Game status update: As expected, Mattison is ACTIVE for Sunday night’s game against Denver.
Game day update: Mattison is “good to go” and is expected to play, per Adam Schefter.
After suffering a concussion last week, Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison has a very good chance of playing this Sunday night against the Denver Broncos. Officially listed as questionable, he was back to being a full participant in practice.
Mattison has not cleared the league’s concussion protocol yet, but head coach Kevin O’Connell sounded optimistic that he’d be able to prior to the game.
Alexander Mattison injury
Fantasy football analysis
Despite being Minnesota’s lead running back this season, Mattison hasn’t really put up the kind of numbers we all thought he would based on the impressive performances we saw while he was Dalvin Cook’s backup. Through 10 games, he’s averaging just 3.5 yards per carry with no rushing touchdowns. He has kicked in some contributions in the passing game, with three scores and 164 yards on 24 catches.
Ty Chandler came into the game for Mattison last week, and was the most popular waiver wire pickup this week. But if Mattison is cleared to play, Chandler’s in more of a 60-40 split with the starter.
The good news is that Denver has the weakest run defense in the league. The bad news is that we might not know until Sunday evening who’ll be starting in the Minnesota backfield.
NFL DFS analysis
Mattison carries some risk in fantasy lineups this week, but based on everything we know as of Saturday morning, it’s worth a shot. He’s a bargain in DraftKings leagues at $5,400 given the matchup on tap against Denver.
If Mattison doesn’t play, Chandler’s a good flex play with RB2 upside. I’d be more hesitant about having him in the lineup if Mattison is active.
Betting analysis
The Vikings are two-point underdogs here with uncertainty over Mattison’s status. Given that it’s trending toward him playing, it certainly makes it a little easier for them to beat the spread here.