O'Connell will battle Brian Hoyer for the backup role behind Jimmy Garoppolo. That battle will be far more interesting if Garoppolo is not ready for the start of training camp after offseason foot surgery. O'Connell is a pure pocket passer whose best season came in 2021 when he was throwing to David Bell. Even if he ends up in a starting role, he's unlikely to be better than a top-24 quarterback in Fantasy any time soon. For now, the only leagues he should be rostered in are deep Superflex Dynasty leagues. If Garoppolo is not ready for camp, you can start considering O'Connell in the final rounds of Superflex redraft leagues as well. But even in that format he's probably no more than a bye-week replacement.
O'Connell completed 23 of 33 pass attempts for 248 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers or rushing attempts in Sunday's 31-17 loss to Kansas City.
O'Connell cleaned up his play after throwing three interceptions in last week's loss to Miami, completing 69 percent of his passes with no turnovers against the Chiefs on Sunday. While the rookie signal-caller suffered another loss, he appears to be getting more comfortable under center after taking over for Jimmy Garoppolo back in Week 9. O'Connell's low upside and lack of rushing stats keeps him out of the fantasy picture in most leagues, but he has kept Las Vegas' offense respectable through a midseason coaching staff overhaul. The Raiders will resume play against Minnesota in Week 14 after the upcoming bye week.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Impressive yardage total in loss
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O'Connell completed 24 of 41 passes for 271 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions and rushed once for three yards in the Raiders' 20-13 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. He also rushed once for three yards.
The trio of turnovers are obviously a big blemish, but O'Connell did help keep the Raiders within striking distance despite his mistakes and posted a career-high passing yardage total in the process. The rookie's final pick of the day came at the Dolphins six-yard line on a deep ball intended for Tre Tucker, snuffing out Las Vegas' last chance to tie. Despite the stumbles, O'Connell is gaining valuable experience and making progress, but he faces a particularly difficult matchup against the Chiefs' stingy secondary in Week 12.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Comes up clutch on SNF
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O'Connell completed 16 of 27 pass attempts for 153 yards, one touchdown and one interception while gaining three yards on two rushing attempts in Sunday's 16-12 win over the Jets.
O'Connell was hovering around a 50 percent completion rate with an interception thrown before dialing it in and throwing the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win. The rookie signal-caller still finished with a pedestrian fantasy line despite helping earn his team its second win in his second start in place of the benched Jimmy Garoppolo. O'Connell's physical skill set doesn't project to generate big passing numbers in the Raiders' recent run-heavy offense, so the rookie should be treated as a low-end option in Week 11 against Miami's aggressive pass rush next Sunday.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: No mistakes in win Sunday
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O'Connell completed 16 of 25 pass attempts for 209 yards with no touchdowns, turnovers or rushing attempts in Sunday's 30-6 win over the Giants.
O'Connell started his second game this season after interim head coach Antonio Pierce shook up the QB depth chart and demoted Jimmy Garoppolo this week. The rookie wasn't directly involved in any of Las Vegas' three trips to the end zone, but he didn't cause any turnovers and was accurate when asked to extend drives. O'Connell figures to have earned another start against the Jets next Sunday following this week's crooked score, but he doesn't yet carry enough upside to be considered outside of deeper fantasy leagues.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Officially named starter
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Interim head coach Antonio Pierce confirmed Wednesday that O'Connell has been named the Raiders' starting quarterback going forward, Rachel Gossen of the team's official site reports. "We just feel like he gives us the best chance," Pierce said of O'Connell.
The rookie's promotion to the top of the depth chart sends struggling veteran Jimmy Garoppolo into a backup role. In two appearances (one start) this season, O'Connell has accounted from three yards and a touchdown on the ground and has completed 34 of his 52 passing attempts for 313 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Now that he's been installed as Las Vegas' starter, the 2023 fourth-round picks profiles as a lineup option in deeper leagues or in formats that start two quarterbacks or have a QB flex spot. A classic pocket passer who didn't show much scrambling ability during his collegiate career at Purdue, O'Connell appears to have a limited fantasy ceiling, though he'll at least have some capable pass-catching weapons to work with in wideouts Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers and running back Josh Jacobs.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: In line to become starter
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The Raiders plan to move forward with O'Connell as their starting quarterback beginning with Sunday's game against the Giants, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Las Vegas appears set to make a change at quarterback after the team announced major staff changes earlier Wednesday, when head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler were fired from their positions. With the 3-5 Raiders sitting on the periphery of the AFC playoff picture, O'Connell, a rookie fourth-round pick out of Purdue, looks as though he'll get an extended evaluation in place of Jimmy Garoppolo, who struggled in Las Vegas' Week 8 loss to the Lions and has thrown a league-high nine interceptions despite playing in only six of Las Vegas' first eight games. O'Connell represents a fantasy option for managers who had rostered Garoppolo or who are otherwise in need of quarterback depth heading into the Week 9 slate.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Inactive Monday
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O'Connell is inactive for Monday night's game against the Packers.
With Jimmy Garoppolo (concussion) sidelined in Week 4, O'Connell drew the start in the Raiders' 24-17 loss to the Chargers. Now that Garoppolo is back in action, O'Connell will resume a reserve role, while Brian Hoyer is slated to serve as the team's No. 2 QB on Monday.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Expected to draw first start
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O'Connell is expected to start Sunday's matchup against the Chargers with Jimmy Garoppolo (concussion) ruled out, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
In somewhat of a surprise, O'Connell, a rookie fourth-round pick out of Purdue is set to get the starting nod over an established veteran with ample NFL experience in Brian Hoyer, who had been active as Garoppolo's top backup through the first three games of the season. Though he'll be making his regular-season debut Sunday, O'Connell was one of the top-performing quarterbacks in the preseason, as he completed 43 of 62 pass attempts (69.3 percent) for 482 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Even so, O'Connell's presence under center rather than Garoppolo's still likely amounts to at least a slight downgrade to the fantasy prospects of receivers Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. O'Connell will get a favorable matchup Sunday, taking on the Chargers' league-worst pass defense.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Week 4 Waiver Priority List
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We don't know if Jimmy Garoppolo (concussion) will play in Week 4 at the Chargers. And we also don't know if O'Connell or Brian Hoyer (1 percent) will start if Garoppolo is out. I hope it's O'Connell, who looked great in the preseason when he completed 43 of 62 passes for 482 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in three games. Keep an eye on Garoppolo's status and who will start, and that quarterback will be worth at least 10 percent of your FAB in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Wraps up excellent preseason
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O'Connell completed 17 of 26 passes for 178 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in Saturday's 31-16 preseason loss to the Cowboys.
O'Connell played the first three quarters of the matchup and wrapped up the first preseason of his professional career. Overall, he completed 43 of 62 passes for 482 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions across three games. O'Connell may enter the season as the Raiders' third quarterback, but he should have a chance to pass Brian Hoyer at some point.
