Who Should I Start? Drew Lock or Aidan O'Connell

Friday, January 16, 5:55 PM

Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Drew Lock is "ready to go" for the Divisional Round game this Saturday night against the San Francisco 49ers if Sam Darnold (oblique) can't play, according to head coach Mike Macdonald. Darnold popped up on the injury report on Thursday and was limited in practice due to an oblique injury. He is listed as questionable for Saturday's game, but all signs point to Darnold being active this weekend. But for some reason, if Darnold isn't feeling right on Saturday, the Seahawks would roll with Lock and not rookie QB Jalen Milroe. Lock wouldn't be a recommended QB for fantasy playoff lineups if Darnold is inactive. The 29-year-old signal-caller appeared in five games in 2025, going 2-for-3 passing for 15 yards. The Seahawks would most likely lean more on their ground game with running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet if Lock made the start.

Wednesday, November 19, 3:15 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Wednesday that they activated quarterback Aidan O'Connell (wrist) from Injured Reserve. O'Connell has missed all of the 2025 season to this point after suffering a fractured right wrist in the preseason. It's possible that Geno Smith's poor play could open the door for O'Connell to make starts under center for the Raiders before the end of the year, but it's unclear if that's potentially in play as early as Week 12 when the team takes on the visiting Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Kenny Pickett has been serving as Smith's backup for the first 11 weeks of the season, but O'Connell could quickly jump him on the depth chart now that he's back. The 27-year-old has a 62.6% completion rate in his two years in the NFL, throwing for 3,830 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 20 games (17 starts).