The Las Vegas Raiders will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Aidan O’Connell.
Is Aidan O’Connell Playing in Week 13?
The Las Vegas Raiders are set to have a new quarterback in Week 13.
After Gardner Minshew II broke his collarbone last week, Aidan O’Connell will come off injured reserve to start against the Chiefs on Black Friday. He fully participated in practice all week and will be under center in Week 13.
Minshew beat O’Connell for the Raiders’ QB1 job out of training camp. O’Connell reclaimed the gig in Week 6 but broke his thumb a week later, necessitating an IR stint.
O’Connell — Vegas’ fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft — completed 27 of 40 pass attempts for 227 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a Week 6 loss to the Steelers.
We’ll continue to monitor the Raiders’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Aiden O’Connell in Week 13?
We’ve gone through the Aidan O’Connell experience already, and it wasn’t pretty (455 yards and two scores on 82 attempts). He loaded Brock Bowers down with double-digit targets in both of his starts, and that’s proof that he can do the one thing fantasy nation needs him to do (not much different than what Cooper Rush is asked to do in Dallas with CeeDee Lamb).
You’re splitting hairs to some degree, but if I have Jakobi Meyers or Bowers, I prefer O’Connell to be calling the shots than Desmond Ridder.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Aiden O’Connell’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of Friday afternoon, O’Connell is projected to score 7.8 fantasy points in Week 13. This includes 133.3 passing yards, 0.7 passing touchdowns, and 0.5 interceptions. It also includes 0.7 rushing attempts for 0.4 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Buccaneers' Defense
All season, we've been circling the final seven weeks as the potential opportunity for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to finish the season strongly. They have started that well, with two top-12 defensive performances in that span, making it four such performances this season.
However, the problem for the Buccaneers is that these have been two easy matchups, with the easiest schedule going forward. Thus, we may continue seeing improvements in the coming weeks, but that might not be indicative of anything major.
Whatever happens in the next few weeks, Tampa Bay's defense will be a concern if it makes the playoffs. The biggest concern is against the pass, where they rank last in success rate (50.0%) and fourth from last in EPA per dropback (-0.14). Third-down conversions (42.9%, ranked 24th) will also be an area the Buccaneers look to improve in the coming weeks.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Aiden O’Connell’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:40 AM ET on Sunday, December 8. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 14 QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (at LAR)
2) Jalen Hurts | PHI (at CAR)
3) Joe Burrow | CIN (at DAL)
4) Kyler Murray | ARI (vs. SEA)
5) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. LV)
6) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (vs. NYJ)
7) Patrick Mahomes | KC (vs. LAC)
8) Brock Purdy | SF (vs. CHI)
9) Jared Goff | DET (at GB)
10) Justin Herbert | LAC (at KC)
11) Sam Darnold | MIN (vs. ATL)
12) Jordan Love | GB (vs. DET)
13) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. CLE)
14) Geno Smith | SEA (at ARI)
15) Will Levis | TEN (vs. JAX)
16) Matthew Stafford | LAR (vs. MIN)
17) Derek Carr | NO (at NYG)
18) Jameis Winston | CLE (at PIT)
19) Caleb Williams | CHI (at SF)
20) Bryce Young | CAR (vs. PHI)
21) Kirk Cousins | ATL (at MIN)
22) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (at MIA)
23) Aidan O'Connell | LV (at TB)
24) Cooper Rush | DAL (vs. CIN)
25) Drew Lock | NYG (vs. NO)
26) Mac Jones | JAX (at TEN)
27) Justin Fields | PIT (vs. CLE)
28) Tommy DeVito | NYG (vs. NO)
29) Desmond Ridder | LV (at TB)
30) Brandon Allen | SF (vs. CHI)
Las Vegas Raiders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Trends
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: The Raiders have dropped eight straight games. Twice this millennium, they have had a longer single-season losing streak (nine straight in 2006 and 10 straight to open the 2014 season).
- Week 14 at Buccaneers
- Week 15 vs. Falcons
- Week 16 vs. Jaguars
- Week 17 at Saints
- Week 18 vs. Chargers
QB: Aidan O’Connell completed nine of 12 passes last week when the Chiefs blitzed him (14-of-23 otherwise, 60.9%).
Offense: The Raiders join the 2015 Titans as the only teams to have a fourth-quarter turnover in 11 games through 13 weeks (their lone game without a fourth-quarter turnover was the Week 2 upset of the Ravens).
Defense: All of those giveaways in fourth quarters and they are just as bad a taking the ball away in those spots (one turnover forced).
Fantasy: Since 2000, three rookies have had three double-digit catch games: Odell Beckham (2014), Jaylen Waddle (2021), and Brock Bowers (2024).
Betting: The Raiders have covered each of their past four games played on short rest.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Team: The Bucs rattled off four straight wins in Weeks 13-16 last season, a run that included a three-point win against the Panthers. They’ve won both games following their Week 11 bye and are coming off a three-point win over the Panthers.
QB: Baker Mayfield has turned 12 pressured dropbacks into just 10 passing yards and an interception over the past two weeks.
Offense: Tampa Bay settled for three red zone field goals against Carolina last week – they had three such kicks over their previous four games.
Defense: The red zone offense wasn’t very good, but the defense has held up in those spots by allowing just three TDs on 11 such drives over the past three games.
Fantasy: Bucky Irving has 14 red zone touches over his past three games, exceeding fantasy expectations by over 30% in each of those contests.
Betting: The Bucs are 3-1 ATS as a favorite this season.