Going back to McFadden’s sophomore season, the ADP of his handcuffs (Micheal Bush and Mike Goodson) have been RB67 (Goodson during the season when there was confusion as to who was the real handcuff, indicated by Taiwan Jones RB70 ADP), RB46, and RB40. The frequent benefactor of Darren McFadden’s injuries was Micheal Bush and he was drafted as such. Going into the 2013 season, the same worries have persisted about McFadden. Not counting last year’s zone-blocking disaster, McFadden has been incredible while healthy. Per PFF, In 2011, he was 3rd running back in the league in points per opportunity (carries + pass routes ran) and in 2010 he was 2nd. Even though often-injured, McFadden has been a fantasy superstar, making the question of his injury-proneness of the utmost importance. Quotations from McFadden himself and GM Reggie McKenzie indicate that DMC’s poor numbers in 2012 were reflective of the scheme, not of any loss of Talent. McFadden stated to the San Francisco Chronicle ““This is very exciting for me; I am the type of guy who likes to go downhill, make a cut and go; that’s my thing. We’ll mix it up like we used to, and get some zones in there, but for the most part, I will be keeping my shoulders toward the line of scrimmage.” McKenzie was quoted as saying ““I’m looking forward to Darren McFadden having a great season this year. He’s a “north-south runner, not a lateral mover.” So, we have a situation where McFadden is being undervalued due to poor production and a perceived injury risk. Given that McFadden’s backup has been a valuable fantasy commodity and that a large majority of the fantasy football community has fallen in love with Latavius Murray, it’s worthwhile to look at Rashad Jennings. Jennings missed all of 2011 on the IR, was terrible for the Jaguars in 2012, but is currently listed as 2nd on the depth chart behind McFadden. Here are the tables detailing the career injury history of both McFadden and Jennings. Now, you tell me: are they injury-prone?

Rashad Jennings

Jennings puts up 24 DNPs in 48 weeks, for a 50% DNP rate. Jennings has mostly been a reserve player, so his multiple trips to the IR haven’t draw as much ire as McFadden’s have. Additionally, he has suffered from a greater variety of injuries than McFadden, including an IR trip due to concussions, which is the death knell for running backs.

Darren McFadden

DMC put up 20 DNPs in 64 weeks, for “only” a 31% DNP rate. While that is still pretty miserable, I would imagine that if most people guessed, they would guess a higher percentage. Additionally, McFadden has been ruled out in the middle of the week or well before game time most of the time, which is incredibly useful for fantasy owners because it gives you plenty of time to prepare and change your roster accordingly. That’s called a silver lining.