Nothing has gone right for the Oakland Raiders upon starting 0-6 this season. Fantasy owners haven't been thrilled with the performance of the skill position players, though that will change this weekend for anyone still riding the Darren McFadden train.
McFadden has never been able to duplicate his breakthrough season in 2010 (1,157 yards, seven touchdowns) thanks to injuries in of the last three seasons. Now, despite not having the stats to back it up, the 27-year-old has remained healthy and is on pace for his best year since that huge season.
Following a disastrous Week 1 with 15 rushing yards and one fantasy point in standard scoring leagues, McFadden has been consistent the last five games with at least seven points four times and breaking double digits twice, per ESPN.
That's not an easy feat considering the last two weeks McFadden has gone against a solid San Diego run defense that's tied for sixth with four forced fumbles and Arizona's second-ranked run defense. He deserves a break and will finally get one against Cleveland's run defense.
The Browns' focus may be on Brian Hoyer's struggles the last two weeks, but if their defense could contain anyone's rushing attack, the subpar play of their QB wouldn't be that much of a problem. The Browns are allowing the most yards per game on the ground (155.5), second-most rushing yards per attempt (5.0) and are tied for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns allowed (seven).
McFadden's yards per carry haven't been there basically for three years. He's averaging only 3.8 yards per run this season, yet that would be his best total since 2011. Here's how bad things have been for the seven-year veteran, via ESPN Stats & Info:
It's because of a stat like this that McFadden doesn't get bumped up to a No. 1- or No. 2-running back status for this week. You can't show that much faith in ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
