With our second edition of handcuff harbor, we’ll take a trip to the NFC North and highlight a back who has shined when the snap share and opportunity presented itself. Alexander Mattison is a 23 year old back entering his 3rd year in the league, and has been a steady backup for one of the league's best RB’s Dalvin Cook.

Mattison is a former 3rd round pick out of Boise State and I'll admit his speed metrics don’t wow you, running a +4.6 40 time, but his vision and ability to keep the legs moving through contact are game-changers. His ability to utilize his cuts and run low to the ground is a perfect match for the zone run schemes you’ll typically see out of the Vikings. The 5’11 220-225 frame makes him a tough solo tackle, and he perfectly fits the classic description of a “hard runner”.
Mattison’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is huge for his fantasy value. Sitting behind Dalvin Cook makes this tough to show but when playing 35% or more of snaps he had 3 receptions in 3 out of those 4 games. In his 2 years in the league he’s seen 27 targets with 23 receptions, averaging 9 yards per reception during that time. Essentially when the opportunity comes he becomes a pass catching threat out of the backfield just like Dalvin.
A big concern for many is the offensive line in Minnesota which has struggled significantly in the past couple years. PFF recently ranked them as the 26th best O-Line in football (not good), but Christian Darrisaw fell to them at #23. Darrisaw is a POWER blocking tackle with solid mobility, something that can transition well into the zone blocking scheme from day 1. Brian O'Neill will hold down the right side coming off his best year as a tackle, excelling in the run block (8th according to PFF), the 3 year vet has started 42 games in his career for the Vikings. 2021 4th round pick Wyatt Davis is another mauling big man who will play guard in Minnesota and could start right away. This line is filled with youth and I personally think they will hit their stride mid season and be way better than their current ranking suggests.
As I mentioned before Mattison has been able to produce consistently when given the opportunity. In his career he has 196 rushing attempts for 896 yards, good for 4.57 yards per carry. In that time he’s had 8 games where he received 10 or more carries, averaging 4.47 yards per carry in those contests. He only has 2 games when playing 50% or more of the team's offensive snaps… and he crushed it. Below is a basic outlook of his production in those two games that both came in 2020:

After diving into his player profiler some things that stuck out to me were the breakaway numbers and his ability to create extra yards. He ran for 15+ yards on 7.3% of his carries, finishing with the 18th most breakaway runs despite being 50th in total carries. His juke rate ranked 27th in the league, as he was able to evade tackles at a 22% clip. Creating yards was something he excelled at, finishing 22nd in yards created per touch. This zone blocking scheme fits his play style perfectly as he can use his vision and ability to shake defenders to his advantage constantly.
The video below shows his tough running style blended with excellent vision and the ability to cut back on a dime. Mattison has the unique ability to hurdle (constantly), something that after a while will get in a defender's head when trying to tackle 1 on 1.
Mattison’s ADP according to sleeper is the RB45 going in the early 14th round of PPR redraft. If you need a reliable backup who has proven he can produce when his number is called then don’t hesitate to draft this stud late in redraft, especially if you're fortunate enough to snag Dalvin Cook in the 1st.
We'll be back in a few weeks with Vol 3. of handcuff harbor! Thanks for reading and as always give us a follow on twitter for daily fantasy football coverage @TheUpsidePlay.
- Ryan Mobley, Upside Play
Comments