Darren McFadden Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Raiders have confirmed that RB Darren McFadden has a high-ankle sprain.  RB Mike Goodson has also been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain.  Both guys are looking at multi-week absences.  McFadden is worth hanging on to for a return for the fantasy playoffs.  Goodson can be dropped.  While both guys are sidelined, Marcel Reece and Taiwan Jones figures to share backfield duties.  For our take on the fantasy value of both guys, check out this morning's Week 9 Free Agent Focus.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter hears that it’s a high-ankle sprain for Raiders RB Darren McFadden. He reportedly suffered the injury on his first carry of Sunday’s game, and aggravated it a while later. McFadden will undergo an MRI tomorrow to confirm the initial diagnosis. High-ankle sprains usually sideline RBs at least 4 weeks. And McFadden has never been a fast healer. RB Mike Goodson is #2 on Oakland’s depth chart, but he also went down with an ankle injury on Sunday. We’re still waiting for more details there. If he’s sidelined, Marcel Reece and Taiwan Jones would likely split backfield duties.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden injured his ankle in the 2nd quarter of Sunday's game against the Bucs.  The team is calling his return doubtful, which doesn't bode well for his status going forward.

Update: X-rays came back negative, but McFadden will not return to the game.  We probably won't learn more until after a Monday MRI.  The best case seems like a garden-variety sprain, which would cost McFadden only a game or two.  A high-ankle sprain would sideline him 4-6 weeks.

As expected, Raiders RB Darren McFadden (shoulder) is active for today's game against the Broncos.  The "injury" isn't a concern.  Run DMC remains a must-start in fantasy.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden (shoulder) put in a full practice on Friday and is listed as probable for this weekend's game against the Broncos. He's dealing with a mere bruise and will be a full-go on Sunday. McFadden remains a must-start in fantasy.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden has been limited in practice so far this week with a shoulder issue.  The injury isn't believed to be a major concer, and McFadden is fully expected to play against the Broncos this Sunday.  We'll update his status again tomorrow.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden is averaging just 2.1 yards per carry through 2 games.  But QB Carson Palmer made it clear that the offense won't abandon the ground game.  "We're going to continue to run the ball," Palmer said. "Where the big plays in this offense come from is off the running game, and Darren's a guy that can score from anywhere on the field. We realize that and defenses realize that so we're not going to abandon it whatsoever."  McFadden has opened the season against 2 tough run defenses in the Chargers and Dolphins.  He gets another difficult draw in Week 3 against the Steelers.  The schedule lightens up after that though.  McFadden remains a big-time talent -- and the focal point of Oakland's offense.  He's a prime "buy low" right now or after next week's game.

Despite his extensive injury history, Raiders RB Darren McFadden's touch count won't be limited this season.  "We can't baby him," HC Dennis Allen said.  "We can't protect him. We got to go out there and play football and give him an opportunity to carry the ball, and we hope that he's able to stay healthy."  All signs point to McFadden seeing a hefty workload this year.  While he remains an injury-risk, very few RBs will possess more weeky upside.

According to NFL.com's Bucky Brooks, the Raiders want to get RB Darren McFadden 25+ touches per game.  "To take advantage of his versatility, the Raiders are deploying McFadden all over the place, including outside as a quasi-wide receiver," Brooks wrote after attending Raiders training camp. "This will allow Oakland to capitalize on his speed and route-running skills in space against overmatched linebackers, creating the opportunity for big passing gains. In the running game, the Raiders are employing a zone-based scheme that will take advantage of McFadden's talents as a one-cut runner."  McFadden will clearly be the focal point of the offense in 2012.  And he'll see more goal line looks with RB Michael Bush out of the picture.  McFadden will continue to be an injury-risk, but he also carries the upside to lead all RBs in fantasy points.  We love him at the tail-end of Round 1.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden confirmed that he was a "full-go" throughout OTAs and minicamps.  The Lisfranc injury that cost him the final 9 games of the 2011 season is behind him, and Run DMC will head to training camp at 100%.  How long he can stay that way is another question though.  McFadden has missed 19 games over his first 4 pro seasons.  Of course, he also comes with the upside to finish atop the RB position in fantasy points.  McFadden was sitting 3rd through 6 games last year, and he's set to see even more action in 2012 after the departure of RB Michael Bush.

Raiders RBs coach Kelly Skipper confirmed that RB Darren McFadden avoided surgery on the Week 7 foot injury that ended his 2011 season.  “The thing about Darren is, he didn’t have any major surgeries, so he’s able to come back here healthy and he’s playing at a high level right now and it’s offseason,” Skipper said. “You would never know he got hurt. He’s making cuts at full speed, everything.”  Run DMC has been working out since February and was a full-go in team workouts back in April.  The foot injury won't be a concern heading into 2012, but McFadden remains a red-flag injury-risk after missing 19 games in his first 4 seasons.

Raiders HC Dennis Allen said that RB Darren McFadden (foot) "was able to go through all the drills" during voluntary team workouts on Tuesday.  It's more confirmation that he's 100% recovered from last year's Lisfranc injury that cost him the final 9 games.  McFadden will enter 2012 as a high-risk, high-reward fantasy option.  He's missed 19 games in his first 4 seasons but has finished among the top-7 RBs in fantasy points per game in each of the last 2 years.

Raiders QB Carson Palmer got a look at new OC Greg Knapp's playbook and says that the RBs will be busy in the passing game.  “The good thing with all this play-action stuff and move-the-pocket stuff is that some of the best plays are the screens and checkdowns to running backs," Palmer said.  "When you cover Jacoby (Ford) downfield and Denarius [Moore] downfield, one of the positives is the checkdown, the easy throw, the dumpoff to the running back. When Darren McFadden and Taiwan Jones have five, six or seven yards separation between them between the next defender, they rarely get tackled by the first defender."  When Knapp was Oakland's OC back in 2007 and 2008, the RBs averaged 78 catches per season.  That included a 29-catch campaign from McFadden in his 2008 rookie campaign.  If he can stay healthy, run DMC should zoom by that total this year.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden says he's "feeling pretty good" after last year's season-ending foot injury.  "It's a long recovery from a Lisfranc injury," Run DMC said.  "It's one of those things you just have to let time ride it out, but I'm feeling pretty good now."  McFadden went down in Week 7.  Oakland was tight-lipped on his status, but he never returned.  The missed time is nothing new for McFadden, who has been sidelined for 19 of his first 64 NFL games.  Of course, he's been electric when on the field, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 10 yards per catch over the past 2 seasons.  It makes him one of the bigger boom-or-bust picks in fantasy drafts this summer.

Raiders new OC Greg Knapp believes RB Darren McFadden is a good fit in his zone-blocking scheme.  "I'm excited to get back with him," Knapp said.  "He doesn't mess around when he runs. When he makes a cut, he's going north and south. And he has the ability to go the distance any time the ball is in his hands."  Knapp was with Oakland during McFadden's rookie year in 2008.  Run DMC averaged 4.4 yards per carry that season -- a solid number, but down from his 5.3-yard average over the past 2 years.  We'll be keeping a close eye on how he adjusts to the new system this offseason.

Raiders HC Dennis Allen revealed that RB Darren McFadden (foot) is working out again.  "His foot is better," Allen said.  "He was back in town, working out last week, and we got a good evaluation on him. Darren will be ready to go whenever we get ready to kick off the season."  Run DMC missed the final 9 games of last season with what turned out to be a Lisfranc injury.  Oakland has been tight-lipped about his status since he went down in October.  A dynamic but extremely injury-prone player, McFadden will once again be a risk/reward pick in 2012 fantasy drafts.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden (foot) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Chargers.  RB Michael Bush will get another start and should see his usual 20+ touches.

Raiders HC Hue Jackson confirmed that RB Darren McFadden (foot) is unlikely to play against the Chargers this weekend.  "As fast as Darren runs and as violent as Darren runs, you've got to make sure you're healthy," Jackson said. "You can't just go out there and wobble and run around and jog through it. You've got to be able to run through it, and he's not ready yet."  McFadden will end up missing the final 9 games of the season with what sounds like a Lisfranc injury.  RB Michael Bush is a good bet for another 20+ touches in the season finale.