Who Should I Start? Spencer Rattler or Aidan O'Connell

Monday, January 6, 2:22 AM

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler finished his rookie season with another up-and-down performance in the team's 27-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The fifth-rounder out of South Carolina went 21-for-28 in the first half, completing a pass to 10 different receivers and throwing a touchdown to Dante Pettis along the way. However, he completed just five more passes after halftime, finishing 26-for-42 for 240 yards and the score. To his credit, he stayed free of any turnovers after throwing three picks and fumbling twice in his previous two starts. In his first year as a pro, Rattler saw far more playing time than expected when he was drafted while covering for Derek Carr's (hand) pair of multi-week absences due to injury. The rookie finishes with 1,317 passing yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions with a 57% completion rate.

Sunday, January 5, 9:55 PM

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell completed 24 of 34 pass attempts for 214 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception during Sunday's Week 18 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. He also rushed four times for an additional 13 yards on the ground. O'Connell has delivered modest production over the last three weeks, tallying four passing touchdowns and one turnover during that span. He has benefitted from the breakout seasons of both Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers, but his production might not be enough to deter Vegas from selecting a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Purdue product finished this year with a 63.6 percent completion rate, eight touchdowns, and six turnovers through parts of nine games. Dynasty managers should hold O'Connell on their rosters for now, as he'll be hard to sell but is a little too valuable to drop in leagues with 14 teams or more. From a redraft perspective, he'll trend down as long as the Raiders add a notable quarterback especially if it's a rookie during the upcoming months.