Aidan O’Connell DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Las Vegas Raiders signed quarterback Geno Smith to a two-year, $75 million contract extension this offseason, but it's extremely team-friendly, and The Athletic's Vic Tafur thinks bringing in a young QB in this year's NFL draft to learn behind Smith makes sense. Tafur also thinks the Raiders might trade backup Aidan O'Connell on draft weekend. The Raiders have a clear out with Smith after 2026, as they guaranteed only $18.5 of his $26.5 million 2026 salary, and none of the $39.5 million he's due to make in 2027. Minority owner Tom Brady likes the idea of rookie QBs sitting and learning, and the Raiders will have some interesting options later in the draft in what is considered a down year for QBs. Tafur doesn't think it makes much sense to take Colorado's Shedeur Sanders at No. 6 overall, and a good number of QBs could be off the board by the team's second pick at No. 37 overall.

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.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell won't be a viable fantasy option this Sunday when his team hosts the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. O'Connell has been decent when he's gotten the nod this year -- piecing together a 5:1 TD:INT ratio and 266.5 yards per game on a 64% completion percentage. However, he'll have his work cut out for him in Week 18. The 26-year-old will get his fifth start of the season against a Chargers squad, allowing the fewest points per game in the NFL (17.6). Additionally, LA has been a top-ten unit against fantasy quarterbacks in 2024 (17 PPG). Even on a week when some teams will be benching their starters, fantasy managers can find a better option than the Purdue product to slot into their lineups. O'Connell comes in as RotoBaller's QB22 in this week's rankings.