Who Should I Start? Desmond Ridder or Jayden Daniels

Monday, October 21, 8:16 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders signed quarterback Desmond Ridder off of the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad on Monday, according to sources. Ridder will give the Raiders extra QB depth after the team placed Aidan O'Connell (thumb) on Injured Reserve after he fractured his right thumb in the Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. O'Connell is expected to miss four to six weeks with his injury. Ridder, the former third-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 out of Cincinnati, did not see the field at all in Arizona and is coming off a 2023 campaign in Atlanta that saw him throw for 2,836 yards with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 64.2% of his pass attempts. For now, he'll serve as Gardner Minshew II's backup with the Raiders. If he's forced into action, Ridder will be a desperation QB2, at best, in superflex formats.

Wednesday, October 23, 1:14 PM

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters on Wednesday that rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels (ribs) will not practice after injuring his ribs in the Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers. Backup Marcus Mariota will take first-team repetitions in practice, and it appears to be trending toward Mariota making the start in Week 8 against the visiting Chicago Bears. Daniels' injury doesn't appear to be very serious, but it doesn't mean that he'll start this weekend. The Commanders called the 23-year-old second overall pick week-to-week on Monday, so fantasy managers should have already made alternate plans in case he's ruled out this Sunday. If Daniels is out in Week 8, Washington's offense won't have nearly as much upside, while Mariota will be in play as a low-end QB2 in superflex leagues.