When the 2025 college football season began, Mendoza was far
from a household name, having posted middling numbers in two years
at Cal. He blew up with the Hoosiers, however, tossing 41 TD passes,
earning Heisman Trophy honors, and winning a National Championship
for a 16-0 Indiana club. Of course, the draft is all about projection,
and Mendoza boasts ideal size (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) for the position.
He also possesses good accuracy and is considered a sound decision
maker, particularly in the red zone, which are important traits
for success at the highest level.
Mendoza will pair with new head coach Klint Kubiak, who replaced
Pete Carroll after serving as offensive coordinator for the Super
Bowl champion Seahawks, to try to right the ship for a Raiders
franchise that has been adrift for most of the last 20 years.
Don't expect it to happen right away. The team signed Kirk
Cousins to help ease Mendoza's transition to the NFL, and
the veteran could start early on if the Raiders don't feel the
No. 1 overall pick is ready. Mendoza is also surrounded by questionable
talent in the passing game with the notable exception of Brock
Bowers.
Between the uncertainty of when Mendoza will ascend to the starting
role and lack of proven options at receiver, this is a situation
that owners in single-year formats would do well to avoid. Those
in keeper leagues can consider carrying the rookie as a low-end
QB2 or QB3 depending on roster size, though given Las Vegas' recent
draft history there's ample reason for skepticism.
When you glance at Jeanty's totals for his rookie year -- 1,321
total yards, 10 TDs -- they look fairly respectable, especially
on a porous Raiders team. Dig a little deeper, however, and you
see how much of that came from two big games: a 155-yard, 3-TD
effort versus Chicago in Week 4, and a 188-yard, 2-TD showing
against the Texans in Week 16. Across his other 15 games, Jeanty
averaged 65.2 yards with five total touchdowns. Given that he
was typically drafted as an RB1 amid high expectations, Jeanty
was a clear disappointment most weeks.
It wasn't all bad news. Jeanty was a workhorse, and his 321 touches
ranked sixth in the NFL. He started all 17 games as well, and
backups Raheem Mostert, Dylan Laube, and Zamir White tallied 60
touches combined. Granted, that happened on Pete Carroll's watch,
and Kubiak's offense in Seattle split work between Kenneth Walker
and Zach Charbonnet, but a look at Las Vegas' depth chart suggests
we'll continue to see Jeanty log the majority of the snaps.
Despite a middling debut, Jeanty is again well positioned for
fantasy owners. He's a tough runner that can break tackles and
make plays, and he's a three-down option that could catch a lot
of check downs from a rookie quarterback that will be trying to
avoid mistakes. Jeanty offers midrange RB1 upside and should be
a late first- or early second-round selection in most leagues.
After getting little and less from the RB2 slot a year ago, the
Raiders spent a fourth-round pick on Washington, who becomes the
immediate favorite to fill that spot over a returning Dylan Laube.
The Arkansas alum has more elusiveness than you might think based
on his 6-foot-1, 223-pound frame, and decent burst as well. There
are concerns about his ability in the passing game, though, particularly
in protection, which could limit him to early downs.
As noted above, Kubiak used a two-back system in Seattle, and
though splitting touches between Jeanty and Washington seems unlikely,
it wouldn't be surprising to see the rookie earn more opportunities
than any of last year's reserve options generated. Washington
is watch-list fodder in most leagues, though he could hold draft-day
interest as a handcuff for Jeanty owners.
When the Raiders shipped Jakobi Meyers off to Jacksonville last
November, Tucker took over as the de facto No. 1 receiver. As
of now, he looks set to reprise that role after Las Vegas' moves
at the position were mostly made around the margins as they signed
Jalen Nailor and selected Malik
Benson in Round 6. Tucker has good speed, and he led the Raiders
in receiving yards (696) last year, though he'd be on the short
list for worst WR1s among the NFL's 32 clubs.
Although Tucker should enter camp as the nominal go-to option
on the outside, his spot is far from secure, and even if he holds
onto it, you're talking about a player that averaged just over
40 yards per game in 2025 -- say what you will about Geno Smith,
he's better than the recent version of Kirk Cousins, and Mendoza
is an unknown. Those in deeper leagues can target Tucker as a
WR5/WR6 type, but owners in standard formats might prefer to roll
the dice on someone with higher upside at the bottom of their
roster.
After spending the past two seasons as the No.3 receiver in Minnesota
behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Nailor gets his shot
at an expanded role in Sin City. The Raiders clearly believe there's
more meat on the bone with Nailor, who averaged a 29-429-5 line
the last two years, as they signed him to a three-year, $35 million
deal with $23 million in guarantees. Like Tucker, Nailor has legitimate
deep speed. Whether he can operate all over the field and be a
volume option remains to be seen.
Nailor benefitted from Jefferson and Addison drawing coverage
during his stint with the Vikings. Other than Brock Bowers, no
one in Las Vegas generates that type of gravitational pull, so
we'll see if Nailor can shine in a larger role. While he's flashed
at times with Minnesota, there's no reason to do anything beyond
adding him to your watch list.
A second-round pick last year, Bech authored a forgettable rookie
campaign. He'd finish the season with just 20 receptions, and
he caught two passes or fewer in all but two games. It's doubly
disappointing when you consider how pedestrian the talent around
him was last year, which included a past-his-prime Tyler Lockett
being added two months into the season and essentially matching
Bech's numbers. It's far too early to give up on Bech, but with
a new offensive staff coming on board we'll see what kind of Year
2 leap we get from the former TCU standout. For now, he holds
no fantasy appeal.
Fresh off a monster rookie season (112-1,194-5), Bowers opened
2025 with a 103-yard performance in a win over the Patriots. He'd
sustain a knee injury during the game, however, and would be held
under 50 yards each of the next three weeks before being shut
down for a month. Bowers returned in Week 9, putting up a huge
12-127-3 line in what turned out to be his only other 100-plus-yard
effort of 2025. He continued to battle a knee injury throughout
November and December before the Raiders finally pulled the plug,
placing him on IR before the final two games of the season.
The good news is that Bowers' knee troubles didn't require surgery,
and he's back at full strength heading into training camp. That's
great news for everyone involved with the Raiders as Bowers is
a nightmare for defensive coordinators, drawing coverage and opening
things up for everyone else. There could be some growing pains
whenever the team decides Mendoza is ready to start, but bear
in mind that tight ends often function as safety nets for young
signal callers, so the presence of a rookie QB isn't necessarily
a bad thing for Bowers' statistical prospects.
A year ago, Bowers was pretty much the consensus first tight
end off the board. Now, Arizona's Trey McBride is in the conversation.
There's real daylight between McBride/Bowers and everyone else,
though, as long-time studs age out (Travis Kelce, George Kittle),
borderline stars work their way back from injury (Sam LaPorta,
Tucker Kraft), and young players look to establish themselves
as reliable contributors (Tyler Warren, Harold Fannin Jr., Colston
Loveland). Draft accordingly.
