ALAMEDA, Calif. — Darren McFadden watches Ronnie Brown run plays out of the "Wildcat" formation he was so successful with at Arkansas and admits to a little bit of jealousy.

"I know where it was started," McFadden said Wednesday. "So it's something you look at, you wish you were healthy so you can go out there and do the same thing."

While Brown and the Miami Dolphins have put together a highlight reel of plays off direct snaps designed by McFadden's former college coordinator, David Lee, McFadden has only run a handful of plays out of the formation.

The Raiders' plans for more exotic plays on direct snaps to McFadden had to be put on hold early in the season with the rookie tailback struggling to make it on the practice field because of a turf toe injury.

"There's a whole plan for that," coach Tom Cable said. "There's about half a playbook for that. When he's not there to do it, obviously you can't have it in, you can't do those things. Once he's healthy you'll start to see what the plan was."

That could start this week against the New York Jets. For the first time since injuring his toe on Sept. 14 at Kansas City, McFadden was able to fully participate in a Wednesday practice.

With the normal practice time this week, McFadden could see some action lined up wide as a receiver, on direct snaps at quarterback and from his usual tailback position.

"I know they're going to come in and have some more plays for me, like spread me out wide and some of the things that they didn't do when I was hurt," McFadden said. "So I know it's something they're going to come in there and put some more plays in for me."

After having a breakout performance in his second career game against the Chiefs with 164 yards rushing and a touchdown, McFadden has been severely slowed by the toe injury.

He has just 29 carries the past three games for 92 yards and has caught five passes for 23 yards. That's not the performance the Raiders expected when they used the fourth overall pick in the draft to take McFadden, or what they expect this week with McFadden finally healthy.

"The more he can do, the better it'd be for our team," quarterback JaMarcus Russell said. "Anything we can do to help put the ball in his hands. I think he's a scary sight for other guys. He's quick, he's able to catch and run the ball. Whatever coach feels he needs, just to put the ball in his hands and make plays."

Not being able to do that was difficult for McFadden, who was praised all summer by former coach Lane Kiffin for how much he loved to practice and how he soaked up so much information.

But with the injury limiting him to a spectator role for much of the time his teammates were practicing, McFadden got antsy just watching.

"I know for me, it was real hard," he said. "I like to be out there having fun and not being able to be out there and have fun and not go like you usually do, it's just hard on you."

Notes: The only player to miss Wednesday's practice was DE Derrick Burgess, who is listed as day-to-day with a triceps injury. ... Cable said Hiram Eugene could challenge former first-round pick Michael Huff for the starting free safety spot this week.