Chad F.,
I think that's a case of 20/20 hindsight. Even if you and I had Calvin as a "no brainer, period" last offseason, there were plenty of people who placed him in the same category you're now placing McFadden, i.e. "still huge question marks all over."

I don't believe Al Davis wanted to trade Michael Bush, and Justin Fargas wouldn't have fetched anything worthwhile. Meanwhile, I don't believe for a second that there's a better back in Oakland. I'm not a McFadden "true believer," but I know he offers more to that offense than Fargas does.

Reggie Bush is the best comp, not a wr who was heralded as basically perfect coming out of college. Questions about standing up to the hits a rb will take, but also some doubts about inside running ability, tackle-breaking. And Bush has been fine, but hardly a must-own.

(No, I'm not saying they're exactly alike. I think McFadden will be less of a receiver, and a somewhat better inside runner. But if you want to compare players, Bush is a LOT closer than Megatron.)

Calvin Johnson is more like the Adrian Peterson of wrs. Some injury issues, but when healthy, ideal players for their positions.

Wess,
I suppose there may be people out there who were down on Calvin Johnson last year... I don't know any, but they may indeed exist. I'll even concede that we're now comparing an established guy to someone who's reputation far exceeds his production, so there is going to be an obvious bias.

The Al Davis argument is a non-starter because, as Pac_Eddy already noted, Davis doesn't know what he wants and when he finally decides, he disagrees with himself... if anything, the Oakland effect makes McFadden, and all the other young skill players, more likely to wash out.

But, when I cut away everything else and look at the player, whats left is a really fast guy who falls down the second a defender breathes on him, and doesn't seem to have a lot of lateral quickness. Sure he's a threat to score on any touch if given a big enough hole or enough room, but how often does that happen? Reggie Bush or Devin Hester, anyone? Its not hard to see which back's skillset fits better, just channel your inner AJ Smith and take Michael Bush.

Darren McFadden is the equivalent of a Go route WR... I think he is in for a much steeper learning curve than we're accustomed to at his position, with a much higher than normal chance at being a bust, and thats where the comparison with a prototypical talent like Calvin Johnson breaks down.

Great post. The whole world of fantasy prognosticators seems curiously asleep about McFadden. Its the buy-low of the century. Add Lorenzo Neal to lead block, Tom Cable with another year coaching up that O-Line and Run-based offense; give Fargas' carries from last year to McFadden and watch the fantasy pts pile up. Forte proved that a back with 2nd round talent (and good hands) can blow up in fantasy leagues on a bad throwing team, just imagine what the ultimate college weapon can do in his second year without the toe problems. I'm grabbing him in every league and waiting patiently until the end of the season to mock the naysayers. Scout.com referred to him as the best back to come out of college football in twenty years prior to last year's draft. This is the closest thing you'll see to Peterson for years. BUY BUY BUY!

Lively debate (and with good reason). And precisely why if you are with Wess and trust in the talent, there will be a buy low opportunity for dynasty leaguers. Let's face it, the shine is off.

The Reggie Bush comp is a stretch though... the similarities begin and end with their ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

As aforementioned, McFadden has legitimate straight line sprinter speed. Bush is the shifty, more quick than fast type. He rarely runs by people in the NFL.

P.S.

Not a power-back eh? Maybe you should revisit the film. Kid has a stiff arm like Beanie's.
And as far as being a speed back, he runs a 4.3 forty, was good for 1800 yards per season in college and absolutely EVAPORATES the edge on outside runs. The reason Mayock (the god of scouting) put him around #20 was that Mayock factors in real life NFL concerns (like character issues, likelihood to get in piano-bar fights, intelligence, and more than anything a value/dollars spent ratio.) NFL owners have to invest a great deal of money in HBs. More than is warranted when you think of what chemistry makes a winning football team. Fantasy owners don't. We just look for the best combination of opportunity and talent. It doesn't cost us multi-millions in risk.

And let's not forget that if your fantasy league counts throwing TDs and adds recieving yards and pts... McFadden is the king of the wildcat. ... which is obviously spreading throughout the league. How do you like the sounds of a combined 350 yard (rushing, recieving, passing) game, with multiple touchdowns. That's the McFadden ceiling. The floor is Reggie bush numbers. Stll good for top 10 in PPR leagues.

On Mayock -- Mayock's low ranking of McFadden had a lot to do with his lack of power. He criticized his "tiny lower body", and said McFadden's "legs go dead" on contact. Here's a video with some of his criticism:

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d806a7d2e

(I don't believe these were his final rankings, but the criticisms of McFadden did remain the same.) Now, I'm not saying Mayock's infallible -- obviously he whiffed on where Chris Johnson would go. I'm just saying that his criticism of McFadden was based mostly on the tape, not character issues and such. Personally, I have the same doubts, but even Mayock said that most people in the NFL disagreed with him on McFadden. So, to each his own.