It's been a tough season for the Las Vegas Raiders and their fan base. After winning a few games down the stretch to close out the 2023 season, interim head coach Antonio Pierce was given the full-time job and tight end Brock Bowers fell to the Raiders at No. 13 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The team started 2-2 but has fallen apart since, losing their last five games in a row to fall to 2-7, and to make matters worse they are still without their starting quarterback.
Aidan O'Connell suffered a broken thumb in their Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and was placed on injured reserve. Nonetheless, when should we expect O'Connell to get back into action?
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Aidan O'Connell Injury Update
Since O'Connell was placed on injured reserve and the Raiders most recently had their bye in Week 10, the earliest that O'Connell can return is in Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs, since any player placed on IR is required to miss a minimum of four games.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has reported that O'Connell would likely miss four to six weeks with the injury, and we still don't have an exact timeline for his return.
#Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell is believed to have suffered a broken thumb based on preliminary tests, sources say.
He’ll have further evaluation tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury. Frustrating, considering he had just taken the starting job. pic.twitter.com/B0gs5olKuQ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 20, 2024
Aidan O'Connell Fantasy Football Outlook
#Raiders enter the bye with one of the league's most muddled QB pictures. Gardner Minshew benched again. Desmond Ridder provided spark but is on the third team in eight months. Aidan O'Connell (IR) can't return until late Nov.
Questions loom for Antonio Pierce on how to generate points.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 3, 2024
For now, O’Connell remains a stash in deeper leagues or Superflex formats. If he can get back on track, he could be a valuable streaming option during the fantasy playoffs, especially with those late-season matchups. His recent injury is a setback, but if he returns healthy, he might just surprise us as a low-end QB2 with potential upside when it counts most.
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