Rashad Jennings is preparing for his moment to shine. The backup running back Oakland Raiders is likely going to be jumping into a starting role for the team as Darren McFadden remains out with injury. Jennings has the full trust of his offensive coordinator and should have the full trust in fantasy football owners as the all-around back is poised for a big game against the San Diego Chargers.
Jennings came to the Raiders during the offseason and has looked like a much different back than when he was with Jacksonville. With the Jaguars, Jennings averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. So far with Oakland, Jennings is averaging 4.0 yards per carry and is coming off a game where he rushed for 45 yards on 14 carries and caught eight passes for 71 yards. That was just as a backup.
Jennings is the type of back that could put up big numbers with increased time on the field. He is aggressive at the line. Most of his 116 total yards of offense this season has come after contact. He bounces off or drags defenders to get those few extra yards. Not to mention he has great hands, constantly catching passes out of the backfield.
"To be honest with you, I wasn't sure how it was going to work, him coming here," Greg Olson said, via the Contra Costa Times. "For whatever reason, he's a better player here."
As of now, McFadden has yet to participate in practice this week. He is still suffering from a hamstring injury that forced him into an early exit against the Washington Redskins. Given McFadden's injury history, Oakland will likely keep him out this week. McFadden has not played a full season in the NFL in five years. He played just 12 games last year. As the running back enters a contract season, he would be wise to sit a game and come back stronger.
Along with Jennings, Marcel Reece is expected to get plenty of carries. The fullback suffered a knee injury last week, but appears to be fully healthy, participating in all aspects of practice this week. Reece is also a pass catching back, but might not see as much playing time as Jennings likely will. Both Olson and Dennis Allen has praised Jennings' time with the team so far and they believe he will only get better.
"He seems to be a tougher player, a tougher runner than I saw a year ago," Olson said. "It's not that he was a poor player by any means, but I just didn't see the physicality that he has shown so far here in Oakland."