What a difference a week has made for the Raiders. Las Vegas went from the highest of highs, a Week 2 comeback win on the road against the Ravens, to the lowest of lows, a blowout loss at home to the Panthers in Week 3.
While a 1-2 start has produced plenty of questions for the Silver and Black, one looms larger than the rest: what to make of the running back room? So far, neither Zamir White ($5,300) nor Alexander Mattison ($5,200) have distinguished themselves as the clear top dog.
White entered the year with plenty of hype. After Josh Jacobs ($6,600) went down with a quad injury to end the 2023 season, the former Georgia Bulldog filled in admirably. In four starts, he averaged over 99 rushing yards per game, including a dominant 145-yard performance on Christmas Day against the Chiefs.
Lightning hasn’t struck twice in 2024 for the man they call Zeus. Although White has started all three of Las Vegas’ games, he’s gained a paltry total of 102 yards (3.2 YPC) and five catches. Given the receiving options on the Raiders, it was always an uphill battle for any running back to control this offense. But just 34 yards per game? It’s hard to feel confident in White as anything more than a bench RB at this point.
White’s backup, Mattison, hasn’t lit the world on fire either. The former Viking has rushed for a wildly inefficient 27 yards on 12 carries, but he has found a role in the passing game, hauling in seven catches for 80 yards. In addition, Mattison has been the go-to guy near the red zone, scoring three touchdowns.
It’s a messy situation in Sin City, but it’s also a tale as old as time in fantasy football. On one hand, you have a bruising, run-first RB with limited receiving skills. On the other, a non-traditional ‘back with the potential for big gains as a pass catcher (depending on the game script).
Snap counts don’t give us much to work with either. Thus far, Mattison has been on the field for less than a percentage point more than White (42.1% vs. 41.6%). However, those totals were heavily influenced by last week’s loss, where the Raiders were forced to abandon the run before the end of the first half.
What matters isn’t necessarily the skill of either player, but the opportunities they’ll get in head coach Antonio Pierce’s offense. Will Las Vegas be in a position to grind teams down like it did last year, or will it lean toward the passing game going forward?
Obviously we don’t have all the answers, but the next two weeks should be telling. The Raiders are 1-point favorites next week against the Browns before they head to Denver to take on the Broncos as early 1-point underdogs; both games should be close. If Mattison continues to receive goal-line touches over White, the decision on who to start becomes much clearer. Still, we’ve seen White put together monster games before, and it’s hard to imagine Pierce abandoning a guy that looked the part of a workhorse running back just a few months ago.
In a pinch, Mattison’s role has been superior to White’s, so he’s closer to flex-worthy in Week 4. Yet, if possible, try keeping both on your bench until this picture becomes a little more clear.
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