Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey returned to practice on Tuesday, after missing four practices because — wait for it — he was fatigued.

Talk about your Saturday night special — there are 11 preseason games for your viewing. This is why you need NFL Preseason Live to keep up with all of the action.

Whenever I hear the phrase, “This is the year the Raiders return,” my mind immediately starts to wander and I wish for more Brett Favre updates. Honestly, I would probably much rather read about how cool it would be for the Cowboys to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium! Because nobody has brought that up before. Ever.

Find out what I’ll be watching on Thursday night when the NFL’s preseason schedule continues with three games.

NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora told “NFL Total Access” that the source of the hype surrounding Darrius Heyward-Bey of the Raiders may be the newfound confidence of the second-year receiver.

It is June, and players are practicing in shorts, but all the love surrounding second-year WR Darrius Heyward-Bey still has to be encouraging for Raiders Nation.

Wednesday’s surprise name to be making the rounds in the news: Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Raiders coach Tom Cable insisted Sunday that his team’s draft strategy isn’t picking the fastest, strongest and biggest players, regardless of their college production.

Raiders starting WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, who recently was downgraded to questionable, will not play against the Steelers because of a foot injury.

Michael Crabtree, the No. 10 overall draft pick, received $17 million guaranteed from the 49ers in a six-year deal that has a minimum base value of $32 million and a maximum value of $40 million. Crabtree’s contract voids to five years if he has Pro Bowl seasons in two of the first four years. In that case, the base value would be $28 million.

Now that Brett Favre and Mike Vick are gainfully employed, I thought I’d reflect back on what has been another wild NFL offseason (and I’m including the events of training camp as part of the “offseason,” cause, heck, we’re not in the regular season yet).

Ignore Darren McFadden‘s second-team status on the Raiders’ initial depth chart, he’s still the Oakland player you should target first in fantasy drafts.

While more first-round draft picks have reached or are near finalizing contracts, the Bengals and No. 6 overall selection Andre Smith are locked in a staredown that could last several more weeks.

The Raiders raised eyebrows and surprised some when they picked Maryland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey with the seventh overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft. The team could be open for more scrutiny if Heyward-Bey continues to struggle in training camp.

No. 7 overall draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey has agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Raiders, according to his agent, Ben Dogra. Meanwhile, the Rams and No. 2 overall pick Jason Smith are close to finalizing a deal.