Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones Drew might be the marquee names headlining the Oakland Raiders rushing attack, but Marcel Reece could be the name fans become the most familiar with. The fullback has a diverse skillset that offensive coordinator Greg Olson plans on exposing all season. It could make him fantasy football gold along with being a security blanket for quarterback Matt Schaub. However, a foot injury late in training camp could hurt the effort.
Reece is easily one of the best offensive weapons the Raiders have on the roster, so when he showed up with a boot on his right foot, there was cause for concern. The fullback suffered an injury during the win over the Detroit Lions in the preseason and head coach Dennis Allen would not go into detail as to what exactly the issue was. Things appear to be ok though as Reece plans on playing some this weekend against the Green Bay Packers.
The fullback is expected to be a stabilizer this season. With lingering doubts in the run game, Reece will be counted on, something he is thrilled about. Reece notes there seems to be urgency with the team this year. They believe they have the right roster to truly compete this upcoming season.
"I have been here for a while," Reece said, via the team's website. "The difference is there's a sense of urgency among the players. There's a sense of urgency among us right now. Coaches always have a sense of urgency about themselves, whether it be job security, just wanting to win, being around winning programs, what have you, but there's not always a sense of urgency around players. This year we have that sense of urgency here. There's some more veteran leadership on both sides of the ball, in all phases of the game."
Reece could hurt the fantasy football value of Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew. Both veterans are fighting for time on the field, but if Reece continues to be the better rusher, Allen will simply leave him in. Right now, McFadden is impressing the coaching staff, but heading into 2014, one of the biggest quarterbacks for Oakland is who develops the most out of the backfield.
Both Jones-Drew and McFadden are in need of comeback season. Much of their success will be dictated on just how successful the passing game is for the Raiders which is a big question in and of itself.
