The Insiders Podcast: Fernando Mendoza Expectations, Cowboys Updates, and 1st Round Fantasy Picks

Brown was recommended as a top-five to seven pick last year, which didn't work out, but the source isn't blaming AJ. He could still play at a very high level. Drake Maye was the best deep-ball thrower in football statistically last year, and this system is going to get the most out of him more than what the Eagles were doing last year. There's less target competition than he had the last few years in Philadelphia, so a big bounce-back year is expected.

St. Brown is ranked 5th overall. Metrically he is fantastic as the focal point of a high-powered passing attack with tons of scoring opportunities. He's been a top-four wide receiver in total points and points per game in each of the last three years and is consistent week-to-week, with 11 games last year with 15+ fantasy points, the third most amongst all wide receivers.

Jeanty is ranked 11th overall. Some people say he was disappointing last year, but the source thinks he was a lot better than people realize. His stats are eye-popping and he's top-five in basically all metrics. What held him back was the situation, but things are better now. The Broncos improved their offensive line in a big way, quarterback play could be better, and Clint Kubiak, who won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks last year, is now calling the plays. The source is very excited for what Jeanty could do in year two.

Robinson is the 1B to Gibbs' 1A, with both running backs expected to be neck and neck in fantasy points every year. Robinson was the only player with at least 360 touches in each of the last two seasons; with Tyler Algier gone, he could reach new heights after previously splitting goal-line looks. He's explosive, a great receiver, and can handle a ton of work.

Young is positioned for growth in year two with Brad Izzik as the new play-caller and Dave Canales in a CEO role. Izzik's specialty is wide receivers and his connection with Young has been really cool to see. Izzik challenged Young to be more vocal with the team and use his leadership, and Young responded by showing a different version of himself to players. The Panthers created a basketball team of 6'3 or taller receivers for Young, which should help unleash the offense in a new way.

Lamb is ranked 9th overall. He was a fantasy wide receiver 1 in points per game for four straight seasons tied to a great offense and great play-calling. The Cowboys brought back largely the same roster as last season, so Lamb is expected to continue to eat. When he and Dak Prescott are both healthy, he operates out of the slot where a 5'10 cornerback will have a hard time stopping him. Dak has finished as the Cowboys' leading passer in nine seasons, with top-10 scoring offenses in two of those and the number-one scoring offense in one.

Brown is one of 15 first-round caliber players but only 12 can fit in the first round. The source thinks he's highly underrated. He was better last year than he was in 2024, yet there's less hype around him coming into this season. Once Joe Flacco and Joe Burrow played from week five-six on last year, he was the fifth-best running back in fantasy. He's a dual-threat guy who sees goal-line work.

McCaffrey is ranked 10th overall. While his ceiling is being the best player in fantasy, the source has significant concerns about drafting him this year. Last year he had the fewest rushing yards over expectations of all running backs and had 450 touches. Every running back since 2010 who had that many touches in a season saw their yards decrease by at least 38% the following year. McCaffrey had over 400 touches once in his career; the following two years he played 10 games combined. The risk is higher with someone at his age coming off that many touches.

Christian McCaffrey was observed working with trainer Ido Portal on movement culture and mobility training, suggesting ongoing focus on physical conditioning and shoulder mobility as part of his training regimen.

The Cowboys are being deliberate about having Prescott run the offense from under center more frequently, which will enable him to make certain throws to running backs and wide receivers. This represents a tactical emphasis for the 2026 season.

The source expresses high confidence in Mendoza's rookie and long-term NFL career prospects, citing his willingness to learn from elite coaching staff (Clint Kubiak, Andrew Ginoco, Mike Sullivan) and his detailed, methodical approach to setting and exceeding performance milestones. The source does not expect him to start week one—Kirk Cousins is projected as the starter—but expects Mendoza to be ready and play well when he enters the game.

Mendoza will report to Raiders training camp on July 23rd (earlier than the rest of the roster on July 28th) and is learning from Kirk Cousins in the quarterback room. Cousins' preparation methods—staying after hours until 7 p.m. studying, meticulous note-taking, and information processing—are serving as a model for Mendoza's own development process.

The Cowboys plan to use Pickens in the slot more frequently in 2026. Last season he was in the slot on only about 10% of plays, so this represents a significant role expansion that the source identifies as 'going to be real interesting to watch.'

Chase is the wide receiver 1 in a 1A/1B situation with Puka Nakua. He's been a top-three wide receiver each of the last two years with probably the highest weekly ceiling of any wide receiver. With the same offensive coordinator and quarterback, and the last time both played a full season Chase won the triple crown and was the runaway best player in fantasy. He's been more available than other top receivers, which is a huge asset for fantasy.

Cook is ranked 12th overall. The Bills paid him before the season last year, which led to him having career highs in carries, rushing yards, and fantasy points. He's had 32 touchdowns in the last two seasons. The talk right now is that there could be even more involvement for him in the passing game. If that happens, his upside is top-five or even higher at the running back position.

JSN is ranked 6th overall. What he did last year was amazing and he was off-the-charts efficient with the highest percentage of a team's receiving yards by any player in the last 12 seasons. However, the Seahawks were tied with Baltimore for the lowest pass rate in the league last year with no Clint Kubiak, which is enough concern to push Amon-Ra St. Brown just ahead of him, though 6th overall is still a strong ranking.

Taylor is ranked 7th overall. At one point last season it looked like if you didn't have Jonathan Taylor on your team, you weren't going to win a championship, but that was before Daniel Jones got hurt. Good news: he's going to be healthy this year. Last year with Daniel Jones, Taylor averaged 24 fantasy points per game, which fell to 13 after Jones was hurt. He also led all running backs with five 30-point fantasy games. He's going to get all the goal-line work and is one of the safest running back picks with a very high ceiling.

Allen reports that he is constantly thinking about football and how to improve, even during the offseason. He is excited to return to training camp on July 28th and get things in full swing. As a new father, he is prioritizing sleep and recovery, aiming to be in bed before midnight and working with Nature All products (Ultra Sleep and Ultra Energy) to optimize sleep quality and energy levels.

Herbert is getting a significant offensive system upgrade with Mike McDaniel as the new offensive coordinator for the Chargers. McDaniel is changing Herbert's footwork, moving his shotgun snap stance to have his left foot forward instead of right foot forward to fit the timing of his offense. Timing is king with McDaniel; at the peak of his time with Tua, they were scoring 70 points and leading the league in scoring. McDaniel watched every throw Herbert has thrown in his career and put together a presentation of 100+ throws to show what he could do better, with the goal of speeding up his progressions and time to throw.

Jefferson is ranked 8th overall as the wide receiver 5 in this year's class. He's the most obvious touchdown regression candidate ever, having had the lowest end-zone catch rate in football last year and being one of a handful of wide receivers with as many targets but only two or fewer touchdowns. Despite this, he's still probably the best or top-three talent at wide receiver. He gets a quarterback upgrade now with Kyler Murray, who helped DeAndre Hopkins be a wide receiver 1 for years in Arizona and is an upgrade from what Minnesota had last year.

Micah Parsels' return timeline for the Green Bay Packers remains uncertain; the source notes 'We'll see if Micah Parsons gets back early for the Green Bay Packers,' indicating ongoing injury status without clarity on when he will be available.

Nakua is the 1B wide receiver and the 4th overall pick. He was the wide receiver 1 in total points and points per game last year with the highest yards per route run in next-gen stats era and led the league in target rate. He had 10 games with 22+ fantasy points, the second most by a wide receiver in the Super Bowl era. If injuries could be turned off, he'd be the unquestioned 1.1, but he's missed time in recent years and his quarterback is older with a back issue, which is why he's ranked 4th.

Hunter's offensive usage will fluctuate game-to-game (40-70% snap share depending on opponent and game plan) but he remains a two-way player. The Jaguars have four starting-caliber receivers (Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, Parker Washington, Jacoby Myers) allowing them to rotate players and maintain depth. Hunter's most productive game was his last, when he recorded 14 targets offensively, and the Jaguars are confident he will build off that performance if he stays healthy.

The source projects significant year-two upside for Hunter despite a rookie season cut short by knee injury. Hunter is running over 20 mph (faster than pre-injury), cutting well, and is expected to be full go for training camp. The Jaguars plan to unleash him as a starter on defense with the goal of having him play nearly all snaps on defense in particular games, with one Jaguars coach projecting he could be a top-10 cornerback by next year if development continues. He will still play significant offensive snaps (fluctuating 40-70% game-to-game) and his best game was his last, when he had 14 targets offensively.