Raiders News: Mendoza Likely to See First-Team Reps During Camp
While it remains unlikely that Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza will open the 2026 season as the team’s starter, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports that the Raiders plan to “sprinkle” the No. 1 overall pick in with the first-team offense once training camp begins.
New head coach Klint Kubiak is regarded as thrilled with Mendoza’s long-term outlook as the Raiders’ quarterback of the future, but there is still real development work ahead. Mendoza operated primarily from the shotgun during his Heisman-winning season at Indiana and will need to build comfort taking snaps under center, something he rarely did in college.
Encouragingly for his long-term fantasy outlook, reports out of Las Vegas this offseason describe Mendoza as coachable and quick to translate instruction to the field, both qualities that matter for a rookie learning a new system. He has also built a strong rapport with veteran Kirk Cousins, who signed with the Raiders after his release from Atlanta and is widely expected to open the season as the starter.
Breer has been direct about the likely outcome of the summer’s quarterback competition, saying it’s probably unlikely Mendoza wins the job outright before Week 1. That mirrors the approach Las Vegas has taken publicly, with both general manager John Spytek and Kubiak signaling a preference for a patient, developmental path rather than throwing a rookie into the fire immediately.
Because the Raiders appear committed to bringing Mendoza along gradually behind an established veteran, he is unlikely to carry meaningful redraft value in fantasy football for 2026. Even limited first-team reps in camp are a positive sign for his long-term trajectory, but the more realistic expectation is a season watching and learning before stepping into a larger role, whether that comes later in 2026 or in 2027.
