Desmond

Ridder

This means that Ridder will become part of the free agent class in a few weeks. Originally drafted in the third round by the Falcons, Ridder was traded to Arizona after the team signed Kirk Cousins. He failed to earn the backup gig over Clayton Tune and was cut by Arizona and re-signed to their practice squad. The Raiders eventually picked him up after Aidan O’Connell went down with an injury. Ridder made one start and appeared in a handful of other games. He threw for 458 yards at 5.4 yards per attempt with two touchdowns and as many interceptions in 2024. No matter where Ridder lands in free agency, he will be fighting for a roster spot during the summer.

O’Connell didn’t practice all week and the team was still so desperate to get him active that they took him to the field for a pre-game workout on Monday. One week of exposure to in-game Desmond Ridder probably made Pierce pretty optimistic about O’Connell returning as soon as possible. We’d wait for positive practice reports before we started making O’Connell plans for superflex leagues, but it’s clear the Raiders want him back as soon as possible to finish out the season.

The Raiders completely struggled to move the football against the Falcons for more than three quarters, managing a lone field goal until their penultimate drive. Even so, inadequate play calling and poor efficiency from the Falcons allowed the Raiders a chance at the win late in the fourth quarter, eventually finding themselves inside the 50 with 10 seconds remaining. It was enough time for two Hail Mary attempts from Ridder, the first of which went untouched as it fell harmlessly to the ground in the back of the end zone and the second resulting in Ridder’s second interception as time expired. Aidan O’Connell appeared to be close to starting in Week 15 despite not practicing all week, making him likely to take back over under center when the Raiders host the Jaguars in Week 16.

Ridder was named as the Week 15 starter by Antonio Pierce last week, but that was before we knew Aidan O’Connell (knee) would try to play through the injury he suffered in Week 14. According to Schefter, O’Connell, who is questionable, will try to test things out in pregame warmups, but Ridder “is expected to start for now.” Assuming he gets the nod, Ridder will have a chance to face off against his former team who selected him No. 74 overall just three years ago. We’ve seen enough of Ridder to know he shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a low-end QB2 in fantasy leagues and should be kept off the radar altogether outside of 2QB/Superflex leagues.

O’Connell was believed to have been lost for the season after he was carted off with a knee injury in Week 14’s loss to the Buccaneers. Now, after an MRI revealed a bone bruise, O’Connell said he’s “hoping to get there” when asked about the possibility of playing against the Falcons. With the Raiders playing on Monday, O’Connell has some extra time to heal up in time for the game, but head coach Antonio Pierce has already named Desmond Ridder as the Week 15 starter. We’ll see if that changes based on O’Connell’s participation in practice, but for now, he should be considered a long-shot to play on Monday.

O’Connell went from being carted off the field and sporting an air cast less than 24 hours ago to now having a chance to play in Week 15 against the Falcons. After some concerns that he may be lost for the season, O’Connell has avoided the worst and now “has a shot” to play this week, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. This news comes minutes after head coach Antonio Pierce said Desmond Ridder would start in Week 15 against his former team, so we’ll see what happens in the coming days following this announcement.

Pierce’s commitment to the bit is notable, but after they aircasted O’Connell and carted him off in Week 14, we’re quite comfortable in saying that Ridder will helm a #RevengeGame against the Falcons. (Can it be a #RevengeGame if you barely earned the right to start in the first place? We’re looking into this.) A Ridder takeover, something that could possibly last the final four weeks of the season, would probably relegate Jakobi Meyers to fantasy benches and leave Brock Bowers as the only Raiders tight end or receiver worth starting.

Schultz adds that O’Connell will undergo “additional testing to confirm the full severity.” It appears as though Desmond Ridder will be the rest-of-season starter though. The development negatively impacts the team’s fantasy-relevant players, though Brock Bowers should continue his improbably efficient level of play.

Aidan O’Connell went down with a leg injury late in the second quarter. He was placed in an air cast and carted off the field, ending his day and possibly his season. With Garnder Minshew also done for the year, Ridder appears to be the Raiders’ starting quarterback for the final month of the season. Ridder almost instantly lofted a nightmare interception to Bucs cornerback Zyon McCollum after taking over, but McCollum didn’t complete the catch and the pick was overturned after review. Ridder ended the day with a dreadful 5.6 yards per attempt and no scores. This isn’t groundbreaking analysis, but fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a streaming quarterback, even in Superflex leagues.

O’Connell was shoved to the ground after throwing a pass while scrambling to his right. The hit, which should have been a penalty, was delivered by Bucs defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. O’Connell tumbled to the ground and stayed down in obvious pain for a while. The training staff eventually placed his leg in an air cast and he was carted to the locker room. Needless to say, O’Connell is done for the day. With just a month of football left, he could be done for the year as well. Desmond Ridder will close out Week 14 under center for the Raiders.