Darren McFadden Injury: Updates on Raiders RB's Week 16 Status and Fantasy Value

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Raider Nation, but it looks like Run-DMC's foot injury may be too tricky for him to overcome this season.

Update: Thursday, Dec. 22 at 2:00 p.m. ET by Eric Bowman 

Steven Corkran covers the Raiders for Contra Costa Times/Bay Area News Group, and he tweeted the latest on McFadden. 

This should come as no surprise, even though he was able to do some jogging. The Raiders are hopeful he can return this season, but really there's no point for him to do so. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that McFadden has been "undergoing CT scans, MRIs and X-rays on his foot and consulting with Dr. Robert Anderson this week, according to a league source." 

McFadden isn't ruling out a return for Week 17, but realistically, he should. He risks further injury even if he does somehow manage to come back. Very few people are buying into the fact that McFadden will be able to return this season. 

It's great to see McFadden's toughness, and while the Raiders could definitely use, he's been out of football for so long that he wouldn't amount to much help. He's better off just resting up and preparing to rehab the injured foot. 

Update: Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 11:00 a.m. EDT by Alex Kay

Vittorio Tafur of The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Darren McFadden was jogging at Raiders practice yesterday.

This is a big deal for a player who hasn't seen the field in 57 days because of his mid-foot sprain. He has not practiced a single time in that stretch and wasn't out there again yesterday, but this is the first sign of actual progress being made in some time. 

Will he play next week?

It's too early to speculate but the team desperately needs their superstar running back on the field. 

They were doing fine for a stretch without Run-DMC, but after losing three straight games, cannot afford to go without him any longer.  

Unless the Chiefs manage to string another performance together like the one that allowed them to beat the Packers, they should be no problem for Oakland with Michael Bush starting.

After that game, if McFadden is even fifty percent healthy next week, they are going to need him against the surging San Diego Chargers.

The Raiders should still be in postseason contention in Week 17 and will have to earn a victory over their division rivals to win the AFC West or earn a Wild Card spot.

McFadden must be on the field for that game.

------ 

According to NFL.com, Darren McFadden will likely miss the Oakland Raiders' final two games of the 2011 NFL season. The Pro Bowler won't need surgery to correct his chronic foot problems. However, McFadden won't likely have enough time to get back into playing shape to participate in either of Oakland's remaining games—at Kansas City and home vs. San Diego—now that he's spent nearly two months away from football activities.

Run-DMC had been on track to challenge for the league rushing title before his foot problem cropped up again in Week 7. The Raiders certainly could've used his services over the stretch run. The AFC West title is still within reach, though the Silver and Black will likely have to win both of their remaining games to secure their first playoff berth since 2002, when they went all the way to the Super Bowl.

For those of you still stubbornly hanging on to McFadden on your fantasy teams, it's officially time to let him go. Hopefully, you've already been proactive enough to have added backup Michael Bush, who's piled up 1,222 yards from scrimmage and eight total touchdowns this season, much of it in McFadden's absence.

In the grand(er) scheme of things, Bush's tremendous success this season, combined with McFadden's persistent foot problems, puts additional pressure on the Raiders front office to shell out for the big, burly 'back, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. If Oakland lets Bush go, it'll likely have to dig deep into the 2012 NFL draft to find a sturdy backup for McFadden.

No easy task, considering the Raiders only have picks in the fifth and sixth rounds—not counting whatever late-round compensatory selections they're awarded for the losses of Nnamdi Asomugha, Zach Miller and Robert Gallery—thanks to the Carson Palmer trade and the addition of Terrelle Pryor via the supplemental draft.

In the meantime, the Raiders will simply have to keep their fingers crossed that Run-DMC recovers from his recurring foot injury and that his current absence doesn't prevent them from honoring Al Davis' memory with a spot in the postseason.

Follow @J0shMart1n