It’s early, but the returns so far seem to be in favor of the second-year QB out of Purdue to draw the start in Week 1. Of course, the QB battle in Las Vegas was never going to be about O’Connell or Minshew themselves, but instead about what each signal caller can do for the Raiders offense overall – and more importantly, who will be able to support more fantasy relevant receivers. Given their track records in the league so far, Minshew is the obvious pick between the two in terms of which QB would support a more consistent Davante Adams. However, O’Connell also sustained Adams at a WR1 level down the stretch last year, albeit in a less consistent manner than Minshew did for Pittman in 2023. There’s still plenty of offseason left to play out before we get to the real thing this September, but it’s likely O’Connell’s job to lose given his familiarity with the team and the fact that Minshew came in merely as a free agent signing. However, a shift in the other direction would be a welcome development in the minds of fantasy managers. We’ll be able to get a better read on the QB room a month from now during training camp, but until then, fantasy managers shouldn’t give or take too much from Adams’ draft stock depending on which signal caller ultimately ends up drawing the start.
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