Who Should I Start? Dylan Laube or Phil Mafah

Monday, November 25, 2:03 PM

Las Vegas Raiders running back Dylan Laube did not receive a single opportunity out of the backfield in Sunday's 29-19 loss to the Denver Broncos. The rookie returned one kickoff for a gain of 59 yards. It was disappointing to see the 24-year-old finish the game with no backfield work on a day when Zamir White (quad) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) were both held from the contest with their respective injuries. Instead, Ameer Abdullah led the way with a 90% snap share, with Sincere McCormick picking up the other 10%. Laube has participated on just one snap in his first NFL campaign, fumbling away his lone carry. It appears he's buried deep in the Raiders' depth chart and will continue his role on special teams alone for now. Las Vegas will line up against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead in Week 13.

Saturday, August 9, 11:43 AM

Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Phil Mafah indicated Friday that he played through a torn labrum in his shoulder during his final college season at Clemson, Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News reports. Mafah has been looking good in camp thus far and mentioned that he is feeling healthy, then proceeded to discuss his 2024 injury. During the 2024 season, he rushed for 1,115 yards and eight touchdowns on 216 carries. He also caught 21 passes for 103 yards and played all 14 games, starting every one, and was voted a permanent team captain by his teammates. Those are still solid numbers considering he was dealing with a shoulder injury. Nonetheless, it could be why he fell to the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft in the spring. A big performance from Mafah on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams could create a running back battle in the Cowboys' backfield between the two veterans (Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders) and the two rookies (Jaydon Blue and Mafah) ahead of Week 1. At this point, from a fantasy standpoint, Mafah remains a dynasty stash at best.