The Oakland Raiders are preparing to be without Darren McFadden come Sunday's matchup against the New York Giants. This is nothing new for the team as McFadden has yet to play more than 13 games a season throughout his career. The starter suffered a hamstring injury that cannot seem to improve, leaving both Rashad Jennings and Marcel Reese to cover the backup spot.
In McFadden's absence, Jennings has 242 yards rushing and 171 yards receiving. He has taken snaps in every game so far this year as a healthy McFadden is severely rare. Last week, Jennings put up a solid 176 total yards and a touchdown. Jennings promises that he is always prepared when his name is called, knowing it will get called a lot. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor is not concerned over McFadden's injury, knowing that Jennings is perfectly capable of being a productive starter.
"We saw Rashad make a lot of guys miss and run over a lot of guys. We're definitely going to miss Darren because he may miss the game, but I have a lot of trust in Jennings and I believe he can get the job done," Pryor said, via the Contra Costa Times.
With Jennings as the starter and McFadden risking being inactive, the issue then focuses on the backup position. Marcel Reece is the chosen No. 2 if the veteran is out, something that runs a risk for the Raiders. Reece is a Pro Bowl player that has struggled with consistency this year. The Raiders just cannot seem to figure out how to get the ball in his hands.
Through eight games, Reece has a quiet 57 yards rushing and 108 yards receiving with one touchdown. Last season he put up 271 yards rushing and another 496 yards receiving. However, with Jennings, his work load has decreased significantly.
"A corner on Marcel, not to say he can't do it, but it's very tough," Pryor said. "Marcel is a great matchup versus a linebacker or a safety, and we're not really getting a lot of those looks."
Jennings is a fantasy sleeper this week. The New York Giants are terrible defending the run. The team is allowing opponents to rush 102.3 yards per game. This could make for a big week for players like Jennings and even Pryor who could run all over the Giants.
