Changes coming for Raiders? Potential fantasy impact for Jeanty, Cousins and others

On the list of what’s currently wrong with the Las Vegas Raiders, quarterback play is nowhere near the top. Kirk Cousins, at age 38, is actually having a renaissance season behind center, leading the NFL in touchdown passes (16) through seven games. Cousins is now on pace to finish with 4,558 passing yards, 39 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. As of this writing, he’s the QB5 in fantasy. Cousins hasn’t been flawless, but he also hasn’t been a screaming problem. His skills have not substantially diminished.

But the Raiders have lost four straight games and rookie QB Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, has spent his season on the sidelines. He’s played only 10 snaps to this point.

Following Sunday’s loss to the Rams, Las Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak was asked about the timing of a possible transition to the Mendoza era.

“I think we’re thinking about everything,” said Kubiak. “How to fix our problems, how to fix our issues in the red zone, in the third quarter and personnel, scheme.”

If we could take Kubiak at his word — please remember, he proved during the Brock Bowers fiasco that we definitely cannot — then we might assume change could be coming to the Raiders’ backfield because running back Ashton Jeanty has been shockingly inefficient. Jeanty is averaging 3.1 yards per carry for the season, but he’s actually gained fewer than 3.0 YPC in five of seven games this year. His longest run over the last three weeks was just 8 yards. If the Raiders are sincerely discussing offensive problems, Jeanty is one of them. Stay ready, Mike Washington Jr.

Entering the season, we expected Mendoza to be starting games at some point in 2026. What we did not necessarily expect was such remarkable competence (and arm strength) from Cousins. Realistically, the Raiders’ passing offense may not do as well with Mendoza at the controls, but perhaps he’ll surprise us. Preseason football is full of lies, but Mendoza wasn’t great at it. He completed 56.5% of his passes over three exhibition games with one touchdown and two interceptions, one of which was a terrible pick-six. If he’s starting games in the second half for Vegas, it’s not great news for tight end Brock Bowers or breakout receiver Tre Tucker.

Cousins has played well enough to become a legitimate trade chip for the Raiders ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, so we can’t rule out the possibility that he might relocate to, say, Philadelphia, Cleveland or Minnesota. (Denver should be interested, too, but the Bo Nix zealots don’t want to hear it.) It’s no simple feat for a QB to switch teams mid-season in the NFL and emerge as a difference-maker, but it’s not completely without precedent. Cousins has demonstrated over these past two months that he remains a top-15-ish quarterback in reality, a player who can direct a productive offense. Even if he’s replaced in Vegas, Superflex managers should keep him on hand through the deadline.

If Cousins retains his starting job another week and faces the Jets next Sunday, he’ll probably rank among the position’s top-12 in fantasy.