Who Should I Start? Jaxson Dart or Fernando Mendoza


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
23.7 32.0 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0

Jaxson Dart News

Jaxson Dart Looks Much Better in Friday's Practice

Friday, August 7, 12:16 PM

New York Giants second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart has struggled early on in training camp while learning the team's new offense under head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, but Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports that Dart had his best practice of camp on Friday. He looked "much more decisive vs. pressure" and made the "proper reads." The football hit the ground only once on the final drive-the-field period against a mix of first- and second-team defenders. To cap it off, Dart hit receiver Darius Slayton for a touchdown. The 23-year-old former first-rounder from Ole Miss has the high-end dual-threat abilities to become a strong QB1 option for fantasy managers sooner rather than later. He quickly took over the Giants' starting QB job in 2025 and threw for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions in 14 games (12 starts), adding 487 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground to finish as the QB14 in fantasy. New York's expected run-first offense in 2026 could cap Dart's fantasy upside, but at the very least, he should be considered a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 for his rushing upside.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
16.1 12.7 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0

Fernando Mendoza News

Fernando Mendoza "Living in the Building"

Monday, August 3, 6:36 AM

After months of intense scouting, the Las Vegas Raiders selected quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the early returns have been exactly what the team both hoped for and expected, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, who reports that the 22-year-old has been "living in the building as a tireless, football-obsessed worker." Mendoza is still working primarily with the second-team offense behind presumed early-season starter Kirk Cousins, but Breer points out both his ability to bounce back from bad plays and his natural feel for picking up the unblocked defender as veteran-like traits that could soon see him folding in more with the ones. How soon Mendoza takes over as a full-time starter will likely come down to his own readiness and how prepared the team is to support him, but early signs indicate that he is more than capable of handling his own end, making him a worthwhile third quarterback target in deep bench superflex leagues.


Jaxson Dart vs. Fernando Mendoza

Still trying to decide between Dart and Mendoza? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Jaxson Dart is projected to score 23.7 points this week while Fernando Mendoza is projected to score 16.1 points.