What to expect from Mattison in 2019
Expectations for Mattison vary a lot, even between experts. NFL.com had him as their ninth-best running back whereas CBS Sports had him all the way down at rank 31 as a rusher. However, the real proof is in the pudding when it comes to what Mattison brings to the Minnesota Vikings.
Fans should expect Mattison to step right in right away take over the role Latavius Murray left open upon his exit. He will be a short-yardage specialist who could see work on obvious passing downs where he can shine as a blocker or a receiver.
Mattison will occasionally wow with a showing of power and balance, but the team should enjoy him consistently gaining yards and putting the team in good positions.
The best thing about Mattison is that he has been a bellcow in the past. If he is forced to take over the starting role from Dalvin Cook for any reason, the Minnesota Vikings should be confident that he can handle the workload and do so at a high level.
Fans should expect him to have a similar rushing stat line to Latavius Murray while he was with the Vikings. Somewhere around 700 receiving yards with seven touchdowns sounds fair. However, he will be more of an asset in the passing game, likely adding another 300 yards and three scores there.
That means a total of 1,000 yards from scrimmage and ten touchdowns from a third-round pick. There would be no reason to complain about that kind of production.
Expectations should be high for Alexander Mattison this season, but just how much he will accomplish will depend entirely on the way snaps are split with Dalvin Cook. However, just know that when he is in the game, fans will get to see one of the highest effort players in this year’s draft working to get points on the board for the Minnesota Vikings.