Gardner Minshew II To Continue Rough Season As Starter Against Miami
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II has been benched twice this season, yet he was named the starter for his Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins by head coach Antonio Pierce. 2024 hasn't been kind to the sixth-year pro -- he's tossed just six touchdowns, some in garbage time, while throwing eight interceptions and losing four fumbles. Turning the ball over more than twice for every meaningful score isn't a recipe for success. The Dolphins defense is coming off a surprisingly good effort against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10. Minshew faces an uphill battle and is only a starting option in deep 2QB leagues in fantasy football.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce announced that veteran Gardner Minshew II will start at quarterback against the Miami Dolphins in Week 11. There was speculation that former Atlanta Falcons starter Desmond Ridder would get the nod, but the organization is rolling with Minshew for at least one more week. Minshew has been benched three times this year and has not had much success through his first eight games in the Silver and Black. The 28-year-old has completed 67% of his passes for 1,501 yards, six touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 2024. He is not on the fantasy football radar in single-QB formats.
Gardner Minshew II Benched Yet Again In Blowout Loss
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II was benched for the third time in the Raiders' Week 9 blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Las Vegas lost the game 21-41, and it was never close. Minshew completed 10 of 17 passes for 124 yards and lost a fumble in another dreadful outing. With former starter Aidan O'Connell (thumb) not eligible to return until a Week 13 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, it's possible we could see current backup Desmond Ridder, who replaced Minshew in the loss, start in Week 11, after the bye. Ridder completed 11 of 16 pass attempts for 74 yards, a touchdown, and lost a fumble as well. Things are looking bleak in LV's quarterback room. Minshew may not play at all in Week 11, but head coach Antonio Pierce hasn't confirmed next game's starting QB yet.
Gardner Minshew II Faces Softer Pass Defense This Week
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II was actually fringe-startable in his Week 8 loss with the Kansas City Chiefs, but that was mainly due to him authoring a garbage time drive that went for a touchdown. He faces the Cincinnati Bengals this week, though. They boast a high-powered offense that could have the game out of hand before the fourth quarter, which would give him more opportunities for meaningless scores. Still, considering his penchant for turnovers (five of them in the last two games), he's a risky player to set in lineups in 1QB leagues. In 2QB or Superflex leagues, he's a decent start. Unsurprisingly, he appears to play better when his No. 1 wide receiver, Jakobi Meyers (ankle) plays, and he's expected to play Sunday.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II completed 24 of 30 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders' 20-27 loss to the rival Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8. He also lost one fumble on a sack. In typical Raiders fashion, they drove down the field and scored on their first drive of the game before their offense stalled. They couldn't get much of anything else going until a garbage-time drive for another touchdown near the end of the game. Minshew looked better than he did in Week 7, when he turned the ball over four times, but he didn't give Las Vegas a spark and padded his stats in the fourth quarter. He'll start again in Week 9 when the Raiders take on the Cincinnati Bengals, and he'll still profile as a starting option in fantasy football only for 2QB leagues.
Gardner Minshew II Fills In For Injured Aidan O'Connell
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II was substituted in when lead quarterback Aidan O'Connell (thumb) was forced out for the rest of the game due to an injury when the Raiders played the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7. The former Jacksonville Jaguar finished the game, but it was a dreadful outing. H completed 15 of 34 passes for 154 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. He also carried the ball once for two yards and lost a fumble. Las Vegas lost 15-20, so it's safe to say the giveaways were the difference. O'Connell seems to be set to miss time, so Minshew could start against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8. He's difficult to trust against KC's elite defense, even in 2QB leagues.
Aidan O'Connell Likely Done For Week 7, Replaced By Gardner Minshew II
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (thumb) exited during the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams and was taken to the locker room for further evaluation. He is officially listed as questionable to return, but head coach Antonio Pierce told the CBS broadcast that "it doesn't look like he'll be back." O'Connell suffered the injury while grazing his hand on a defender during a pass attempt. Gardner Minshew II has entered the game in his place. At the time of his departure, O'Connell had completed six of 10 passes for 52 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero turnovers. It's been a tumultuous start to the year for the Las Vegas quarterback room. Minshew opened the year as the starter, was benched for O'Connell due to poor performance, and is now back in the lineup due to his teammate's injury. Based on Pierce's comments, it sounds like Minshew will stay in the game as Las Vegas' quarterback for the rest of Week 7.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II exited Sunday's matchup with the Denver Broncos. The signal-caller had a rough day, throwing for 137 yards and a touchdown off 12-for-17 passing. He also threw two interceptions, one that resulted in a 100-yard return by Patrick Surtain II for a score. Aidan O'Connell took over under center. However, it's tough to say if O'Connell will remain the team's starter for the Week 6 meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Regardless, neither quarterback has been reliable for managers, so they likely won't be featured in many fantasy lineups.
Gardner Minshew II Leads Raiders To Win Despite Poor Statistical Performance
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II was able to squeak out a win against the Cleveland Browns In Week 4 despite completing just 14 of 24 passes for 130 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. The game was primarily a defensive battle, with neither team surpassing 300 offensive yards. Minshew averaged less than four completed passes per quarter, but the Raiders' run-heavy approach could explain this. The Browns have a tough defense, so it's unsurprising that they mostly contained the Raiders' offense. He remains unstartable in single quarterback fantasy leagues, and his lack of volume generally holds back the fantasy value of his pass-catchers. The 28-year-old will face another tough test when the Raiders take on the Denver Broncos and their tough defense in Week 5, and we could see a similar game from Minshew then.
ESPN's Dan Graziano thinks the next quarterback to be benched in the NFL could be Las Vegas Raiders QB Gardner Minshew II. When Minshew won the training camp battle at the position over Aidan O'Connell, it felt like you couldn't rule out the possibility of the two signal-callers flip-flopping back and forth all year. Head coach Antonio Pierce is sticking with Minshew after the embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 4, but Pierce certainly wasn't happy after that loss. Minshew is 24th in QBR (44.1) through the first three weeks of the season. It hasn't all been Minshew's fault, but the Raiders could make the move to O'Connell sooner than later just to shake things up. Minshew's Week 2 upset over the Baltimore Ravens likely bought him at least another week. Some with the Raiders thought O'Connell had a slight edge coming out of offseason workouts over Minshew.
Gardner Minshew II
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Raiders
