Who Should I Start? Jake Haener or Aidan O'Connell

Sunday, August 25, 8:31 PM

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener started in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The second-year pro completed 8-of-17 passes for 87 yards while also gaining six yards on a scramble. Haener was outplayed by rookie Spencer Rattler in a pivotal game for the backup quarterback job. The backup will likely be named this week with roster cutdown day on Tuesday. Haener finished the preseason with 270 passing yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Wednesday, August 21, 10:09 PM

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce confirmed on Wednesday that quarterback Aidan O'Connell won't play in the preseason finale on Friday against the San Francisco 49ers. The Raiders named Gardner Minshew II as their starting QB earlier this week, and the Raiders will hold both Minshew and O'Connell out of action this weekend, with Carter Bradley and Nathan Peterman set to split the reps under center. The 25-year-old O'Connell will enter his second NFL season as the backup to Minshew, but if Minshew struggles early on, don't be surprised if Pierce gives O'Connell a shot. He went 5-5 as the starter in 2023 after the team moved on from Jimmy Garoppolo, throwing 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Ultimately, experience won out for Pierce, with Minshew having 37 career NFL starts under his belt. For now, O'Connell is merely a QB3/4 bench stash in superflex fantasy leagues.