Raiders HC Klint Kubiak confirmed that QB Kirk Cousins will start the opener vs. the Dolphins. Vegas has maintained since drafting QB Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall that they wanted the rookie to open the season on the bench.
What They're Saying
Kubiak on Cousins: “He played really good football. I’m really happy with all three of our quarterbacks. Kirk’s had a really good offseason, very good camp and he's earned it.”
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Keep Fading Raiders QBs
Cousins looked about as expected this preseason, completing 76.5% of his passes but averaging just 5.9 yards per attempt. He's a safe but low-upside QB at this point of his career.
The Week 1 matchup vs. Miami is cake, but it gets much tougher after that:
- at Chargers
- at Saints
- vs. Chiefs
- at Patriots
- vs. Bills
- vs. Rams
The Raiders might not want to throw Mendoza to the wolves during that stretch, but it'll be tough to keep him off the field if Cousins struggles (and we expect him to).
Vegas doesn't get its bye until Week 13, but we expect Mendoza to be under center before then.
This remains a situation to avoid in fantasy drafts. Cousins is unlikely to ascend beyond low-end QB2 status at any point this season.
