Coming into this season, I thought there was no way Darren McFadden would be able to effectively replace DeMarco Murray. Even with Dallas' superior offensive line - which just got better by inserting La'El Collins into the starting lineup - I thought McFadden's recent struggles and competition for carries would make him virtually irrelevant both on the field and especially in fantasy football.
I may have been wrong.
Joseph Randle has fallen out of favor with Dallas' coaches which means more work may be coming McFadden's way. Even without Tony Romo, pass-catching backs have put up numbers in this offense so far this season and McFadden is poised to take over that role.
"If Darren McFadden is on waivers in your PPR league, make sure you scoop him up this week," ESPN Fantasy Insider Mike Clay wrote. "Prior to suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 4, Lance Dunbar had converted Dallas' passing-down, running back role into 51 fantasy points (seventh-most at the position). Dunbar had seen only two carries at the time, but was handling 21 percent of the team's targets. In Week 5, McFadden took over where Dunbar left off, handling 10 (or 26 percent) of the team's targets. Combined with five carries, McFadden put up 78 yards on 14 touches. The veteran will be on the RB2 radar in PPR leagues following Dallas' Week 6 bye."
Overall, McFadden has totaled just 231 yards and one touchdown through five games. No, that's not exactly impressive. But all good fantasy football owners know that opportunity is key to production. Run DMC is about to receive increased opportunities to produce and as long as he's not carrying the load himself, he's capable of providing some decent returns, especially in the pass-game.
Let's face it, if you're actually considering picking him up, you probably have nothing to lose. We'll check back after the Cowboys return from their bye.
