The Oakland Raiders have returned to practice this week after some time off following their Thursday Night Football victory over the San Diego Chargers. Running back Darren McFadden was finally out of his walking boot on Monday, but it remains to be seen whether he will be available this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Head coach Hue Jackson would not rule out McFadden at this point, but rather wants to wait to see how he handles practice this week.
The Raiders will issue their first official practice participation report on Wednesday, at which point we'll have a better idea of McFadden's status. More than likely, given Michael Bush's strong performances to date, McFadden will sit one more week. He is an integral part of the team, but if they can buy one more week to get him back to 100% it is probably worth it. Rather than have him aggravate the injury by coming back to early, waiting an extra week is likely the better course of action.
The good news is that Michael Bush is arguably the best backup running back in the NFL. He has always been a solid replacement when McFadden has gotten hurt. It is not the optimal situation, but a lot of teams would kill for it.