Fantasy Football Week 4 Projection: Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden

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Darren McFadden is not a player that any fantasy owner wants to rely on, but we are at the point in the season where bye weeks and injuries can force your hand. McFadden has been decent this season, with 34 carries for 111 yards and 1 TD to go with 7 receptions for 43 yards. The Oakland Raiders have a good matchup against the Miami Dolphins this week, but Maurice Jones-Drew is expected to be back. That makes McFadden a very hit or miss fantasy proposition.

We’ll start with the good, which is Miami’s 20th ranked run defense. That’s also just about where the good ends. The Raiders rank 31st in rushing yards, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry on a league low 54 rushing attempts. In the Raiders’ season opener, the only game McFadden and Jones-Drew have shared, MJD received 11 touches to Run-DMC’s five. Finally, the game is being played in London, and you never know which players will be affected by the travel and time change.

It is worth noting that Jones-Drew was entirely ineffective in his first game with Raiders, while McFadden has had some decent production the last two weeks. It seems likely that McFadden will get the start and have a slight edge in touches until Jones-Drew proves he’s healthy, but there is no doubt that MJD is going to cut into McFadden’s carries. Also, there has been nothing in the first three games to convince anyone that the Raiders are going to commit to running the ball, though they did finally break 20 team rush attempts last week.

Maybe McFadden will flash some of his old big play ability and make his fantasy owners’ day, but you can’t bet on that. The Raiders’ run game is bad enough to begin with, and the return of Jones-Drew makes the division of carries unclear. Unless you are really, really desperate, look for another option this week.

Final Week 4 Projection: 12 carries, 44 yards, 0 TDs – 3 receptions, 21 yards

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