Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Mediocre in first start of 2024
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O'Connell completed 27 of 40 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Sunday's 32-13 loss to the Steelers.
O'Connell took over as the Raiders' starting quarterback and faced a tough test against the Pittsburgh defense. He got off to a hot start by leading Las Vegas to a touchdown on the team's opening possession, and he went 4-for-4 for 45 yards while working primarily in short areas of the field. While O'Connell remained accurate throughout the game, he was hesitant to push the ball downfield and had only one completion of more than 20 yards. Assuming he stays under center in Week 7 against the Rams, O'Connell could be a bit more aggressive, though expectations should remain in check.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Taking over starting job
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Head coach Antonio Pierce said Wednesday that O'Connell will replace Gardner Minshew as the Raiders' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Steelers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Minshew is being demoted to the backup role after starting the first five games of the season. Pierce said he doesn't anticipate going back to Minshew, but the coach did leave the door open to make another change if he eventually feels one is needed, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. O'Connell will start off with a home game against Pittsburgh, leading an offense that played its past two games without wideout Davante Adams (hamstring), tight end Michael Mayer (personal) and right tackle Thayer Munford (knee).
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Week 6 Waiver Priority List
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O'Connell could start in Week 6 against Pittsburgh for the struggling Raiders, and he would be worth adding in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in that scenario. The Raiders are on the verge of trading Davante Adams, but O'Connell could still be a bye-week replacement if he takes over for Gardner Minshew as the starter. In Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, O'Connell is worth at least 10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Enters in relief again
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O'Connell completed 10 of 20 passes for 93 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 34-18 loss to the Broncos.
For the second time in the last three games, O'Connell replaced Gardner Minshew. O'Connell took over late in the third quarter and led four uneven possessions. He did lead a touchdown drive, during which he went 8-for-11 for 79 yards, though it came in garbage time and he rarely pushed the ball down the field. O'Connell also threw an interception and had a three-and-out. Despite O'Connell's ineffectiveness, coach Antonio Pierce declined to name a starter for a Week 6 matchup against the Steelers, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Quarterback change may be coming
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Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Monday he hasn't ruled out O'Connell, who entered late during Sunday's 36-22 loss to the Panthers, starting over Gardner Minshew versus the Browns in Week 4, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
O'Connell looked solid in garbage time Sunday, completing nine of 12 passes for 82 yards and one touchdown late in the fourth quarter with Carolina having already firmly secured a win and focused on running out the clock. Still, with Minshew compiling only 214 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception in roughly three and a half quarters of play, it sounds like the Raiders will evaluate things under center. Pierce said Las Vegas was "just trying to look for a spark" by having O'Connell enter Sunday's game, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Won't play Friday
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Coach Antonio Pierce said Wednesday that O'Connell won't play in Friday's preseason game against the 49ers, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.
Neither will Gardner Minshew, who was named the Week 1 starter Sunday. O'Connell will enter the regular season as the Raiders' No. 2 quarterback, after completing 21 of 29 passes for 176 yards, one TD and one INT in two preseason appearances.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Las Vegas nearing QB1 decision
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Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Sunday that he plans to name a starting quarterback between O'Connell and Gardner Minshew after Saturday's preseason game versus Dallas, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.
Pierce also said that O'Connell and Minshew are both slated to play at least one quarter during this exhibition with the Cowboys, which is in line with the playing time that they got during Saturday's 24-23 loss to Minnesota. O'Connell did ultimately start versus the Vikings, but he's been splitting first-team reps throughout training camp and appears to be on even footing with Minshew following the preseason opener. O'Connell was competent in his 11 regular-season appearances as a rookie last year, and he completed seven of nine passes for 76 yards during his lone offensive series against Minnesota. He'll also have a chance to separate himself during a week of practices before Saturday's game against Dallas.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Sharp in preseason loss
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O'Connell completed seven of nine passes for 76 yards in Saturday's 24-23 preseason loss to the Vikings.
The second-year QB was expected to see about a quarter of action in the Raiders' preseason opener, but O'Connell wound up being under center for only a single possession as he led Las Vegas on a nearly eight-minute drive that ended in a first-quarter field goal. Gardner Minshew then took over to begin the second quarter and engineered three quick scoring drives before halftime, including two touchdowns. While O'Connell getting the start might suggest he's ahead in the battle to be the Week 1 starter, Minshew had a lot more success putting points on the board. The competition will likely continue into next Saturday's clash with the Cowboys.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Remains set for QB battle
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O'Connell remains in position to compete with Gardner Minshew for the starting job this offseason, after the Raiders refrained from selecting a rookie quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, Mark Anderson of the Associated Press reports.
Las Vegas was an oft-theorized candidate to add a QB in April's draft, but six signal-callers ultimately went off the board before the team's first-round selection at No. 13 overall, which became playmaking tight end Brock Bowers. The team invested second- and third-round selections in offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Delmar Glaze, putting whoever wins the 2024 starting gig in a better position for success. O'Connell completed 213 of 343 pass attempts for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions across 10 starts last season, which is solid rookie numbers for a fourth-round pick, but Minshew boasts enough experience that this offseason should play out as a true competition.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Gets competition for starting gig
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O'Connell (finger) looks set to compete with Gardner Minshew, whom the Raiders plan to ink to a two-year, $25 million deal, for the starting quarterback job, Tashan Reed, Larry Holder and Jeff Howe of The Athletic report.
O'Connell put together a solid rookie campaign for a fourth-round pick across 11 regular-season appearances (10 starts), completing 213 of 343 pass attempts for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Minshew is an established veteran and represents real competition for O'Connell, having thrown for 3,305 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and nine INTs across 13 starts with Indianapolis last season, but the 2023 draft pick out of Purdue could get a real chance to compete this offseason. Of course, things could get murkier if Las Vegas bolsters the QB position in April's draft, and this is an offense that will need to transform after losing Josh Jacobs to Green Bay in free agency.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Little output in Monday's win
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O'Connell completed nine of 21 passes for 62 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions and also rushed four times for minus-4 yards during Monday's 20-14 victory at Kansas City.
O'Connell didn't outduel Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes by any means, but the former also didn't commit a turnover and kept feeding the ball to running back Zamir White, who earned another spot start for Josh Jacobs (quadriceps/illness) and racked up 22 carries for 145 yards. O'Connell benefitted from his defense scoring two defensive touchdowns on back-to-back Kansas City offensive plays late in the second quarter, and the Raiders offense did just enough to outlast the home team. Monday's paltry output was a far cry from the 248 yards and four touchdowns through the air that he contributed to a 63-21 win against the Chargers in Week 15. Nevertheless, O'Connell will turn his focus to Sunday's contest at Indianapolis.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Expected to remain starter Thursday
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O'Connell is expected to remain the Raiders' starting quarterback for Thursday's game against the Chargers, even though interim head coach Antonio Pierce has been non-committal on a Week 15 starter, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Some had speculated that the Raiders might turn the starting job back over to veteran Jimmy Garoppolo after O'Connell threw an interception and averaged a season-low 5.3 yards per attempt in the Raiders' 3-0 loss to the Vikings on Sunday, but the rookie fourth-round pick looks like he'll get at least one more opportunity to keep his job. Over his first seven NFL appearances (six starts), O'Connell has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 6.5 YPA and a 4:7 TD:INT.
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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.
