Who Should I Start? Ezekiel Elliott or Alexander Mattison

Monday, October 14, 10:49 AM

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott saw eight carries in the blowout loss to Detroit. Elliott only gained 17 yards, rushing at an abysmal 2.1 yards per carry against the tough Lions' front. He saw no passing game usage, severely limiting both his fantasy floor and ceiling. Elliott was severely outplayed by Rico Dowdle, who gained 5.0 yards per carry and also saw receiving usage. The 29-year-old is not a usable fantasy option and can safely be dropped in all formats heading into Dallas' bye week.

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.