Who Should I Start? Alexander Mattison or Rhamondre Stevenson

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.

Sunday, October 20, 6:36 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 18 yards on seven carries during Sunday's Week 7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also caught two of three targets for an additional seven yards through the air. New England seemed to abandon its rushing attack early on Sunday, allowing Drake Maye to throw 37 times. As a result, Stevenson was not much of a factor as he struggled to get going on the ground and didn't carve out much of a role in the passing game. It's possible this trend continues against an up-and-coming Jets team next week, leaving Stevenson in the RB3 tier for fantasy purposes.