Raiders HC Dennis Allen would not provide a timetable for RB Marcel Reece's return.  He only said that Reece had an MRI and that he will not need surgery.  It sounds like he avoided a serious injury but could still be looking at a multi-week absence.  Reece and Darren McFadden (hamstring) seem unlikely to play against the Raiders this Sunday, leaving Rashad Jennings as Oakland's feature back.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Raiders RB Darren McFadden "avoided serious injury."  That's the only update we've gotten on McFadden's bum hamstring.  He went down in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game, briefly tried to return before being ruled out for the rest of the game.  Throw in McFadden's injury history and the tricky nature of hamstrings, and we're not optimistic about his availability for Week 5.  It at least sounds like he dodged a prolonged absence, though.  We'll continue to update his status as we learn more.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden suffered a hamstring injury in the 1st half of Sunday's game.  He's being called questionable to return, but we doubt he'll be back.  RB Marcel Reece exited with a knee injury, leaving Rashad Jennings as Oakland's lead back.

Whether it's for Week 1 or a bit later, Terrelle Pryor will eventually take over as the Raiders' starting QB this season.  And RB Darren McFadden believes that will open up more running room.   Oakland is expected to use the pistol and read-option with Pryor under center.  He and McFadden have the potential to be a lethal combination.  And we've seen the impact rushing QBs can have on RB's numbers (see: Alfred Morris).  McFadden remains a risk/reward RB2.

Raiders HC Dennis Allen confirmed that RB Darren McFadden will "absolutely" be ready for Week 1.  The shoulder injury DMC suffered in the 2nd preseason game was never considered serious, although we didn't like that it kept him out of the 3rd exhibition.  This injury isn't a concern, but McFadden remains a poor bet to play 16 games this season.  He hasn't played more than 13 in any of his 5 NFL seasons.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden is moving down our RB rankings.  He sat out Friday night's preseason game with a shoulder injury suffered in last week's exhibition.  It's believed to be a minor ailment, but it's always a concern when a guy with McFadden's injury history is sidelined.  Beyond that, McFadden has struggled mightily in preseason action.  He's averaged a measly 2.8 yards per carry in 2 exhibitions.  It's not what we wanted to see after he struggled to a 3.3-yard mark last year.  We still like McFadden's skill set, plus the fact that he'll be the focal point of Oakland's offense.  On the downside, he doesn't figure to find much running room behind a piss-poor offensive line and with defenses keying on him.  Consider McFadden a low-end RB2 for your fantasy squad.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden has mustered just 22 yards on 8 carries so far this preseason -- an ugly 2.8 yards per carry.  McFadden looks just fine, but he's had no room to run behind Oakland's struggling offensive line.  It's a definite concern after he averaged just 3.3 yards per tote last year.  The Raiders' entire offense has been a mess through 2 exhibitions.  The passing game doesn't figure to improve much, so defenses will be keying on McFadden all year.  He's talented enough to produce in spite of that, but it won't be easy.  We're hoping to see more production out of McFadden in his 3rd preseason game.  If we don't, we'll consider moving him down our RB rankings.  It's also worth noting that McFadden suffered a minor shoulder injury in Friday night's game.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden is feeling comfortable in the team's new power-blocking scheme, according to HC Dennis Allen.  That's not surprising considering it's similar to the system that sprung DMC for over 5 yards per carry in both 2010 and 2011.  "The guy's still explosive," Allen said of McFadden.  "He's still a threat to take it all the way. And he feels more comfortable."  The injury risk with McFadden is real.  But so is the top-10 upside.  We're willing to roll the dice on him in the 3rd round of fantasy drafts.

Raiders HC Dennis Allen has been impressed with rookie RB Latavius Murray in OTAs.  “Probably the thing that’s been most impressive is that he’s picked up everything offensively from a schematic standpoint, assignment wise,” Allen said. “He’s done a great job. He’s done a nice job in pass protection. That’s one of the things you see with young backs that they struggle with at times.”  Learning the offense and pass protection are 2 of the biggest stumbling blocks for rookie RBs.  The fact that Murray is already excelling in both areas is promising news.  At 6'2, 223 pounds with 4.38 speed, he certainly has the physical tools to make an immediate impact.  Murray is battling with Rashad Jennings and Marcel Reece for Oakland's backup RB job.  The winner will have fantasy appeal as Darren McFadden's handcuff.

Central Florida HC George O'Leary told ESPN.com that Oakland got an "NFL-ready" talent when it drafted UCF RB Latavius Murray in Round 6. "They are getting a player that is good in just about everything he does," he said. "He can run. He knows blocking protections. He has really good hands of the backfield. He can help on special teams. They are getting a good player." In a wide-open, largely uninspiring class of RBs, Murray carries fantasy sleeper potential. His landing in Oakland helps. Behind the injury-prone Darren McFadden sits only Rashad Jennings, Marcel Reece and Taiwan Jones. Look to the 6'3, 224-pound Murray as an upside pick in the middle of your dynasty rookie draft. Murray capped his college career with 1,106 rushing yards, 27 catches for 231 yards and 19 total TDs last season.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden's struggles last year have been well documented.  He averaged a career-worst 3.3 yards per carry.  He had just 4 runs of 20+ yards after racking up 22 of those the previous 2 seasons.  A zone-blocking scheme that had him running laterally before cutting upfield was mostly to blame.  The Raiders are going back to a power scheme in 2013 under new OC Greg Olson.  "It's a downhill offense," McFadden said. "That's one of the things I like about it. I'm the type of guy I like to get going downhill, so I'm looking forward to it. I think it's going to be a great fit for our team."  McFadden was in a similar scheme in 2010 and 2011 when he popped off 5.3 yards per carry.  He averaged 16.7 fantasy points per game over that span -- top 3 production.  That's the type of upside he'll carry into 2013.  And unlike last year when he was a mid-1st-round pick, McFadden can be had in the 2nd or 3rd round of fantasy drafts this summer.

The Raiders have signed RB Rashad Jennings.  The former 7th-round pick averaged 5+ yards per carry in each of his first 2 NFL seasons.  But he missed all of 2011 with a knee injury and then labored to a pitiful 2.8 yards-per-carry average this past year.  Still just 28 years old, we like Jennings' chances of bouncing back this season as Darren McFadden's backup.  He'll be worth considering late in fantasy drafts as a handcuff.

Former OC Greg Knapp's zone-blocking scheme was an absolute disaster for Raiders RB Darren McFadden in 2012.  After averaging 5+ yards per carry in each of the previous 2 seasons, Run DMC struggled to a career-low 3.3-yard mark this past year.  Oakland is going back to a power run scheme in 2013 under new OC Greg Olson and OL coach Tony Sparano.  "We're really going to look at the things that McFadden does really well and we’re going to try to ask him to do those things as much as possible," HC Dennis Allen confirmed.  While durability remains an obvious issue for McFadden -- he's missed at least 3 games in each of his first 5 seasons -- we're expecting him to be much more productive when he's on the field in 2013.  Run DMC could be a value pick in fantasy drafts this summer.

The Raiders have hired Greg Olson as OC.  He spent last year as QBs coach in Jacksonville.  Prior to that, Olson was the Bucs' OC from 2009-2011.  He's also led the Lions and Rams offenses.  Olson will bring a power running attack to Oakland -- excellent news for Darren McFadden.

The Raiders have fired OC Greg Knapp.  The team ranked just 18th in yards and 26th in points this season.  And Knapp's zone-blocking scheme didn't suit RB Darren McFadden, who averaged a career-worst 3.3 yards per carry.  Look for Oakland to go back to the power run scheme that helped DMC average over 5 yards per carry the previous 2 years.  Despite continued durability concerns, McFadden could be a value pick in 2013 fantasy drafts.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden (ankle) has been a full participant in practice this week. "Darren's been great," HC Dennis Allen said Thursday. "He's been great all week. I haven't noticed anything where he's had any issues at all, and so I'm really kind of expecting him to be a full go."  Despite his disappointing season, McFadden is a viable RB2 this weekend against Kansas City's 24th-ranked RB defense.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden participated in practice on Monday.  It's confirmation that Thursday's aggravation of his ankle injury wasn't serious.  Run DMC will be good to go for this weekend's game against the Chiefs.  After stepping back in as Oakland's clear-cut lead back last week, McFadden will be worth using as a RB2 in Week 15.

Raiders HC Dennis Allen isn't concerned about RB Darren McFadden after he tweaked his ankle last night.  "He was walking around fine," Allen said Friday.  "Didn't have a lot of pain.  I don't think it's an injury that's going to keep him out any time."  While it'd be nice to see Run DMC get back to 100%, it sounds like he'll be able to play against the Chiefs in Week 15.

Raiders HC Dennis Allen revealed that RB Darren McFadden reinjured his ankle late in Thursday night's game against the Broncos.  "I don't really know exactly where it is; I just know he wasn't able to finish the game," Allen said.  Yahoo's Jason Cole hears the injury isn't as severe as the one that kept McFadden out the previous 4 games.  Still, he's back to "questionable" territory for Week 15.  We'll update his status when we learn more.  McFadden was bottled up for the majority of last night's game, although he did break off a 36-yard run and score on a 6-yard catch.