The Oakland Raiders returned to the practice field on Wednesday and they are once again without running back Darren McFadden. Their talented running back did some walking on Monday, but he did not appear at Wednesday's practice session. The Raiders are taking their time getting him back on the field, waiting for him to be 100% before getting him in on the action.
For now that means more Michael Bush. The backup running back has proven to be one of the best in the league and has put together a strong run in place of McFadden. There was some talk of trying to get McFadden back either this week against the Dolphins or next week against the Green Bay Packers. If he does not play against Miami, I would be surprised to see him play against Green Bay given the cold conditions.
The Raiders return home in three weeks to face the Detroit Lions, which would be a logical return date for McFadden. This is not based on any sort of medical or inside knowledge, but rather the progress we've seen thus far and what logic dictates moving forward. If he is suddenly good to go in a week's time that could very well change, but given the slow progress thus far, I suspect we won't see him in a game until Week 15 against the Lions.
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