I never like to say never in fantasy football. Thus, when I was asked Monday whether I would want to own any Oakland Raiders player for the rest of the fantasy football season, I couldn't jump on the bandwagon and say cut 'em all. Not Darren McFadden. At least not yet.
McFadden suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee on Sunday, which will render him unavailable for at least two weeks, maybe a month. We know the Raiders are an absolute mess, both on the field and off it. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell is arguably the worst starter in the league right now -- and that group includes Josh Johnson and Chad Henne … and maybe even David Carr if he must step in for Eli Manning! -- and his backups don't inspire confidence. You want to simply say all Raiders should be fantasy free agents.
I just can't do that yet, and if I needed the bench spot to deal with injuries or bye weeks, I'd simply find another way. Dumping McFadden so soon into this season, when there is little evidence to prove things are about to get better, might seem like the right thing to do, but it's premature. Yes, the Raiders play the Giants, Eagles and Jets the next three weeks. Things can actually get worse before they get better. We tell you there shouldn't be any loyalty in fantasy football, so why keep McFadden around?
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Eric Karabell
