Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden split reps at running back with the first-team offense. Although competing for the starting job, don’t expect to see a lot of them in the preseason. First off, each has a recent history of injuries, and the Raiders want to make sure they’re as close to 100 percent as possible entering the regular season. Secondly, the staff wants to get a look at youngsters Latavius Murray, a 2013 sixth-round pick who missed all of last season with a foot injury, and Kory Sheets, a star CFL performer who rushed for 2,875 yards and 23 touchdowns over the past two seasons with Saskatchewan.
MJD is far from a lock, but given his 8th/9th round price, there isn’t a whole lot of risk here. He’s a good bet to win the starting job in Oakland, and at 29-years-old, we’re not convinced that he’s over the hill. He averaged 4.8 YPC as recently as 2012 and doesn’t have the mileage of a typical 29-year-old back since he was a part-time player for his first three seasons in the league. Rashad Jennings had success down the stretch for the Raiders in 2013 and MJD played ahead of Jennings while in Jacksonville. DMC is the underdog in this race.
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