New England Patriots: Five Players To Watch Against Oakland Raiders

January 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola (80) against the Denver Broncos in the 2013 AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

1. Danny Amendola

A lot of the talk surrounding the Pats this week has concerned their lack of offensive production outside of Julian Edelman through two games. Edelman has been great as expected, but if New England wants to have one of the best offensive units in the league this year, they need the rest of their weapons to step up, most notably wideout Danny Amendola.

Amendola has gotten off to a slow start, as he has only three receptions after two games played. Part of the blame has to be placed on Amendola, who hasn’t gotten open as much as he would like, but quarterback Tom Brady is also at fault here. Amendola obviously doesn’t have Brady’s trust right now, and that has to change quickly.

Amendola is a very good player, and for the Pats offense to be at its absolute best, he has to be involved in the game-plan. Look for the Patriots to target Amendola early and often on Sunday.