Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Desmond Ridder will start in a revenge game against his former team, the Atlanta Falcons, on Monday Night Football. Meanwhile, Aidan O'Connell (knee), who was listed as questionable with a bone bruise in his left knee, is officially inactive and will serve as the emergency third QB. O'Connell was initially feared to have suffered a season-ending knee injury when he was hurt in the Week 14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it ended up being a bone bruise. If he recovers this week, O'Connell could be an option for the Raiders in Week 16 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it might also depend on how Ridder fares against Atlanta. The 25-year-old will be making his first start of the year after going 12-for-18 for 101 yards in relief of O'Connell in Week 14. With limited offensive weapons around him, we're expecting Ridder to struggle to move the ball consistently on Monday.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Desmond Ridder is expected to make his first start of the season on Monday night against his old team, the Atlanta Falcons, according to sources. Aidan O'Connell (knee) is listed as questionable with a bone bruise in his knee. He's expected to work out before the game to test his knee, but the expectation is that the Raiders will go with Ridder in this one. The Raiders initially feared that O'Connell suffered a season-ending injury in last week's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it ended up just being a bone bruise, which means he could return in Week 16 to face the Jacksonville Jaguars if he can make more progress in practice on a short week. Ridder went 12-for-18 for 101 yards without a TD or interception in relief of O'Connell against the Bucs. The turnover-prone signal-caller has a good matchup against Atlanta but has limited fantasy upside as a low-end QB2 on Monday evening.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Desmond Ridder is not a starting option in fantasy, even if he ends up playing Monday against the Atlanta Falcons. Raiders starter Aidan O'Connell (knee) is questionable, and with Gardner Minshew II (collarbone) out for the season, Ridder would start if O'Connell cannot. The former Cincinnati Bearcat is on his third team in a year and is now a backup option for a team in contention for the first overall pick. A fantasy manager who turns to Ridder in the fantasy playoffs is asking to start their offseason early.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Alexander Mattison (ankle) practiced fully three days in a row leading up to his team's Week 15 game against the Atlanta Falcons. He will be the backup to lead RB Sincere McCormick, so he's probably not worth starting. He's averaged just 3.3 yards per carry so far this year, and while he's had some solid fantasy games, his projected lack of volume makes him a tough player to start this week. It's probably not a good idea to fire him up in any leagues. He should get at least a few carries and maybe 2-3 targets. Unless he vultures some goal-line work, which seems unlikely, he'll have a hard time even cracking 10 PPR fantasy points.

Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson made two short field goals and an extra point attempt in Week 14 after a terrible day in Week 13 that saw him miss three long field goals. He's an accurate kicker below those long distances, but the misses lower his value ahead of a Week 15 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. LV may be missing their starting quarterback, so we don't recommend you start Carlson. He would be a good option on a better offense. Atlanta's defense isn't great, so there's some room for a good amount of field goal attempts. That's great! Really awesome. But you should roll with someone else. Better to have a kicker on a good offense without so many question marks, because that makes it easier to project more volume.