Who Should I Start? Alexander Mattison or J.K. Dobbins

Monday, March 18, 6:02 PM

Former Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison is signing an undisclosed deal with the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, according to a source. Mattison is still only 25 years old and recorded 17 touchdowns in his five seasons in Minnesota after they took him in the third round in the 2019 draft out of Boise State. The 25-year-old was a disappointment in 2023 while taking over the lead-back role from Dalvin Cook, though, which is why Mattison was released this offseason. In 16 games (13 starts) last year, Mattison had a career-high 180 carries for 700 yards (3.9 yards per carry) and no rushing touchdowns while adding 30 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Josh Jacobs is no longer in Vegas, but Mattison figures to work in a timeshare with Zamir White in his first year in Sin City in 2024.

Tuesday, April 2, 9:42 AM

Free-agent running back J.K. Dobbins (Achilles) is visiting with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The former Baltimore Raven met with the Los Angeles Chargers last week, but he left L.A. without a contract. Dobbins was recently cleared for football activities following an Achilles tear that he suffered in Week 1 of the 2023 campaign. The 25-year-old has been great when healthy, averaging 5.8 yards per carry in his career. That ranks second all-time among running backs with at least 200 carries. However, it's tough to ignore the injury woes, as he has played in just 23 of his 67 possible games since being drafted by Baltimore in 2020. If he ends up signing with Kansas City, he's likely to be a part-time breather back behind Isiah Pacheco. If his recovery from a torn Achilles goes better than expected, he could have a smidge of fantasy football value in 2024.