The Oakland Raiders are desperate for someone to step up on offense and start making plays. The team is on the verge of starting the 2014 season 0-4 as they head to London for a matchup with the Miami Dolphins. Derek Carr is struggling at the quarterback position. Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew are ineffective on the ground. Now, to make matters worse, Rod Streater is injured, leaving a hole at the wide receiver spot.
The Raiders will be without Streater for the next four to six weeks as he undergoes foot surgery. The injury was suffered in Week 3 against the New England Patriots, but is considered to be minor which gives Oakland hope that he can make his return sooner than predicted. Streater had nine catches for 84 yards and a touchdown this season as a starting receiver, leaving the Raiders with a big hole to fill. His numbers were not overly impressive, but neither are the rest of the receiving corps for the Raiders.
Without Streater, the Raiders are expected to push Denarius Moore, Andre Holmes and newly signed Vincent Brown to run alongside James Jones. Streater ranked second on the team in receiving behind Jones who has 189 yards on the year and two scores. The unit lacks a true No. 1 guy, but for now Jones takes over the role. The other consistent threat for the Raiders appears to be tight end Mychal Rivera who has 73 yards on the year while catching 10 of his 17 targets. The question will be who steps up next to him. Brice Butler has been nearly forgotten, recording negative yards so far on the year. It will be up to Moore and Holmes to start providing Carr with some receiving threats.
The ground game is another issue entirely. Jones-Drew missed last week with an injury, but made the trip to London and is fully ready to compete in Week 4. That could help the run game or not matter entirely. So far he and McFadden have yet to look like quality running backs. McFadden has managed 111 yards, but only because Jones-Drew missed time. The Raiders were hoping they paired well with fullback Marcel Reece, but nothing has worked through three games. Reece has a total of seven yards on the year. With jobs on the line, the Raiders need someone to begin playing well.
