The Raiders have hopefully found their franchise quarterback after selecting Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft from Indiana. The Heisman Trophy winner, who won the national championship after leading the Hoosiers to a 16-0 campaign in 2025, has the chance to turn around the Raiders, who have gone four seasons in a row with a losing record. Fantasy managers should only draft Mendoza in one-quarterback leagues with a late-round pick, and he's a mid-round selection in multiple-QB formats. In rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues, Mendoza is a first-round selection and should be taken as a top-three pick in multiple-QB leagues. He might not start in Week 1 if Las Vegas opts to use Kirk Cousins to open the season, but we don't expect to see Mendoza on the bench for long. He doesn't have great talent around him in the passing game with a wide receiver corps led by Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor and Jack Bech, but his tight end (Brock Bowers) and running back (Ashton Jeanty) have the chance to be elite. And the offensive line in Las Vegas should improve this season after the addition of center Tyler Linderbaum. New coach Klint Kubiak will hopefully get Mendoza's career off on the right track, and he should be a potential Fantasy starter in the future. However, in 2026, we don't have high expectations for Mendoza in the majority of Fantasy leagues.
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Fantasy News
Raiders' Fernando Mendoza: Works behind veteran QBs in OTAs
Rotowire
During Wednesday's OTA, Mendoza worked behind Kirk Cousins and Aidan O'Connell and mostly with rookies during competitive periods of the session, per Sam Warren of The Athletic.
The report notes that Cousins took all of the first-team reps Wednesday and was followed by O'Connell and Mendoza, in that order. At this stage, the Raiders have yet to outline plans on when a starter will be named, with GM John Spytek having said, "The best guy will play." That said, with both Spytek and coach Klint Kubiak having previously expressed their inclination to not play a young quarterback right away, Warren and Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com suggest that Cousins is trending toward starting Week 1, citing the veteran signal-caller's ample professional experience, as well as his familiarity with Kubiak's offense. While the Raiders are intentionally easing Mendoza -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft -- into the mix, Kubiak has nonetheless been pleased with what he's seen from the highly-touted the rookie so far. "He's as advertised," Kubiak said Wednesday. "He has not disappointed." Given where Mendoza was drafted, it's assumed that the Indiana product will rise to the top of the Raiders' depth chart eventually, but he could begin his pro career, for a time, as Cousins' understudy. However, there's still runway for Mendoza to change the narrative on that front in the coming months, with Kubiak noting Wednesday of the team's QB pecking order, "It's gonna reveal itself, especially in training camp."
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Raiders' Fernando Mendoza: Learning to play under center
Rotowire
Mendoza has primarily taken snaps under center during rookie minicamp as he adjusts to head coach Klint Kubiak's offense after playing almost exclusively in shotgun formation in college, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.
Mendoza took just five snaps under center in three years split between California and Indiana, and the rookie first overall pick said after Saturday's practice that he "still has a long way to go" as he acclimates to playing primarily under center at the NFL level. He's a quick and motivated learner by all accounts, but if Mendoza needs more time to adjust to the NFL level, that could open the door for veteran Kirk Cousins to beat out the heralded rookie for the starting job out of the gate. More clarity on the state of Vegas' quarterback competition will likely materialize during training camp and the preseason in the coming months.
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Raiders' Fernando Mendoza: Taken by the Raiders
Rotowire
The Raiders selected Mendoza in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, first overall.
Mendoza (6-foot-5, 236 pounds) was all but locked in as the first overall pick as soon as the draft order was set, because franchise quarterback prospects go first overall and Mendoza has everything teams look for in that regard. Even as a modest recruit out of Miami who had to go all the way to out west Cal to find a starting opportunity at the FBS level, it was clear by about mid-October of the 2025 season - his first and only season at Indiana - that Mendoza had established himself as the top QB in the country. Indeed, the Hoosiers went 16-0 in 2025 and Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy in what went down as one of the most memorable storybook seasons in college football history. Mendoza was utterly dominant in 2025, completing 72.0 percent of his passes at 9.3 yards per attempt, producing an outrageous 41 passing touchdowns on just 379 attempts versus six interceptions. Though not a runner by initial inclination, Mendoza is plenty capable and decisive as a rusher, offering both athleticism and power. With new coach Klint Kubiak running the show the Raiders offense should soon be the best it has been in a number of years, though the exact timing of Mendoza's full arrival remains to be seen. The Raiders signed Kirk Cousins to a one-year deal this offseason, and Kubiak previously said that it's not his preference to place a rookie at the starting QB position. Mendoza can force the issue by outplaying Cousins in training camp, but at worst Mendoza is expected to take over as starter at some point before the 2026 season concludes. Whenever Mendoza takes over, there's reason to expect he'll be at least an average starting signal-caller soon or immediately from that point.
