Who Should I Start? Cordarrelle Patterson or Alexander Mattison

Sunday, December 22, 8:28 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Cordarrelle Patterson converted his lone target into a 12-yard touchdown catch during Saturday's Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Patterson touched the ball just once on offense this week, but he made the most of it as he withstood contact from a defender and held on to the football for six points. The 33-year-old continues to have a steady depth role in Pittsburgh, registering a total of 132 rushing yards, 80 receiving yards, and one touchdown this year. He's off the fantasy radar in most leagues.

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.