Tyler Sullivan· Oct 26, 2026
Sullivan expects the Raiders to eventually bench Kirk Cousins and hand the starting quarterback job to rookie No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza if the losing continues this season.
“If these losses continue to mount, Mendoza will be thrust in under center at some point to try to give this 2026 team a spark as well as build towards 2027 and beyond.”
published in writing · CBS Sports · read the original →
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Fernando Mendoza · 2026 season66 calls from 48 pundits between 1 and 3. Tyler Sullivan said 1. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
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Fernando Mendoza to be 1st on the depth chart
“At some point, the Raiders are going to turn the keys of the franchise over to No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, and that date may be getting closer, especially if the losses persist. ... If these losses continue to mount, Mendoza will be thrust in under center at some point”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris BroussardGame Outcome Picks · Las Vegas RaidersHit · 100Broussard picked the Ravens to beat the Bills in a shootout, 38-34, took the Raiders to upset the Jets, and said Detroit would beat the Vikings.
- Connor RogersGame Outcome Picks · Las Vegas RaidersHit · 100Rogers picked straight-up winners across the Week 8 slate, siding with the Bills over the Ravens, the Lions, Steelers, Jaguars, Bengals, Falcons, Raiders, Broncos, Rams, Patriots, Commanders and the Bears in Seattle.
- John BreechScore Predictions · Las Vegas RaidersHit · 95Breech's Week 8 score predictions include Bengals over Titans, Raiders over Jets, Rams over Chargers and Patriots over Dolphins.
- Ezekiel TrezevantGame Outcome Picks · Las Vegas RaidersHit · 100Trezevant argues that if the Raiders are as improved as they appeared at 3-0, they should beat the Jets in Week 8 on the road and end their four-game losing streak.
- Richard ShermanGame Outcome Picks · Las Vegas RaidersHit · 100Sherman kept his top five unchanged in concept but shuffled it to 49ers, Bills, Vikings, Chiefs, Bears, and made Week 8 picks across the slate, including Seattle over Chicago 27-17 and a begrudging Lions pick over Minnesota.
- Mitchell EisensteinGame Outcome Picks · Las Vegas RaidersHit · 100Eisenstein put the Bills first in his power rankings ahead of the 49ers, Vikings, Chiefs and Bears, picked his Lions to beat Minnesota 23-16, and made picks across the rest of the Week 8 slate while naming four teams he expects in the playoffs.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Jeremy BrenerDepth Chart Calls · Jalen MilroeMiss · 0Brener suggests Seattle may turn to rookie-contract quarterback Jalen Milroe for his first career start in Week 9 against the Cardinals, with Sam Darnold ruled out and Drew Lock dealing with an elbow injury.
- Michael MooreDepth Chart Calls · Shedeur SandersHit · 100In a Week 9 injury roundup, Moore forecast which banged-up fantasy contributors would play or sit: Deshaun Watson, Garrett Wilson, David Montgomery, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, TreVeyon Henderson and Terrance Ferguson are expected out, while Travis Kelce, Saquon Barkley, Michael Wilson, Christian Watson and Emeka Egbuka should play. He also expects Shedeur Sanders and Drew Lock to start at quarterback.
- Zachary PerelesDepth Chart Calls · Shedeur SandersHit · 100Pereles writes that if Deshaun Watson can't clear concussion protocol in time, the Browns would likely turn to second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders to start Week 9 against the Saints.
- Nic BodifordDepth Chart Calls · Joe FagnanoHit · 100Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. He also views Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.
- Garrett PodellDepth Chart Calls · Carson BeckMiss · 0Podell argues the Cardinals have maxed out with Jacoby Brissett and that rookie Carson Beck should be ramped up to replace him as starter, targeting Week 8 at Dallas for Beck's regular-season debut.
- Jacob HerlinDepth Chart Calls · J.J. McCarthyHit · 100Herlin published Week 7 fantasy D/ST rankings with projections for 28 team defenses, led by Houston, Minnesota and Cleveland. He also expects Cleveland to post a fourth straight top-10 fantasy defense result, and predicts Jalon Daniels starts another week for Tampa Bay while J.J. McCarthy takes over as the Giants' starter.