Raiders Will Ride the 'Hot Hand' at Running Back According to Antonio Pierce

One of the surprising takeaways from the Raiders' Week 1 loss to the Chargers came in the backfield, where free agency signing Alexander Mattison saw more snaps than the incumbent Zamir White. According to PFF's tracking data, Mattison ended the game with 36 snaps compared to 23 for White.

Neither running back was overwhelmingly efficient with their opportunities, as both averaged fewer than 4 yards per carry. However, Mattison had the clear passing game, running 24 routes to 10 for White. He finished with four catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.

Gardner Minshew's painfully low 4.7-yard average depth of target (aDOT) was the lowest of any quarterback in Week 1 so far. If that trend continues, we can expect Mattison to continue to be a significant part of the passing game with check-downs and screens.

Fantasy football players who drafted White will undoubtedly be disappointed by this development, especially with a Raiders team that figures to be in trailing game scripts often this season. This would lead to more work for the passing down back, which appears to be Mattison.

With the Raiders hitting the road to face the Ravens as 9.5-point underdogs this week, expect Mattison to continue to see involvement in the passing game.

Related: Three Takeaways From The Raiders' Loss to the Chargers