Aidan

O'Connell

O’Connell went from being carted off the field and sporting an air cast less than 24 hours ago to now having a chance to play in Week 15 against the Falcons. After some concerns that he may be lost for the season, O’Connell has avoided the worst and now “has a shot” to play this week, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. This news comes minutes after head coach Antonio Pierce said Desmond Ridder would start in Week 15 against his former team, so we’ll see what happens in the coming days following this announcement.

Schultz adds that O’Connell will undergo “additional testing to confirm the full severity.” It appears as though Desmond Ridder will be the rest-of-season starter though. The development negatively impacts the team’s fantasy-relevant players, though Brock Bowers should continue his improbably efficient level of play.

O’Connell was shoved to the ground after throwing a pass while scrambling to his right. The hit, which should have been a penalty, was delivered by Bucs defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. O’Connell tumbled to the ground and stayed down in obvious pain for a while. The training staff eventually placed his leg in an air cast and he was carted to the locker room. Needless to say, O’Connell is done for the day. With just a month of football left, he could be done for the year as well. Desmond Ridder will close out Week 14 under center for the Raiders.

This was always expected despite O’Connell missing Thursday’s practice with an illness. The Raiders’ QB1, according to head coach Antonio Pierce, will be good to go for Week 14’s game against the Buccaneers, and could have some upside as a QB2/Superflex play with six teams on bye this week. He can be left off fantasy radars in 1QB leagues.

O’Connell’s absence on Thursday sent shockwaves through NFL newsrooms as reporters waited with bated breath for news on why the Raiders’ QB1 was unavailable. Fortunately, any amount of concern was quickly laid to rest when it was revealed O’Connell was dealing with an illness. For now, we’ll assume this is something minor that he’ll move past in short order, meaning he should be good to go for Week 14’s game against the Buccaneers.

To O’Connell’s credit: This was a better game than we expected for him. He was a beat slow in making his throws, but he was willing to push the ball downfield in a way that Gardner Minshew wasn’t able to. He was lobbing balls above underneath zone defenders all day, and he found Tre Tucker isolated down the sideline for 58 yards to briefly take a 17-16 lead. O’Connell had led the team from the Vegas 8 all the way down to the Kansas City 32, roughly in field goal range notwithstanding the struggles of kicker Daniel Carlson, before an errant snap by Jackson Powers-Johnson clunked off O’Connell’s right arm and was recovered by the Chiefs with 15 seconds left. O’Connell finds himself as a potential superflex QB2 in Week 14 against the Buccaneers after this performance.

As expected. O’Connell will be a bottom-basement superflex play against a solid Chiefs defense. He has just two touchdown throws in four games this year and has cleared 100 yards only once. It is a somewhat concerning development for Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, though it’s possible the Norv Turner/Scott Turner Overdrive Hive Mind will be able to get better production out of O’Connell than Luke Getsy did.

The Raiders lost Gardner Minshew to a broken collarbone in Week 12’s loss to the Broncos, giving O’Connell another chance as starter. O’Connell has been miserable throughout his 11 NFL starts. That includes two 2024 starts in which he threw for 324 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Indecisive and inaccurate, O’Connell represents a massive downgrade for Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers over the season’s final month. Look for Desmond Ridder to eventually get a chance under center for the Raiders.

He’ll have 21 days to be activated, though it seems like the Raiders beat believes he has a chance to play in Week 13 against the Chiefs on Black Friday. If it isn’t O’Connell, it will be Desmond Ridder getting reps. If activated, O’Connell will nevertheless be a bad fantasy play even despite the Chiefs defense looking fairly mortal against the Panthers in Week 12.

O’Connell has been on injured reserve since October 21st after suffering a broken thumb in Week 7. While it’s not a lock he’ll make the start in Week 13, the option will certainly be on the table if the Raiders activate him from injured reserve. The second-year quarterback has thrown for 455-2-2 in four appearances this season and has made two starts. Assuming he stays healthy, O’Connell should have a chance to start the remainder of the Raiders’ games this season while Desmond Ridder serves as his backup. O’Connell has little to no fantasy upside at this time, even in 2QB/Superflex leagues.