Darren McFadden Injury: When Will Star RB Return to Oakland Raiders?

The Oakland Raiders will be going into action on Thursday night in San Diego without star running back Darren McFadden. 

This isn't exactly news. We've known this for at least 24 hours. 

Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 11:55 p.m. EST

John Clayton reported via Twitter that McFadden is out for Thursday's game.

For now, let's not focus too much on the fact that he's not going to play. Instead, let's focus on the other part. He's in crutches.

That doesn't exactly indicate that McFadden will be back in action any time soon. Anyone who has ever been on crutches knows that the healing process takes a few weeks, if not more.

McFadden hasn't played since Week 7 against the Chiefs, when he suffered the injury. Since then, the Raiders have had a bye week, lost to the Broncos, and will now play San Diego without him.

When he injured himself, the team was 4-2 and looking good for a playoff spot. Now, they are going to be at best 5-4 after tonight's action. If they lose and the Broncos beat the Chiefs on Sunday, the Raiders will move from a three-way tie for first place, to a three-way tie for last place. Welcome to life in the AFC West.

It's not that the Raiders have no ability to win without him. The AFC West is a horribly inconsistent division. Let's just say it's doubtful that any team will run away with it.  

But I am not at all confident that McFadden will be back by the time the Raiders play Minnesota next week. 

If he is, then he won't be too effective. Remember that McFadden is a speed back. His injury will slow him down. In other words, they can't bring him back until he's 100 percent. 

I would advise the Raiders to bench McFadden through the Minnesota game. 

Take a look at their finishing stretch:

November 27	vs. Chicago Bears
December 4	at Miami Dolphins
December 11	at Green Bay Packers
December 18	vs. Detroit Lions
December 24	at Kansas City Chiefs
January 1	vs. San Diego Chargers

If the Raiders are going to manage the run, they will need a healthy McFadden. With the exception of Miami, those are all potential playoff teams.

So, I would suggest that the Raiders not play McFadden before that game vs. the Bears. He's not playing tonight and the Vikings are a team with a lot of uncertainty. The Raiders should be able to beat them without McFadden.

That's not the case in any of those final games, with the exception of Miami. 

McFadden shouldn't see a field before November 27th vs. the Bears. Anything before that is a mistake.