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FOXBORO - The NFL's leading receiver said this week that even he's surprised his career has taken off as much as it has since coming to the New England Patriots last year.

"I knew it would be more than in Miami, but I didn't think it would be this much," Wes Welker told Oakland-area writers via conference call during a break from preparation for Sunday's game against the Raiders (4:15 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12).

Following a 12-catch tour de force against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Welker has 96 receptions for 1,002 yards, four catches ahead of Houston's Andre Johnson for the league lead. His yardage total is ninth best in the NFL; if there's a drawback, it's the fact that he has gotten into the end zone only once this year, not counting his two-point conversion against Seattle.

"It's been great," he said. "The coaches put together a great offensive plan, and it's a great scheme every week. Playing around guys like Randy (Moss) and Jabar (Gaffney) and our running backs with Kevin Faulk, Sammy (Morris) and LaMont (Jordan), and Ben Watson ... everybody kind of contributes and does the best they can each and every week."

That was the case with Tom Brady at quarterback, and it remains the case with Matt Cassel behind center, Welker said. Apparently, Welker and his mates won't have to consider the next option, which would have been the replacement of Cassel if he had chosen to remain absent from practice at San Jose State University because of the death of his father, Greg, earlier in the week.

Cassel returned to the team and practiced Thursday. He was not available to speak to the media.

To hear Welker tell it, however, the Patriots' approach would be adaptable to Kevin O'Connell or Matt Gutierrez because it made the transition so well from the injured Brady to Cassel.

"I think we had it," Welker said of the rhythm needed to get the new quarterback and receivers in sync with each other. "It was just really getting his confidence going. I think the Denver game was a good game for him and he really moved it around. In the Jets' game, he played a really consistent game and didn't make any big mistakes or anything. We were able to move the ball and put points on the board.

"Everybody just has to pick up their game," he added. "We've known that Cassel is a great quarterback, and it was just him getting some experience and some time back there and he's really been able to show what he can do."

Last year, with the stronger-armed and more accurate Brady flinging the pigskin, ex-Raider Randy Moss was clearly the primary receiver and Welker the safety net. This year, Cassel has had more need of using that safety net because Moss (61 catches for 841 yards) has drawn more double-coverage and Cassel hasn't been able to challenge it as easily as Brady would have.

Welker, who could finish with more than 120 catches this year, has clearly become Cassel's first target. But as far as he's concerned, his opportunities would not be there if not for the threat that Moss continues to pose to opposing defenses.

"He came here with a great attitude," Welker said. "He worked hard and wants to be the best and wants to prove it every single week. That's pretty much all he's shown when he showed up from Day One.

"It's a good thing for young guys to see that even though you have all the talent, you still have to work out and make sure you're doing the right things to be the best," he added.

Plus, Welker said, to be a Patriot means checking your ego at the door. There are days when the ball might be thrown to you a lot, he said, and other days when you might not see it at all, depending upon the game plan. Welker hasn't been in that boat this year - only once has he caught fewer than six passes in a game, and that was because Pittsburgh knocked him out of action with a late hit after four catches. But the mindset has to be in place, he said.

"You just have to do your job," he said. "However the team plans on playing you and things like that, you just go out there and do your job to the best of your ability and let everything else just take care of itself."

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.