Las Vegas Raiders DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (thumb) will be designated to return from injured reserve on Tuesday, head coach Antonio Pierce told the media. The Purdue product has been sidelined since Week 7 after injuring his thumb while making contact with a defender. Prior to that point, he had completed 52 passes for 455 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions through parts of four games. O'Connell will likely claim the starting role upon his return given that the Raiders have gotten poor results from both Gardner Minshew II and Desmond Ridder lately. With that said, O'Connell isn't a major upgrade and should still be viewed as a low-end fantasy QB2, at best.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Dylan Laube did not receive a single opportunity out of the backfield in Sunday's 29-19 loss to the Denver Broncos. The rookie returned one kickoff for a gain of 59 yards. It was disappointing to see the 24-year-old finish the game with no backfield work on a day when Zamir White (quad) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) were both held from the contest with their respective injuries. Instead, Ameer Abdullah led the way with a 90% snap share, with Sincere McCormick picking up the other 10%. Laube has participated on just one snap in his first NFL campaign, fumbling away his lone carry. It appears he's buried deep in the Raiders' depth chart and will continue his role on special teams alone for now. Las Vegas will line up against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead in Week 13.

The Las Vegas Raiders are hoping that quarterback Aidan O'Connell (thumb) will be available to take over as the starter in Week 13 on Friday against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs now that Gardner Minshew II (collarbone) is out for the rest of the year. O'Connell has been on Injured Reserve since suffering a broken thumb against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7, but he's eligible to return to practice this week. If O'Connell isn't cleared, it makes little sense for the Raiders to go outside the organization to look for a starter in a lost season, which would make it unlikely they'd sign Daniel Jones, who was cut by the New York Giants last Friday. If O'Connell can't play against KC, the Raiders will likely start Desmond Ridder. O'Connell would be the better fantasy option over Ridder, but he'd also have very limited upside as a low-end QB2 option in superflex leagues against a strong Chiefs defense.

Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson knocked through field goals of 34, 34, 53, and 22 yards and made his only extra point attempt in his team's 19-29 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 12. He's still clearly an elite player at his position. He scored 15 fantasy points in fantasy football leagues with typical kicker scoring rules. He's now hit 91.7% of his field goal attempts this season and has yet to miss an extra point. There's not much more Las Vegas could ask of their placekicker -- he should ask them to get the team into scoring range more consistently. It's tough to predict kicker scoring, but the offense could struggle to move the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13, especially if quarterback Desmond Ridder gets the start with Gardner Minshew II (collarbone) out for the season and Aidan O'Connell (thumb) still on injured reserve. Carlson is a play only in very deep leagues next week.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah was the starting RB for his team in the absence of the first two backs on the depth chart. Both Zamir White (quad) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) weren't able to suit up for this contest. Abdullah rushed eight times for 28 yards and caught six passes for 37 yards and a touchdown. Fantasy managers who plugged him in as a desperation start in PPR leagues were pleased. He didn't have much juice in the running game, but his second receiving score in as many games was a nice bonus. If White and Mattison are able to suit up in Week 13, Abdullah's involvement in the offense probably wanes back to a minimum. If either of them aren't able to play, though, the 31-year old could see a minor role, but probably not anything worth starting him for. Their opponent will be the Kansas City Chiefs, who boast the best run defense in the league. It'll be a nightmare matchup.