Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

Look, I’m as diehard a member of Raider Nation as you’ll find. I don’t need to prove that. Just comb through any my daily Raider ramblings etched into this blog for the past three years and you’ll know my life consists of breathing air and talking Silver and Black.

That said how can any of us be confident in our defense after watching Ben Roethlisberger play catch all afternoon last Sunday? The last thing we want need is for Peyton Manning to suddenly rediscover his arm strength. That would surely spell doom for Oakland.

It’s not like we’re talking about the same pass rush that one year ago put fear into opposing quarterbacks creating careless turnovers. Sure, the Raiders defense played a break but don’t shatter style of ball that created opportunistic turnovers against Pittsburgh. But that was against a team that doesn’t have much of a running game to speak of.

The Broncos can and will run the rock on Oakland. I don’t need to spell out what that means for an already awful secondary.

There will be no cheating at the line of scrimmage. No clever scheming to keep the unflappable Manning guessing. Usually it’s the opposite as opposing defenses are the ones that must constantly adjust to Manning’s audibles, dummies and general controlled chaos.

To tell the truth, I’m more fearful of Manning’s short throws than his lack of deep precision.

Does anyone else remember what Ryan Tannehill did to Oakland? Dude picked apart the Raiders with underneath throws that eventually created all kinds of running room for Reggie Bush. That’s rookie Tannehill we’re talking about. Manning has better weapons and much more patience. He’ll kill the Raiders by controlling the clock and methodically moving the chains.

Oakland, you have a serious Peyton Manning problem.

Oh, did I mention the Raiders have yet to record an interception three games in? Maybe they’ll get lucky and Peyton will simply toss one between the 2 and the 4 on Michael Huff’s jersey. Anything else would require Manning being pressured into making a mistake or a Silver and Black defender making a play on the ball. We haven’t seen much of either scenario in any other game so why would that change now?

I’ll be hoping this defense digs deep and finds something that hasn’t been there as of yet. Just don’t expect me to hold my breath in anticipation of a big play in the secondary.

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?

IF Darren McFadden stays healthy for all of 2012 then the Oakland Raiders will win the AFC West.

Yeah, not exactly a bold statement when it begins with the dirty if word. But it’s not a reach when you consider how close the Raiders have been the last two years with only a side serving of Run DMC. Imagine what they’d look like with a full helping. He’d be the league’s leading rusher and possibly biggest producer of total yards from scrimmage with a full 16 games.

Carson Palmer doesn’t have to be great. With Jason Campbell being average the Raiders went from hopeless to in contention almost every Sunday. Anything was an upgrade over #2, we know this. But you can’t ignore McFadden’s breakout coming at the same time things improved in Oakland.

Keep in mind the Raiders haven’t had a good defense either. Funny thing is when McFadden is playing the defense is good enough to keep them in the game. Without McFadden the D becomes softer than Clay Aiken at an album cover shoot.

Not saying a homerun threat like McFadden can erase a bad defense. I’m still trying to forget what happened in Jacksonville. But I’ll take my chances in any contest with a weapon that can turn the tide with one touch.

Beyond his talent, he’s also a valued asset for all the other things he does. As a receiver, blocker, decoy and let’s not forget hard worker, McFadden is in that Walter Payton type mold. Not saying he is Payton, just that there is that all-around feel to his game that reminds you of Sweetness.

Darren McFadden is that type of player. MVP level talent with an old school approach.

Despite all of his injury issues, McFadden has avoided any major surgeries too. Keep that in mind. A lot of what he’s suffered has been of the freakish variety. Things that just can happen when you play a brutal sport.

But…here comes the but…

He does have a history of foot problems. That’s a warning sign too big to ignore for a running back. His latest was a condition that caused Matt Schaub to get surgery. McFadden and the Raiders didn’t choose the knife instead opting for rest and rehab. Kelly Skipper has coached him up for years now and he’s already saying McFadden is making cuts at full speed in May. So perhaps the no-surgery approach was best.

We’ll have to wait and see.

Getting back my not-so-bold proclamation of Oakland taking the AFC West back. Let’s be honest about this division. It’s just one big collection of good talent, good coaching and overall average teams.

The San Diego Chargers are Super Bowl champs in July and at home watching the playoffs in January. Get ready for the next round of hype when the football news dies down in the coming months.

Kansas City has teased its fans with some flashes of brilliance then followed that up with worse showings than the 0-16 Lions. They’re trendy right now too but don’t overlook the fact that they’re starting all over again with a new head coach, same as Oakland.

Change is constant in the AFC West so the deck keeps getting shuffled.

Denver is the no-brainer to most. As in you’ve got no brain if you’re picking them just because of Peyton Manning. He hasn’t played in a year and last time he did it’s not like the Colts ran through the league with ease. Plus, let’s be honest, nobody knows how this dude will respond when he takes a hit at game-speed. Don’t act as if this isn’t a gamble by the Broncos cause it is.

That brings me back to McFadden. He’s in his prime much like LaDainian Tomlinson who pushed the Chargers to the top of the AFC West in past years. Forget all that copy-cat talk of the NFL being a passing league. A dominant running back is the greatest luxury there is in football. They’re just few and far between with a short shelf life so when you get one you’ve got to take advantage.

Which brings me back to that dirty if word.

All running backs take punishment so injury is expected. Being able to manage pain versus injury is as old as the game itself. Nobody doubts McFadden’s toughness which means his injuries are serious enough that he just can’t play even if he wanted to. That is concerning cause we know he routinely plays through pain like all true professionals do.

So…if McFadden can stay healthy for 16 games I’m calling the AFC West crown right here, right now for the Oakland Raiders.