Fantasy Football Player Notes

The No. 1 pick in this year's NFL Draft, Fernando Mendoza might sit behind veteran Kirk Cousins early in the season, but it shouldn't be long before the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner takes over as the Raiders' starter. Mendoza completed 72.0% of his passes last season, averaged 9.3 yards per pass attempt, and threw for 41 touchdowns in 16 games while leading Indiana to an undefeated season and the National Championship. Mendoza has an NFL-caliber arm and terrific ball placement. A student of the game, Mendoza is cool under fire. His functional mobility probably won't translate to much rushing value at the NFL level, although Mendoza could score a few rushing touchdowns every year. Matt Ryan seems like a reasonable comp for Mendoza based on their tools and style of play. We might not see much of a fantasy impact from the rookie in Year 1, particularly when the Raiders are so short on pass-catching firepower beyond TE Brock Bowers, but we can't rule out a fantasy-relevant rookie season for Mendoza.

The Raiders signed veteran QB Kirk Cousins to a two-year deal in the offseason and will let him keep the seat warm for No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza before eventually settling into a backup role. The question is how long Cousins will be the starter. There have been reports that the Raiders - and particularly minority owner Tom Brady - would like Mendoza to have a full redshirt season and not make any starts. The reality is that no quarterback drafted No. 1 has sat out his entire rookie season since Carson Palmer in 2003. Cousins, who'll be 38 this season, averaged just 6.4 yards per pass attempt with the Falcons last season and had fewer than 200 passing yards in six of his eight starts. Cousins is a viable option in superflex leagues only because he's expected to play early in the season.