Las Vegas Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell was injured in the opening minutes of his team’s Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Backup QB Gardner Minshew played the rest of the game and will serve as the starter for as long as O’Connell is sidelined.
What Happened to Aidan O’Connell?
O’Connell fractured his thumb on the follow-through of his 10th pass against the Rams. The injury occurred during the final play of the drive, and after a short stay on the sideline, he was brought back to the locker room for an X-ray.
At the time of injury, he was 6-of-10, throwing for 52 yards while averaging 4.2 yards per carry. He had a quarterback rating of 73.8 when he exited the game.
Aidan O’Connell #raiders
Looks like his thumb gets caught on the defenders hand. Thumb injuries make it very difficult to grip/throw. We’ll see if he can return pic.twitter.com/fEvtvErWUf
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) October 20, 2024
The injury came after O’Connell took over for Minshew in Week 6. In that game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was 27-for-40, throwing for 227 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
How Long Will O’Connell Be Sidelined?
On Monday, the Raiders officially placed O’Connell on injured reserve. He’ll be forced to miss the next four games, so he won’t be eligible to return until the Raiders’ Week 13 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported O’Connell will be out “four to six weeks” and added that he “has a chance to return this season.”
#Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell is heading to Injured Reserve with a fractured thumb, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo following tests.
O’Connell, who had resumed starting before his injury, is out 4-6 weeks. He has a chance to return the season. pic.twitter.com/NKLByRwU8c
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 21, 2024
Fantasy Impact of O’Connell’s Injury
As for fantasy football, the impact here is minimal. This Raiders team hasn’t been a dangerous one all season long. They traded away Davante Adams last week, making it clear that their focus is more on the future than the present.
Jakobi Meyers profiles as the WR1 in this offense moving forward, but he’s banged up and wasn’t active for Week 7. The only viable piece in most fantasy leagues on this roster is rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who projects himself as a quarterback-proof asset.
It takes so little to be a viable option at the tight end position in 2024, and Bowers’ talent and versatility have been a silver lining for Vegas throughout this season.
You can continue to rely on the rookie tight end as you normally would, while all other options (RB/WR) offer more risk than reward.