Darren McFadden Injury: How is Carson Palmer's Fantasy Stock Affected?

The situation in Oakland may not appear to be getting worse, however, they still have a lot of work to do despite being in the AFC West.

According to Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times, Raiders' RB Darren McFadden missed practice on Wednesday:

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"Darren McFadden is not at practice once again. He has missed all four practices since he suffered a mid-foot sprain against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 23."

"It’s looking more and more as if Jackson intends to rest McFadden for the Broncos game in hopes of having him for the AFC West showdown against the San Diego Chargers on Nov. 10."

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So with McFadden's sidelining in mind, how does this affect QB Carson Palmer's fantasy stock?

Well it doesn't help that's for sure, even with the Raiders signing WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Getting the band back together doesn't guarantee anything, especially when your best player is out. Although Michael Bush is a solid replacement, having both as a one-two punch combo is what really allowed Jason Campbell to have success in setting up the passing game.

Therefore, Palmer's fantasy value significantly drops even though Oakland is hosting the 2-5 Denver Broncos this week. Being on the bye week helps and playing a prepared game against the Broncos will surely add some confidence.

However, it's not going to make him any more than a fantasy bench option at best, because the Raiders passing game lacked even when McFadden was healthy.

Currently, Oakland ranks No. 23 in passing offense and until Palmer proves that he was a worthy addition to the Silver and Black, there's no reason to use him in fantasy football.

That said, if he's available (which is highly unlikely at this point), try and pick up or make a trade for Michael Bush because he will see a lot of carries against Denver, who has the No. 18 ranked rush defense.

It's obvious that Oakland's offensive line is much better at run-blocking anyway, so even if Palmer does have a somewhat favorable matchup, his opportunities are going to be limited. We have to remember that he's only been back since mid-October.

Hence, more time is needed to get the feel back for the speed and flow of the game. Maybe by season's end or early next season Palmer will be a more viable fantasy option, but he's simply too much of a risk at this point.

Be sure to check out John on Bleacher Report. 

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