Who Should I Start? Aaron Jones or Alexander Mattison

Tuesday, October 22, 7:45 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (hamstring) was listed as a limited practice participant on Tuesday for the second straight day this week. Jones injured his hamstring in the Week 5 win over the New York Jets in London and then conveniently had the Week 6 bye to rest his hamstring before returning to action in the Week 7 loss to the division-rival Detroit Lions, where the 29-year-old didn't look to have any issues with his hamstring on his way to 14 carries for 93 yards and his second rushing touchdown of 2024. He added three catches for 23 yards. There's nothing that would indicate Jones in danger of missing the Thursday night clash against the Los Angeles Rams, so fantasy managers should keep him locked into their starting lineups as a high-end RB2/low-end RB1.

Monday, October 21, 3:26 PM

Las Vegas Raiders running back Alexander Mattison was much more efficient than usual in Week 7 in the 15-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Mattison rushed 23 times for 92 yards and caught all three of his targets for 31 yards, giving him 15.3 PPR fantasy points on the day. He took the vast majority of the RB workload. The sixth-year pro was much more involved in the offense than fellow RB Zamir White (groin) who was in his first game back from injury. It appears that the former Minnesota Viking could dominate RB touches in the future, but he also averaged under three yards per carry in four games this season. The Rams defense is also very weak, so the matchup was soft. The Raiders will face the Kansas City Chiefs and their formidable run defense in Week 8. Mattison is a risky FLEX option in deeper leagues. Las Vegas' depleted offense could have difficulty doing much of anything.