Branden Oliver Will Continue Breakout in Week 6 vs. Struggling Raiders Defense

Unprecedented tribulations in the form of injury have hit the San Diego Chargers backfield, and it's opened the door for an out-of-nowhere undrafted rookie to remind Chargers folks of the Darren Sproles days. Now, Branden Oliver's name is no longer an unknown one. 

A former University of Buffalo standout, Oliver was signed more than a week after the draft and had to double with kick-returning duties just to make the roster. San Diego entered 2014 with three healthy and established backs—Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown—guaranteed roster spots.

Come Week 3, Woodhead was out for the season, and Mathews had suffered a serious knee sprain. Brown failed to impress in starting duty with 2.1 yards per carry, before a concussion took him out for the Chargers' Week 6 matchup, per the team's injury report.

Those are enough injuries to make an offensive coordinator's—not to mention the general manager's—head spin, but the Chargers' last-ditch option on the roster has come through beautifully. After 56 total yards in Week 4, Oliver dominated in his first extended duty in Week 5, per the NFL's Twitter account:

Oliver carried the ball 19 times for 114 yards, caught four passes for 68 yards and scored both on the ground and through the air. He had plays of at least 50 yards both receiving and rushing.

And the fact that it came against the New York Jets—who had given up less than 300 rushing yards on the year beforehand—made it all the more impressive.

An undrafted rookie breakout is all well and good, but what's to say it will continue from Oliver into Week 6 and beyond? 

Well for starters, he fills the biggest need in the Chargers offense. Woodhead was dangerous early this season as the change-of-pace back doubling as an aerial threat, and Mathews looked strong between the tackles. San Diego is now without both of those impact backs, and Oliver's hard-nosed style complemented with insane wheels makes him able to effectively replace each of them.

Mathews could still return and replace Oliver, but he's reportedly yet to resume running, per UTSanDiego.com's Michael Gehlken. Even so, Woodhead—who is 5'8" and over 200 pounds, just like Oliver—carved out a useful role alongside a healthy Mathews and Oliver could follow suit.

Oliver couldn't ask for a bigger role in Week 6, and he also couldn't ask for a better matchup. The Chargers travel to face the 0-4 Oakland Raiders, who have looked terrible against the run in 2014.

Oakland ranks a lowly 31st in run defense, giving up 158.2 yards per game. The unit gave up two touchdowns to Lamar Miller last week, and an ineffective Raiders offense means the defense is almost always playing from behind and on the field too much.

Tom Kessenich of STATS LLC predicts a long day for the Raiders' front seven, and another breakout performance from Oliver:

Philip Rivers is throwing the ball as well as anyone in the league right now, and he has a knack for going to the hot hand. Oliver may be a main focus for Oakland given his Week 5 outing, but that will only open things up for Rivers—who will in turn get his rookie involved aerially.

It's much more than the No. 43 jersey that has people thinking of Sproles when they see Oliver scampering around. His quickness is lethal, and upon first glance, you can tell he has breakaway speed along with the motor to run guys over.

The Chargers offense is clicking to start 2014, but it's not at full strength without an impact player to catch screens or bounce the ball outside. After uncovering Oliver and seeing what he can do against one of the NFL's best defensive fronts, it's apparent he can fill that role.