The Raiders don’t have much to play for in Week 18, as they host the Chargers, but the team has won back-to-back games in the same situation the last two weeks. While the team is playing hard for Antonio Pierce down the stretch, injuries are piling up, especially in the backfield. Sincere McCormick (ankle) and Zamir White (quad) are already on IR, and Ameer Abdullah ($5,100; foot) will be doubtful, according to Pierce. If Abdullah is out, Alexander Mattison ($5,300) will be the last man standing in the backfield. Will he be a good DFS value option against the Bolts, though? Let’s take a look:
The season so far
Mattison has been a part of the Raiders’ timeshare in the backfield when healthy this season, usually sharing time with White in the early going. He battled an ankle injury in the middle of the season but has played the last three weeks in a timeshare with Abdullah and McCormick.
His yardage totals have not been very impressive for the most part, and he has only 400 rushing yards on his 126 carries in 13 games this year. He has been more productive as a receiver out of the backfield with 32 catches on 43 targets for 283 yards. He also has found the end zone five times, which has helped him average 10.1 fantasy points per game on the season.
He did not score last week against the Saints while Abdullah took most of the work and finished with 20.7 fantasy points by taking 20 carries for 115 rushing yards, giving the veteran 19+ fantasy points in three straight weeks. Mattison’s last touchdown was in Week 16, when he finished with 15.6 fantasy points against the Jaguars.
Mattison’s Week 18 outlook
With Abdullah out of the picture, Mattison should get most of the work this week, although Chris Collier ($4,000) or Dylan Laube ($4,000) could get a few carries as well.
If Mattison does get most of the work, he has touchdown-dependent upside against the Chargers. The Bolts’ defense has been stingy overall against the run, but they already have a Wild Card spot secure, so they may not play all their starters in Week 18. Mattison did find the end zone against the Chargers all the way back in Week 1, when he opened his campaign with 16.2 fantasy points in his Raiders’ debut.
There’s plenty of RB value options in Week 18 DFS contests like the NFL $2.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], but Mattison is one affordable play with upside since he has a clear path to playing time for a team that has been running the ball well.
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