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: Kubiak declines to name Week 1 starter
Rotowire
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak indicated Thursday that he is not yet ready to name a starting quarterback (between Kirk Cousins and Mendoza) ahead of Week 1, Ryan McFadden of ESPN reports.
On that subject, Kubiak noted "we got another week. I don't want anyone to be comfortable in their job...it should always be that way for all positions. So, let's keep going." To this point, the signs have been pointing to Cousins opening the regular season as the starter, and he was among his team's key players who watched Thursday's preseason game against the Texans from the sidelines. Meanwhile, Mendoza played the entire first half of the contest, completing eight of 15 passes for 86 yards and an interception on five drives. It remains to be seen when Kubiak will announce the Raiders' starting signal-caller, but given where Mendoza was drafted, it's assumed that the Indiana product will rise to the top of the Raiders' depth chart eventually, though that ascent seems likely to follow a stint as Cousins' understudy.
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Raiders' Fernando Mendoza: In line to see first-half action Thursday
Rotowire
Mendoza is expected to play the first half of Thursday's preseason game against the Texans, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Mendoza will start Thursday and play roughly half the game, after which point Aidan O'Connell is scheduled to come in. This will be Mendoza's first start at the professional level, as Kirk Cousins started the preseason opener against Arizona before Mendoza threw for 97 yards and a touchdown in relief. Cousins remains the favorite to begin the regular season as the starter over the rookie first overall pick.
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Raiders' Fernando Mendoza: Should get plenty of reps
Rotowire
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said Tuesday that Mendoza will play in Thursday's preseason opener against Arizona and may even get a few snaps with the starting offensive line, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.
It sounds like Kirk Cousins will make the start, but Mendoza could enter the game fairly early on, and he's expected to play a lot this preseason (if not necessarily Thursday night). Kubiak hasn't announced his Week 1 starter, but Cousins has been treated as the starter throughout training camp.
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Raiders' Fernando Mendoza: Behind Cousins as camp opens
Rotowire
Coach Klint Kubiak announced Tuesday that Kirk Cousins will begin training camp as the Raiders' starting quarterback ahead of Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell, Ryan McFadden of ESPN reports.
"When we go out to practice (on Wednesday), Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback," Kubiak said. "He's the guy, and he deserves it because he's played really good football. But I want Fernando and Aidan (O'Connell) to push him." The decision isn't surprising, given that Cousins logged the majority of the first-team reps during Las Vegas' offseason program and looked "excellent" in the process, per Kubiak. While Cousins currently has the upper hand, Mendoza -- the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft -- could still push for the Week 1 start if he performs well during training camp and the preseason.
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Raiders' Fernando Mendoza: Signs contract with Raiders
Rotowire
Mendoza signed his rookie contract with the Raiders on Thursday.
Mendoza's deal is for four years, with a fifth-year team option, as is standard for first-round picks. The 2026 first overall pick has $52.72 million of guaranteed money on his deal, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Veteran Kirk Cousins is reportedly the favorite to begin the regular season as the Raiders' starter under center, but those plans could change depending on how Mendoza looks during training camp and the preseason.
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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.
