Who Wears the Crown: Who Is the Best Player for the Oakland Raiders Right Now?

For two weeks, many may have quietly wondered whether Darren McFadden was still the best player on the Oakland Raiders.

While McFadden had managed to stay healthy through two games, his production wasn't quite what people had hoped. In fact, through two games, Run DMC had just 54 rushing yards on 26 attempts.

Of course, the versatile McFadden had also added 105 receiving yards, but when you're paid to run the football in this league, a yards-per-carry average of just 2.07 doesn't cut it.

And then, McFadden did this:

With the Oakland offense sputtering in its first two games, McFadden set the tone early against the Steelers with a 64-yard touchdown run that will serve as an embarrassing reminder of how not to tackle a running back, courtesy of safety Ryan Mundy (No. 29 in the video).

With that run behind him, McFadden finished the game with 113 yards on the ground, helping Oakland secure their first win of the 2012 season.

This season, however, continues to be an odd one for McFadden.

While many doubted his ability to stay healthy for an entire season, few doubted his ability to consistently produce at a high level. Some have even said he's among the top backs in the league when healthy.

Some will point to Oakland's new zone-blocking scheme as a source of McFadden's problems this season, and to a certain extent, that's a fair assessment. It's not as if McFadden isn't hitting holes as quickly or running over defenders as easily, it's simply that the holes just aren't there and that the defenders have come in bunches.

On Sunday, however, the offensive line came up big. While the holes still weren't there as often as McFadden and Co. would like, the fact that he had even one big opportunity at all is a start.

In fact, if that video is proof of anything, the Oakland Raiders' current king just needs one tiny crack, and he's capable of taking it to the house. Here's to hoping he gets another hole or two before the season is over.

Honorable Mention: Carson Palmer, Sebastian Janikowski/Shane Lechler

The selection of Palmer surely would have ruffled some feathers in the black hole, but with his performance thus far this season, it's tough to argue too much with that pick.

While McFadden has struggled at times, it has been Palmer who has carried the load offensively for Oakland despite a revolving door of receivers around him.

Through three games, Palmer is averaging 293 yards per game and has thrown five touchdowns, compared to just two interceptions.

Ironically, in his worst game statistically, Palmer was at his best on Sunday against the Steelers.

Needing to come back multiple times late in the game, Palmer was right on the money with all of his passes, leading Oakland to three scoring drives in the fourth quarter, including the game winner.

Just behind Palmer in my book would be the special teams duo of Janikowski and Lechler. It's hard to pick a kicker and punter as a team's star (also not a very good sign), but when you have two of the best in the league, they deserve some mention and recognition.

In a close game like Sunday's, every yard matters immensely, and with the best punter of all time on the roster, Oakland is sure to win the special teams battle every week. On the flip side, Janikowski's end-of-game range is also much deeper than most, giving Oakland a bit more leeway down the stretch.