Who Should I Start? Dalvin Cook or Alexander Mattison

Thursday, January 18, 12:03 PM

The Baltimore Ravens signed running back Dalvin Cook from their practice squad to the 53-man active roster on Thursday, and he's expected to make his Ravens debut in Saturday's Divisional Round playoff game against the Houston Texans, according to his agency. The Ravens waived running back Melvin Gordon III on Wednesday to open up a roster spot for Cook. Baltimore signed the 28-year-old at the end of the regular season to give them some more depth behind Gus Edwards and Justice Hill after the Ravens' backfield has been lackluster to close out the regular season. It's not like Cook is going to be a savior, though, as he averaged a career-worst 3.2 yards per carry with no touchdowns in 15 games for the New York Jets in 2023. Expect Cook to operate as the No. 3 behind Edwards and Hill on Saturday, giving him very little DFS appeal.

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.