The Raiders are going back to Gardner Minshew II ($5,200) as their starting QB this week vs. the Browns even though he was benched for Aidan O’Connell ($5,100) last week against the Panthers. The more important fantasy football question, though, is what will happen in the Raiders’ backfield where Alexander Mattison ($5,200) has outproduced Zamir White ($5,300) so far this year. Should you start Mattison this week at home against the Browns? Let’s take a look.
First, let’s look at the snap share. In Week 1, Mattison played 60% of snaps while White played just 38%. In Week 2, White took the lead with 63% of snaps while Mattison played just 22%. In Week 3, though, Mattison again led the way with 44% of the snaps while Ameer Abdullah ($4,000) played 34% and White only 22%.
While the timeshare has fluctuated from week to week, Mattison has been regularly involved. White has been getting more carries, but he has yet to find the end zone while Mattison has scored a touchdown in each of the first three games of the season. His most impressive score was the first one of the year for the Raiders, back in Week 1 vs. the Chargers.
That touchdown catch came on one of his six targets in Week 1, when he produced a season-high 16.2 fantasy points. In Week 2 and Week 3, he scored on short touchdown runs, and he added 37 more yards receiving in Week 3 on his way to 13.4 fantasy points.
In Week 4, Mattison and the Raiders are two-point favorites at home against the Browns with the over/under at a low 37 points. Mattison is a little pricey for DFS contests at $5,200, including the NFL $3.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st].
While he hasn’t racked up many yards, he does bring good touchdown-dependent upside. If you expect the Raiders to have to throw the ball a lot, he also brings potential as the team’s top receiving back.
While he’s not a must-start as a top-25 RB or even a flex option, he definitely can be used if you’re in a tough spot. He’s very touchdown-dependent, but he will be taking on the Browns, who have given up a rushing touchdown to opposing RBs in each of their three games this season.
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