Who Should I Start? Aidan O'Connell or Quinn Ewers

Wednesday, August 27, 10:27 PM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (wrist) was placed on the Reserve/Injured List on Wednesday, per an announcement from the team. O'Connell suffered a fractured wrist in the team's final preseason game, which is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks. O'Connell's placement on the Reserve/Injured list guarantees that he will miss at least the team's first four games, although the six-to-eight-week timeline indicates it will most likely be a longer absence. The Raiders acquired quarterback Kenny Pickett from the Browns on Monday to take O'Connell's place as the backup behind Geno Smith. Neither Pickett nor O'Connell will have any fantasy value in 2025 unless Smith were to get injured.

Sunday, August 17, 6:50 AM

Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers had a big second half in the team's second preseason game on Saturday, throwing for 116 yards and two touchdowns by completing 11 of his 17 pass attempts. He entered the game trailing 14-7 but led two touchdown drives and led the team to a 24-17 victory over the Dolphins. Both of Ewers' touchdown passes went to fellow rookie Theo Wease Jr. as both players look to establish their positions on the roster. The rookie quarterback from Texas was a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after throwing for 9,128 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions in 36 games over three seasons with the Longhorns. Ewers is currently competing with Zach Wilson for the team's backup role behind Tua Tagovailoa, and both potential backups had strong showings against Detroit. Wilson played ahead of Ewers on Saturday, but Ewers stepped up with a much better showing than he had in his preseason debut against the Bears.