Head-scratching List Claims Raiders Lack Trust in Important Position Group

The Las Vegas Raiders finished their preseason slate and can look ahead to the regular season once they cut down the 53-man roster. Coach Antonio Pierce has already begun preparing for the Week 1 matchup against AFC West opponent Los Angeles, led by returning NFL coach Jim Harbaugh.

Already, in garages and living rooms and anywhere with serviceable WIFI, fans across the country are drafting their fantasy football teams for the upcoming season.

Pro Football Focus, the analytics company that has taken the football world by storm over the past 10 years, has shared its thoughts on how the Raiders will tie into fantasy football this season.

A recent list of preseason takeways from PFF's Nathan Jahnke came to the conclusion that the "Las Vegas Raiders don’t trust their running backs."

"Zamir White started both preseason games with the starters," Jahnke wrote. "In both games, he was consistently taken out for third-and-medium third-and-long situations, even if it was his drive. He played the first drive of the first game but was taken out for the second drive, which featured a mix of starters and backups. On the third drive, he returned to the game for two plays with the backups. In the second game, he played on the first two drives.

"He was taken off the field for the third drive, which was still mostly with starters. He returned for the fourth, fifth and sixth drives, taking most early-down snaps outside of a first-and-10. He didn’t play at all on the seventh drive for a two-minute drill. He returned to start the third quarter with three of the 10 other players who started the game. He didn’t play in the third game."

Of Alexander Mattison, the likely No. 2 running back in terms of carriers, Jahnke highlighted third-down ability.

"He took every snap on the second drive with a mix of starters and backups," Jahnke wrote. "He returned for five snaps on the third drive and was the first running back taken out of the game, Mattison was again the third-down back for the first two drives of the second game with the starters. He took the first nine snaps on the third drive, largely with the starters. He didn’t play at all on the fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh drives but returned for four snaps on the eighth drive in the third quarter, largely with backups. He didn’t play in the third game."

Interestingly, Jahnke acknowledged a know truth of preseason football, despite reaching the aforementioned conclusion about Silver and Black, trust, and ball carriers.

"The Raiders generally played starters for one quarter in the first and second preseason games, but they also staggered when players left the game more than most teams," he wrote. "They rested their starters and almost all of the backups who were assured a roster spot in the third game."

One is left curious as to how the Raiders don't trust their ball carriers.