Who Should I Start? Tyler Shough or Fernando Mendoza
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.5 | 16.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Tyler Shough News
Thursday, August 27, 6:14 AM
New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough showed signs as a 2025 rookie that he was a player worth building around, and that's precisely what the team did this offseason. New Orleans made a splash in free agency by acquiring running back Travis Etienne Jr. on a four-year, $48 million deal before spending five of its eight 2026 draft picks on the offensive line or skill positions, including wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) with the eighth overall pick. While Tyson has since dealt with a serious hamstring injury likely to cost him time at the beginning of his career, there are still pieces in place for Shough to take a sizable step forward in his second season in Kellen Moore's up-tempo offense. After throwing at a 4,420-yard pace over the back half of the year that was good enough to make him the fantasy QB10 over that time, Shough is currently being drafted as the QB20, making him a low-cost, high-ceiling player to target at the end of 2026 drafts.
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
Saturday, August 29, 1:17 PM
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is open to naming Aidan O'Connell as the QB2 over rookie first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, according to Michael Smith of NBC Sports. This would make the No. 1 overall pick the QB3 to start the season for the Raiders. During the preseason, Mendoza had 25 completions on 45 passing attempts for 240 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. It has widely been expected that Kirk Cousins would be the starting quarterback for Week 1, with Mendoza being the backup. However, not many would have thought the rookie would start the season as the third-string quarterback. "We've got three guys that are ready to play," Kubiak told team reporters. "It's going to be some hard decisions on who's 1, who's 2. That's not a decision we have to make today, but those are discussions that are ongoing." If this happens, nothing much will change for Mendoza's fantasy outlook for redraft leagues and dynasty leagues. We knew he was a long-term fantasy investment that would not have much fantasy relevance until, at best, the end of the 2026 season.
Tyler Shough vs. Fernando Mendoza
Still trying to decide between Shough and Mendoza? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Tyler Shough is projected to score 21.5 points this week while Fernando Mendoza is projected to score 16.1 points.
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