Who Should I Start? Alexander Mattison or Blake Corum

Sunday, January 5, 10:03 PM

Las Vegas Raiders running back Alexander Mattison rushed for 20 yards on six carries during Sunday's Week 18 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He also caught four of his five targets for an additional 11 yards through the air. It appeared that Mattison was headed for an increased workload on Sunday with Ameer Abdullah (foot) sidelined, but instead, the Raiders somewhat abandoned the rushing attack. Vegas' running backs combined for just eight carries, and quarterback Aidan O'Connell added four rushes of his own. Mattison may have salvaged his performance in PPR leagues, but for the most part, his showing on Sunday left a lot to be desired. The 26-year-old will hit free agency in a few months, leaving the Raiders with some combination of Sincere McCormick, Zamir White, Dylan Laube, and Chris Collier. Las Vegas has numerous holes on both sides of the ball, but don't be surprised if they look to improve their backfield with draft picks, free agency spending, or both.

Tuesday, January 7, 4:22 PM

The Los Angeles Rams placed rookie running back Blake Corum (forearm) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday and signed veteran running back Royce Freeman from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster in a corresponding move. Corum is out for the rest of the season after fracturing his forearm in the loss to the division-rival Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in the Week 18 regular-season finale. Kyren Williams will continue to work as the Rams' No. 1 RB for the playoffs, with Ronnie Rivers now likely serving in the top backup role with Corum sidelined. The 24-year-old third-round pick out of Michigan had a small role behind Williams all year in his first season in the NFL and finished with only 58 rushing attempts for 207 yards (3.6 yards per carry), adding seven catches for 58 yards. If he's ready to go for the start of the 2025 season, Corum will likely be a top fantasy handcuff for Williams.