Who Should I Start? Mac Jones or Aidan O'Connell

Tuesday, August 19, 5:23 PM

San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Mac Jones (knee) is not at training camp practice on Tuesday after spraining his knee in the second preseason game over the weekend, according to The Athletic's David Lombardi. Jones' injury isn't believed to be serious, but it explains the recent signing of Nate Sudfeld for additional QB depth. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Jones will not play in the club's preseason finale on Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the Niners believe that Jones will be ready for Week 1 of the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 7, against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks. In addition to Sudfeld, the team has Carter Bradley in their QB room behind starter Brock Purdy. The 26-year-old Jones will be off the fantasy radar unless he's forced into a starting role in 2025 due to a Purdy injury.

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.