Who Should I Start? Aidan O'Connell or Sam Hartman

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.

Saturday, August 23, 10:39 PM

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Hartman completed 12 of 17 passes for 114 yards and two interceptions in a 30-3 loss against the Ravens. Hartman also took two sacks for seven yards while playing the whole first half. One of the interceptions was an unfortunate batted ball, but the other was a late and weak throw where the defender easily undercut it. The Notre Dame product struggled again in the final game of the preseason. He completed only 53.3 percent of his passes while throwing four interceptions to no touchdowns across the three games. It remains to be seen if Washington will opt to to keep three quarterbacks on the roster, and if they did, it seems veteran Josh Johnson would be the choice. Both would be options for the practice squad regardless, but Hartman's lackluster camp and preseason makes it unlikely for him to make the final roster.