Fernando Mendoza enters his rookie season as the undeniable future of the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense, but for fantasy football purposes, the future isn’t now. The highly touted quarterback exploded on the college scene last year, leading Indiana to a championship while racking up 3,535 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns. However, his transition to the professional level is a work in progress.
Should I Draft Fernando Mendoza in Fantasy Football?
He has seen plenty of reps in the preseason, yielding predictably mixed results as he adjusts to NFL speed. This is completely normal for a first-year starter and was something the Raiders expected, hence their bringing in of Kirk Cousins.
The primary obstacle for Mendoza in 2026 is his surrounding ecosystem. While tight end Brock Bowers is great and provides a reliable target over the middle, the Raiders have plenty of support issues elsewhere on the depth chart. Furthermore, while the offensive line arguably can’t get any worse, it remains far from a strength and could struggle to keep a rookie quarterback on schedule the way it would need to for him to do anything of note in our world.
START PREPARING: PFN’s FREE Fantasy Draft Simulator
I’ll be highly interested to see to what degree Mendoza can add fantasy value with his legs at the professional level, considering he rushed for seven touchdowns for the Hoosiers last season.
That mobility could eventually make him a weekly asset. But for 2026, I am only interested from a distance, not from a spot of real investment. With a shaky offensive line and limited playmakers, there is simply no reason to get this cute in redraft leagues. Leave Mendoza untouched in standard drafts and let someone else gamble on his rookie growing pains, even if his path to the starter in Vegas clears.
In dynasty, I’m interested. Atlanta tried to build their offense around skill players and then tack on a quarterback, similar to how the Raiders are approaching their rebuild. It hasn’t worked for the Falcons, but directionally, I like the plan, and I have enough faith in the pedigree here to think that brighter days are coming to Sin City.
Kyle Soppe’s QB Fantasy Rankings 2026
- Josh Allen | BUF
- Drake Maye | NE
- Joe Burrow | CIN
- Lamar Jackson | BAL
- Jayden Daniels | WAS
- Caleb Williams | CHI
- Justin Herbert | LAC
- Jalen Hurts | PHI
- Jaxson Dart | NYG
- Trevor Lawrence | JAX
- Dak Prescott | DAL
- Bo Nix | DEN
- Patrick Mahomes II | KC
- Brock Purdy | SF
- Matthew Stafford | LAR
- Jared Goff | DET
- Kyler Murray | MIN
- Jordan Love | GB
- Baker Mayfield | TB
- Tyler Shough | NO
- Malik Willis | MIA
- Daniel Jones | IND
- C.J. Stroud | HOU
- Sam Darnold | SEA
- Bryce Young | CAR
- Jacoby Brissett | ARI
- Cam Ward | TEN
- Aaron Rodgers | PIT
- Fernando Mendoza | LV
- Justin Fields | KC
- Kirk Cousins | LV
- Geno Smith | NYJ
