Raiders RB Darren McFadden wasn't exactly a stellar play last night against the Broncos. Having missed four weeks with a high-ankle sprain, I didn't have high hopes for a successful fantasy football outing. He didn't look too bad, rushing 11 times for 53 yards. His 4.7 yards-per-carry average was actually the second highest of the season. However, considering one of those runs was a 36-yarder, the numbers do look deceiving. The news that came out right after the Raiders loss won't help his owners who don't have many other options at running back.
After that 36-yard scamper to open up the third quarter, McFadden wasn't heard from again. Team beat writer Vic Tafur tweeted right after the game that "McFadden wasn’t able to finish because he hurt same ankle. (Head coach Dennis Allen) doesn’t know how serious it is." Not good news at all. Especially for a player who is known for being a slow healer. We'll know more either Friday or into the weekend. But the fact that DMC injured the same ankle that kept him out, owners might be left without a player if waivers are closed during the playoffs. Looks like Marcel Reece could have some value again if his hamstring and quad injury don't slow him down. UPDATE: Dennis Allen said that the ankle injury is not as serious as previously thought and said DMC will be "fine" for Week 15.
I won't go into full details on every other player from last night, but I will name two guys who came up great and two others who disappointed......BIG TIME.
GREAT GAMES
Knowshon Moreno - In my Thursday Night Preview, I talked Moreno up against the Raiders rushing defense. While I didn't have him ranked as high as some other options, he didn't disappoint. Moreno touched the ball a career-high 36 times for 167 total yards and a rushing touchdown. Peyton Manning's presence is having a positive affect on Moreno, who doesn't have to constantly face stacked boxes on every running play. Moreno looks like a good bet for another big workload against the Ravens in Week 15.
Rod Streater - Don't you hate it when players who don't do anything all year blow up at the worst possible time? Streater saw a team high 7 targets, hauling in 4 of them for 100 yards. Problem is, Streater is going to be one of those guys who we likely won't hear from again this year. He may have had a big game Thursday night, but I wouldn't kill myself trying to pick him up if you can still claim players off waivers next week. I don't know if I will add him to my waiver wire article.
DISAPPOINTING GAMES
Brandon Myers - I could have said Jacob Tamme, but I listed him as someone I wouldn't start if I didn't have to. I got that one right, but Myers' one-catch killed a lot of owners. I don't have Myers in any of my leagues, but I do feel your pain if you used him. All the signs were there for another monster game. Maybe not as big as his 14-catch performance in Week 13, but even half of that would have been nice. If you have Myers and make it to the next round of your playoffs, I wouldn't hesitate to play him again against the Chiefs next week. I think this was just a hiccup.
Demaryius Thomas - It's hard to call 5 catches for 82 yards disappointing. But against the Raiders secondary, I thought Thomas would explode for over 100 and a score or 2. It didn't help that he missed the entire second quarter with a shoulder injury, but he has a few extra days to rest before Week 15. 13.2 PPR points is nice, but at least 1 touchdown would have made starting him that much more worth it.