Darrius Heyward-Bey says he’s ready to take his first hit since being knocked out two weeks ago against the Steelers. (US Presswire)

Oakland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey was a full participant in practice for the third straight day Friday, and he's expected to return to the starting lineup Sunday at Atlanta after missing a game with a concussion.

Heyward-Bey was knocked out in the end zone on a helmet-to-helmet hit by Steelers S Ryan Mundy on Sept. 23. He spent that night in the hospital and missed the Denver game.

Heyward-Bey, who was listed as probable for Atlanta, has looked sharp in practice and has suffered no setbacks, but the true test will come Sunday when he takes a real hit for the first time since Mundy KO'd him.

"I'm not really worried," Heyward-Bey said. "Everybody who plays football wants to get that first hit in, and you go from there. When it happens, it happens, and you move on to the next play."

Trial by fire: Regular starting FS Michael Huff couldn't have had a much tougher introduction to life as an NFL cornerback the past two games. He faced Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger in his first NFL start, then faced Denver's Peyton Manning in his second. On Sunday, he'll face Atlanta's Matt Ryan, who ranks No. 2 in the NFL with a passer rating of 106.1 and has thrown 13 TD passes with three interceptions.

"I didn't get to ease into it," Huff said, smiling. "I didn't get any mediocre, just normal QBs. I get all the great Hall of Famers. But I wouldn't have it any other way. To be the best, you've got to play against the best, so (I'm) kind of learning on the fly.

Huff said facing elite quarterbacks is making him better.

"Of course, I have no choice," Huff said. "Obviously, if I didn't, I'd go in the tank mentally and all that stuff. So try to hang in there, make plays when I can."

Allen said Huff has improved each week.

"Well, No. 1, it’s the confidence of going out there and playing. It’s a different world out there on the edge," Allen said. "There’s not nearly as many things mentally that go on on the edge as there are at safety, yet there’s a whole lot more physically that has to happen. So, he’s improved in that area.”

Smith prepared for tough test: Atlanta's John Abraham, who has 115 career sacks, is listed as the starting right defensive end, which would have him lining up against Raiders LT Jared Veldheer. But Raiders RT Willie Smith said he expects Abraham to switch sides and line up against him about half the time Sunday.

"I'll get to see him quite a bit during the game," Smith said. "He has a great motor, has a lot of moves. He's a veteran, obviously, so he can pretty much do anything he wants to do out there. You just got to take good sets, and be ready for everything."

Smith will make his third-straight start as a Raider in place of the injured Khalif Barnes and his sixth career start. He started the final three games at left tackle for Washington last year as a rookie.

Smith said he's feeling "comfortable" with his new team and new offense after making those three starts.

"I've been going over the plays, and every week you get a little bit more comfortable," Smith said. "I feel good with the system."

Out of action: Starting CB Shawntae Spencer (sprained right foot) and starting RT Barnes (groin) were ruled out for Sunday and will miss their third-straight game. Reserve TE Richard Gordon (hamstring) also missed practice. Allen said that Spencer and Barnes have made some progress but are still "week-to-week."

Back to work: As expected, starting DT Tommy Kelly returned to practice Friday on a limited basis after missing Thursday's session with an injured foot. He was hurt during practice Wednesday. "Tommy looked good," said Allen, who expects him to play Sunday.

Boom goes the dynamite: Allen defines an "explosive play" to be any pass of at least 16 yards and run of at least 12. So using Allen's guidelines, the Raiders' defense has allowed 34 explosive plays -- 25 passes and 9 runs. Three of those passes and three runs were touchdowns. The Raiders' offense has produced 26 explosive plays -- 23 passes and 3 runs -- with one rushing and one passing TD.

Follow Raiders reporter Eric Gilmore on Twitter @CBSRaiders.