Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

The last time Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew were on the same field on a Sunday the two combined for 224 yards rushing and three TDs. In the end it was Jacksonville that got the best of Oakland as the Raiders playoff hopes were dealt a lethal blow back in 2010 but the lasting images all revolve around Run DMC and MJD.

For Jones-Drew Sunday is a homecoming  as the De La Salle alum returns to the East Bay to play against the Raiders in Oakland for the first time in his career. For McFadden Sunday provides yet another opportunity to put the growing concerns of Greg Knapp’s offense in the rear view.

Thus far this season neither back has looked much like the elite level runners they are.

Jones-Drew began the season with a contract holdout yet was still in uniform for the start of the season. To date the NFL’s reigning king of rushing has just one TD and 408 yards on the ground.

Of course Darren McFadden would gladly settle for 4.9 yards-per-carry being a disappointment. Both Run DMC and MJD have the same number of carries (84), however Jones-Drew has almost twice as many yards (408 to 271 for McFadden).

That Knapp’s zone scheme has limited to McFadden to just 3 yards a carry remains a very sore subject for Raider Nation. But the running game did look much better against Atlanta and McFadden has doubled up Jones-Drew in touchdown production (2 to 1) so there is that.

Naturally we’re all rooting for a Raiders win no matter what players step up and have a big day tomorrow. But it would certainly be nice to see a duel between two of the leagues best runners. Fantasy owners everywhere are counting on it too.

Brett Davis-US PRESSWIRE

For those of you who do not engage in the porn of the sports world that is fantasy football I’d suggest moving along to other more engaging topics today such as celebrating Lionel Richie’s belated birthday or searching Octomom videos. The rest of you, follow me, we’re going to take on the dicey subject of debating Darren McFadden’s fantasy value.

Now there really shouldn’t be any debate about this one. Darren McFadden is a top 5 fantasy stud that, obviously, were it not for health reasons would be in the top pick conversation. He is the quintessential fantasy running back racking up points in multitude of ways as a runner and a receiver…basically you name it and Run DMC does it. Most important of all is he finds the end zone. Anybody that had McFadden for the first half of last season was likely contending until disaster struck.

Of course if you were really proactive you didn’t sweat McFadden’s health issues because if you were hip to the game you went out and grabbed Michael Bush too. In my league I missed out on McFadden but landed Bush. For the first half of the season he sat on my bench but once McFadden went down I rode Bush and Marshawn Lynch to the title game…which I eventually lost no thanks to Drew Brees’ pursuit of history. But we’re getting off course here.

So here we are again. It’s June and your fantasy draft is a month or two away. By now you’ve already pegged a few sleepers, guys ready to breakout and you’ve also got your list of wildcards.

At the top of the wildcard list is McFadden. Unlike other rolls of the dice like Chris Johnson last year, there is no concern over McFadden’s ability to produce. Even in games when he doesn’t eclipse the golden 100-yard rushing barrier McFadden is still getting you at least 100 total yards. Johnson, on the other hand, just didn’t produce – at all.

For McFadden’s value to be so closely tied to his health is frightening. If he’s there and anyone you valued ahead of him is gone you’ve got to take McFadden. He’s a gamble but not the Peyton Manning type of gamble. Quiet as kept Manning is the biggest fantasy gamble this year and anyone taking him in the first round is really spinning the wheel. No telling how productive Manning will be or if he can even take a hot.

What confounds the McFadden dilemma is there is no insurance policy this time around. He’s not being backed by Bush any longer and there is no reason to think that Taiwan Jones, Mike Goodson or even Cedric Benson should he join the ranks can crank out Bush type numbers.

So the reality is this season you’re simply twisting in the wind with McFadden. Naturally every fantasy running back needs a backup plan. With injuries, bye weeks, bad matchups, etc. However with a healthy McFadden all you need to worry about is the bye. There is no such thing as a bad matchup for Run DMC. Ask the Jets and their supposed top notch run defense about that.

In short, McFadden is a fantasy stud that really shouldn’t last past the first 5 picks of any fantasy draft based on talent alone. Then there is all the uncertainty surrounding some of the other top backs around the league. Contract situations are making the likes of Matt Forte, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice a little less attractive in the fantasy market. Adrian Peterson’s health has taken him out of the conversation and top back Arian Foster has a new deal which, in recent years, has been a little like the Madden curse when it comes to top producing fantasy running backs.

Aside from his injury issues the other gamble with McFadden is the zone scheme Greg Knapp is installing. During the Raiders offseason program McFadden was singing the praises of the new scheme. But everything looks good when you’re not hitting in May. Then again, with McFadden’s talent he should be able to produce in any system. The problem is there is no system that guarantees his health.

What fantasy value do you give McFadden?

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Forget what you’ve heard. The Madden Curse is real. That is why it’s a really good thing that Sebastian Janikowski’s bid to grace the cover of football’s best video game ended as soon as it started. Seabass was eliminated in the first round of voting for the cover, losing out to Maurice Jones-Drew in a none-too-close vote.

MJD got 64% of the vote so Jacksonville’s odds of returning to Los Angeles increased with the potential to lose their best player remaining very much alive.

Over the years, men such as Eddie George, Barry Sanders, Daunte Culpepper, Marshall Faulk and Vince Young have all fallen victim to the curse in some form. Last season Peyton Hillis became the latest entry on video gaming’s most infamous list.

Hopefully becoming a perennial Pro Bowler will be a more welcome reward for Jano than becoming the first kicker to grace the Madden Cover.  It’s a curse both he and the Raiders don’t need.