Raiders Settle QB Question: Cousins Stays, Mendoza Waits Despite 3-4 Start
Klint Kubiak killed any controversy, locking in Kirk Cousins as the Raiders slip under .500 while the No. 1 pick sits with just 48 career passing yards.
Top-3 in passing yards and locked into the job — stream-worthy for now.
- Cousins: 1,877 pass yds, 16 TD, 5 INT in 7 games (2026)
- Raiders sit 3-4 on a four-game losing streak
- Mendoza: 6-of-8 for 48 yards in lone 2026 appearance
- Our rank: Cousins #24 overall, #11 at QB (2026)
- Earliest realistic QB switch: Week 13 bye
One day after a 35-21 home beating by the Rams, Klint Kubiak floated the idea of changing "everything" to fix a team that's now lost four straight. By the next morning he'd walked it back: Kirk Cousins is the Raiders' starter indefinitely, and No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza stays on the bench. Las Vegas sits at 3-4, but Kubiak insists there's no quarterback controversy to speak of.
The numbers back the decision, even if the record doesn't. Cousins has thrown for 1,877 yards through seven games in 2026 — third-most among all quarterbacks — with 16 touchdowns against five picks, good for 130 PPR points. He ranks #24 overall and #11 at the position in our 2026 rankings. For a veteran written off not long ago, this has been a genuine bounce-back inside Kubiak's scheme.
Kubiak made it plain heading into the Week 8 road trip to the Jets: Cousins is playing at a high level and gives them the best chance to win now. He framed the four-game skid as a team problem, not a quarterback one, and said the Raiders need to keep shoring up everything around their QB rather than swapping him out.
Mendoza's Clock Is Ticking, Just Not Yet
Kubiak didn't close the door on the rookie — he said Mendoza will play at some point this season, just not this week, and that there's a plan without a timeline. You don't spend the first pick in April to stash a guy forever. Mendoza already has a cameo: six completions on eight attempts for 48 yards in garbage time of a 45-17 loss to the Patriots, worth all of 2 PPR points.
The logical pivot is the Week 13 bye. If the Raiders keep sliding and fall out of the AFC West and Wild Card picture, the bye gives Mendoza an extra practice week and a soft landing — a home debut against the winless Chargers. That's a far friendlier first start than anything on the pre-bye schedule.
Fantasy-wise, this is simple for now. Cousins is a usable bye-week fill-in or matchup streamer as a borderline QB1/high-end QB2, especially with the volume he's piling up. Mendoza, meanwhile, is a dynasty-only stash — zero standalone value until the Raiders' season officially goes sideways. If they lose a couple more, start eyeing that Week 13 handoff and grab Mendoza before the room notices.
