With Cook Taking Things 'Day-by-Day,' Mattison Could Make 1st Career Start

[Viktor]

"Obviously it's something that you, as a running back, the more touches you get, the more you can get in a rhythm," Mattison said. "So it's awesome to have the experience, but now we'll take that into this week as we go on to get Atlanta."


Mattison fared well as a rookie in 2019, running for 462 yards and a score on exactly 100 carries (4.62 yards per carry). He's been even better so far in 2020, with 219 yards and a score on 44 attempts, with an average of 5.0 yards per attempt.


The 22-year-old was a third-round pick in 2019 out of Boise State, where he rushed for 2,829 yards and 33 touchdowns for the Broncos.


At the time, the Vikings were searching for running back depth after Latavius Murray went to the Saints as a free agent. Zimmer said the Vikings were more than happy to select Mattison with the 102nd overall pick.


"We just knew we needed another back," Zimmer said. "I think at that time we were losing Murray, who was a really good back.


"We had a group of guys we liked there [in the draft], and Alexander was at the top of the list," Zimmer added.


Mattison's contributions as a rookie helped the Vikings rank sixth in the league in rushing at 133.3 yards per game.


And now that Mattison is a little more seasoned, his teammates don't expect any drop-off if he makes his first career start in place of Cook.