7 months agoLas Vegas Raiders running back Alexander Mattison is an unappealing option heading into the 2024 fantasy football season. After a very frustrating year in Minnesota that saw him lose key touches to Cam Akers and Ty Chandler, Mattison latched on with Las Vegas. The Raiders had a key void at running back with the departure of Josh Jacobs, but Zamir White is the early favorite to acquire most of his volume. That's not to say that Mattison won't get involved, though. The 25-year-old still finished 2023 with 700 rushing and 192 receiving yards, ranking 38th among running backs in fantasy points. He was decent at evading tackles, and he also showcased reliability in the passing game. On the other hand, he ranked 139th in expected points added (-37.2) and 64th in fantasy points per opportunity (0.59). For context, White wasn't nearly as effective as a receiver or tackle-breaker, but he still impressed with more yards per carry and a 4.8 percent breakaway run rate that ranked 16th in the league. As of now, we can expect White to handle most of Vegas' carries while Mattison offers a change of pace and earns some extra opportunities on passing downs. Of course, he'll also face competition in the receiving game from Ameer Abdullah, a veteran pass-catching specialist who was targeted in all but one of his games last year. Don't forget that the Raiders drafted Dylan Laube, a University of New Hampshire standout who drew optimistic (albeit far-fetched) comparisons to Christian McCaffrey for his dual-threat ability. Finally, there are real questions about whether the Raiders can have a good season offensively. Led by either Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell, the Raiders' win total for 2024 has been set at 6.5 by DraftKings. If the Raiders are routinely enduring short drives and playing from behind, there may not be many opportunities for Mattison to contribute. His ADP of 208 ranks 63rd among running backs, making him a high-end RB6 for 2024. That's a fair price tag for a running back who should be treated as nothing more than a low-end bench option in most fantasy leagues.--Andersen Pickard - RotoBaller