in the passing game, but only 4 Vikings were total this week. Mattison ripped off a 23-yard scamper off the right side for a big first down and accounted for nearly half of his yards on a single play. This was the same play the Vikings called for Cook on his 22-yard run and touchdown. The only threat to Mattison right now is Ameer Abdullah, but the Vikings seem to trust their rookie runner with the primary workload behind Cook to start the season.

Latest News

Vikings | Fifty-four yards for Alexander Mattison (Mon Nov 11, 12:39 AM) - Minnesota Vikings RB Alexander Mattison carried the ball eight times for 52 yards against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10. He also had a two-yard catch.

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