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Quarterback, Las Vegas Raiders
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Draft: 2026 Round 1 (1)
College: Indiana
Ht: 6’5” Wt: 236 DOB: 2003-10-01 Age: 23 |
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Passing | Rushing |
Fantasy |
| Season |
Team |
G |
Cmp |
Att |
Cmp% |
Yard |
TD |
INT | Att |
Yard |
Avg |
TD |
FPts |
FPts/G |
| 2026 (Projected) |
LV |
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264 |
426 |
62.0 |
2,979 |
15 |
10 |
48 |
217 |
4.5 |
1 |
206.9 |
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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.
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Kirk Cousins gets the nod over Mendoza to start camp
"I want Fernando and Aidan to push him"
By: Mike Krueger | Tue Jul 28, 3:57 pm
|  | Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak announced Tuesday that four-time Pro Bowl selection Kirk Cousins will be the starting quarterback over first overall pick Fernando Mendoza to begin training camp. From the beginning, Kubiak has shared his belief of having a young quarterback play and learn behind a veteran instead of being handed the keys to the offense right away. (ESPN)
FFToday's Take: The organization has been committed to the veteran first approach at the quarterback position so this announcement isn't a surprise. Expect Mendoza to get some first team reps at camp but all signs point to Cousins being the Week 1 starter. The real question is, how long does he hold onto the starting job. We currently are projecting Mendoza to play more games than Cousins this season, but both quarterbacks are off the redraft league radar in 1QB leagues.
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