It looks like the Las Vegas Raiders will be without one of their most impactful offensive weapons on Sunday. According to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, tight end Darren Waller has been ruled out for Sunday's Week 7 contest against the Houston Texans due to a hamstring injury, not logging a single day of practice this week per the team injury report.

Gutierrez also notes that wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, listed on the injury report with a hip injury, does expect to be able to suit up and play despite logging a limited practice on Friday and carrying an official injury designation of ‘questionable' ahead of Sunday. While these circumstances are suboptimal for the Derek-Carr-led Raiders offense, the situation could certainly be worse.

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As referenced in a piece published on Wednesday regarding Waller, this hamstring injury dates back to training camp and has already caused him to be held out of the second half of a game this season. By this point in the season, it is certainly fair to question how much of a lingering issue this will continue to be for a team battling to stay in contention. With a record of 1-4 coming off of the bye week, every game from here on out will be do-or-die for the Raiders.

The team's chances of a significant turnaround are boosted by having a Pro Bowl-caliber player like Darren Waller out there on the field, and if this trend continues, we may be looking at a lost season by the time Week 8 or Week 9 rolls around. Fortunately, the Texans are a bit of a mess themselves, currently holding a record of 1-3-1. Time will tell if the Raiders are able to step up to the plate in Waller's absence.