Mendoza's First Start Meets Seattle's Wall: A Fantasy Game Plan for Seahawks-Raiders With Bowers Locked In and Jeanty on the Fence

Every rookie quarterback gets a first start. Few get one this hard.

Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, takes over in Las Vegas on Sunday after the Raiders traded Kirk Cousins to the Vikings at Tuesday's deadline, Newsweek reported. The New York Post noted that Mendoza waited nine weeks for this chance, and his reward is a Sunday afternoon against the champion Seahawks and Mike Macdonald, one of the sharpest defensive minds in football.

The numbers back that up. ESPN's Week 10 preview points out that Seattle's defense is allowing a league-low 5.5 yards per pass attempt, while the Raiders' running game is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry. That is a tough combination for any fantasy lineup that leans on Las Vegas.

Here is how I would handle every relevant player in this one.

Fernando Mendoza, QB: Sit him in one-quarterback leagues. The consensus across the major rankings is to keep him on the bench this week, and Seattle's pass defense is the reason. In superflex or two-quarterback formats he is a flier, not a foundation. I would wait to see how he handles a real NFL pass rush before trusting him with a playoff push.

Brock Bowers, TE: Start him and do not think twice. Bowers has drawn 70 targets in seven games, roughly 10 every time he plays, according to Yahoo's Raiders Wire. FantasyLife ranks him as the TE3 for the week. Rookie quarterbacks facing pressure tend to look for their safety valve over the middle, and in Las Vegas that is Bowers. If anything, a first start could push his target share higher.

Ashton Jeanty, RB: This is the toughest call in the game, and the experts are split. Sports Illustrated notes that Jeanty's share of the team's touches has fallen from 41% in his first seven games to just 24% over the last two. Yahoo's Raiders Wire also leans toward the bench, while FantasyLife still has him in its start column. My view: treat him as a flex play, not a locked-in RB2. A 2.9-yard team rushing average against a strong defense is a warning sign, but his talent can still produce one long run or a goal-line score. If you have a reliable RB2 with a better matchup, play that player.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR: Must start. FantasyLife ranks him as a top-end WR1 this week. He is the focal point of the Seattle passing game no matter who is throwing to him.

Zach Charbonnet, RB: Start him as an RB2. FantasyLife lists him as the RB20 for the week, and with Seattle's quarterback situation unsettled, a heavier dose of the running game makes sense.

Drew Lock, QB: Lock gets another start with Sam Darnold sidelined. FantasyLife calls him a sleeper as its QB14 but flags an elbow concern that keeps him from being an automatic play. He is a reasonable streamer in 12-team leagues if you are stuck with a bye or an injury, but I would not bench an established starter for him.

Seahawks defense: Start them. A defense allowing a league-low yards per attempt facing a quarterback making his first NFL start is the textbook streaming setup. Sacks and turnovers are the currency here, and the matchup is rich in both possibilities.

This is a game to build around Seattle's top skill players and the Seahawks defense, keep Bowers locked in, and handle the rest of the Las Vegas offense with care. Mendoza may well become a fantasy asset down the road, and the Raiders clearly believe in his future. Week 10 against this defense is simply not the week to find out.

One more piece of advice that applies to every lineup this weekend: check the final injury reports before kickoff, especially on Lock's elbow. Late scratches change everything.

Want to put these calls to the test? Set a lineup in the free Liberty Bell Fantasy games at /fantasy and see how your instincts stack up against the rest of our readers. No entry fee, just bragging rights.