Dynasty league must-buy: Darren McFadden
Let’s hop in the DeLorean and go back to last year at this time. Calvin Johnson was a no-brainer as a must-buy in Dynasty leagues, yet there remained plenty of skeptics unwilling to pull the trigger. The nagging back injury, the inconsistency, the drop-fest on Thanksgiving, and the lack of surrounding talent had many doubting that he could fulfill his vast potential.
Now fast-forward to this season. Who does that description call to mind?
Darren McFadden was the consensus No. 1 Dynasty league draft pick last year, but there’s been rampant skepticism about his value after a disappointing rookie season. The turf toe injuries, the inconsistency, Justin Fargas’ nagging presence, and a dysfunctional front office have owners sleeping on McFadden right now.
Take note, however, that the Raiders beat writers have been impressed with McFadden this offseason. The Chronicle’s David White can’t understand why he wouldn’t start Week 1 while the Tribune’s Jerry McDonald noted his “touchdown-on-any-play capability” and sure-handed receiving ability. Justin Fargas is not a roadblock to the player drafted at No. 4 overall last season.
What did we learn with Calvin Johnson? The nagging injury that holds back a supremely talented rookie isn’t a long-term concern. It’s an opportunity. Go get him.
Comments
i agree for the most part, but what about michael bush??
Posted by: Thomas G | May 15, 2009 03:24 PM
i agree too, but who could root for this guy? is he really that explosive? he may be worth the add, depending on the price tag of course. i just dont think its low enought to warrant a solid value from most owners. but i guess its worth a try.
Posted by: scott c | May 15, 2009 03:33 PM
Wess,
who do u think will handle 3rd down/lead the rb's in recs.?
Posted by: scott c | May 15, 2009 03:40 PM
agree entirely with this article. now stop saying things like this because it hurts my chances of getting him!
Posted by: veggieb | May 15, 2009 04:00 PM
I disagree with this article. There's a big difference in talent between Megatron and Darren McFadden.
The fact is that McFadden has straight line speed, but is not a power runner (Michael Bennett, anyone?) and even worse: he's on the Raiders. This is the organization that gave crazy money to a broken WR who just wanted to retire, then traded & paid a knucklehead CB and cut him after eight games. I don't like the chances of the Raiders coming out of the cellar til some time post Al Davis.
I'd buy low on the RB, but I wouldn't give up much at all.
Posted by: Pac_Eddy | May 15, 2009 04:16 PM
Pac_Eddy,
That's a fair appraisal. I'll admit that I have a tougher time reading McFadden's future than Johnson's. I told everybody that would listen to give up what it took to land Calvin last offseason b/c there was zero chance of him not exploding ... but I don't feel quite as strongly about McFadden.
I do like McFadden's situation much better right now, and I think he's legitimately talented. I also think he's about to become much more valuable than his current ranking in Dyansty league circles. He's better than the No. 20 RB.
Posted by: Wess | May 15, 2009 04:37 PM
Apples and Oranges... Calvin was a no brainer, period.
Despite all the fan-boy love last summer, there are still huge question marks all over McFadden and a solid argument can be made that he isn't the best back in Oakland... just the fastest. Oakland would've traded Bush or Fargas if McFadden had shown them something worth looking at. They obviously have holes elsewhere that could've been addressed.
None of that really matters here, though... fact is that if you think McFadden is worth buying low on (which I don't, for the record) this is your problem-
The guy who has him either: 1) qualifies as a 'true believer' still waiting on his hero to morph into Barry Sanders; or 2) invested heavily in him last year, after listening to the hype, and needs to get something significant to justify bailing out on his investment prior to year 2.
Posted by: Chad F. | May 15, 2009 04:57 PM