The Fernando Mendoza era in Las Vegas starts now. The Raiders traded Kirk Cousins to Minnesota on Tuesday at the NFL trade deadline, clearing the way for the No. 1 overall pick to take over at quarterback.
The impact was almost immediate, as the former Indiana Hoosier shot up the Offensive Rookie of the Year markets on DraftKings Predictions despite having seen limited action behind Cousins. Of course, Mendoza did win the national title with the Hoosiers as part of a Heisman-winning 2025 campaign, so there is reason for optimism.
Here’s a look at the five candidates generating the most interest ahead of Week 10 on DraftKings Predictions.
Top NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Futures on DraftKings Predictions
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Markets
Pricing reflects market sentiment. Subject to change.
Key Candidates to Watch
Fernando Mendoza
Mendoza went first overall out of Indiana and has appeared in one game. That was Week 5 at New England, where he completed six of eight passes for 48 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, an 89.6 rating, and carried once for three yards. His 48 passing yards are second among all rookie quarterbacks, behind the 186 Washington’s Athan Kaliakmanis has thrown for.
Mendoza started all 16 games of Indiana’s 16-0 national championship run in 2025, completing 273 of 379 for 3,535 yards with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions, a 182.9 rating at 9.3 yards an attempt. Those 41 touchdown passes led all of FBS. He ranked 15th nationally in passing yards and tied for 20th in completions, and 65 of his attempts came inside the red zone. He added 276 yards and seven scores on 90 carries for 48 total touchdowns, took 25 sacks and fumbled four times. The Hoosiers scored 666 points and allowed 187.
With Cousins under center, Las Vegas has scored 238 points, eighth in the NFL at 26.4 a game, and allowed 268, more than any team in football. Klint Kubiak’s offense also features a second rookie in running back Mike Washington Jr., whose 275 rushing yards rank second in the class. After Seattle on Sunday, the Raiders go to Denver in Week 11.
Denzel Boston
No rookie has more receiving yards than Boston. His 507 yards lead the class, as do his 61 targets, his three receiving touchdowns and his 21 receiving first downs. Among all NFL players he ranks 22nd in receiving yards and 22nd in targets.
His 32 catches have come at 15.8 yards apiece, 10th in the league and the highest average of any rookie with at least 20 receptions. His longest grab went 60 yards, his longest score 55. Nine of his targets have come inside the red zone, and he has one drop on the season.
Boston was the 39th pick, out of Washington, and has started all nine games for a 5-4 Cleveland team that averages 17.9 points, 29th in the NFL. Deshaun Watson has made eight of the starts at quarterback, going 163 of 249 for 1,806 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Shedeur Sanders started the ninth, a 23-22 loss at New Orleans, and Boston caught six of seven targets for 98 yards in it — his best yardage total of the year.
Jonah Coleman
Coleman was the 108th pick in the draft and in five games has run 47 times for 191 yards and three touchdowns. That’s good for 4.1 yards per carry, and Coleman has also caught 13 of his 14 targets for 128 yards. Those three scores tie Denzel Boston for the most touchdowns by any rookie this season.
The usage has moved. Over Denver’s last three games Coleman has 37 carries for 152 yards and two touchdowns plus 10 catches for 109 yards, and he has out-carried J.K. Dobbins in each of the three — 9 to 6, 11 to 7, and 17 to 4 in a 26-21 win at Carolina in Week 9. Dobbins still leads the team with 98 carries for 324 yards at 3.3 a pop. RJ Harvey has 24 carries and 25 receptions. Coleman’s longest run of the season is 15 yards.
Denver is 7-2, the best record of any team represented here, with 198 points scored and 186 allowed. Sean Payton’s team is on a bye in Week 10 and returns November 22 against Las Vegas.
Carnell Tate
Tate went fourth overall out of Ohio State and has 34 catches on 51 targets for 413 yards and a touchdown in seven games. Tate is third in the class in receiving yards and second among rookies in receiving first downs with 18.
The yardage is front-loaded by one afternoon: nine catches on 12 targets for 145 yards at Baltimore in Week 4. He averages 12.1 per reception with 108 yards after the catch, and the ledger also carries five drops and three fumbles, two of them lost.
Tennessee is 1-7 and averages 18.0 points, 28th in the NFL. Cam Ward has thrown for 1,483 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions across eight starts, a 78.7 rating. Wan’Dale Robinson has 35 catches for 262 yards and three scores, and Calvin Ridley has six catches for 91 yards in seven games. Robert Saleh’s team was off in Week 9 and hosts Jacksonville on Sunday.
KC Concepcion
Concepcion’s 64-yard touchdown is the longest reception by a rookie this season, and it ties for the ninth-longest catch in the NFL. His 37 receptions tie Philadelphia’s Makai Lemon for the most in the class, and his 437 yards and 55 targets both rank second behind his own teammate.
A first-round pick out of Texas A&M, 24th overall, has played all nine games and started eight. The 235 yards after the catch rank 20th league-wide, and he has been used on the ground and on special teams too: 10 carries for 37 yards, six punt returns for 55. His biggest game was eight catches on 10 targets for 129 yards in a 27-24 win at Tennessee in Week 7, and he added four catches for 85 yards and the 64-yard score at New Orleans in Week 9. He has lost one fumble.
Todd Monken has two of the five candidates in this market on the same depth chart, with tight end Harold Fannin Jr. also at 37 receptions and four touchdowns. Cleveland hosts Houston on Sunday.
Recent NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Winners
| Season | Player | Position | Team |
| 2025 | Tetairoa McMillan | WR | Carolina Panthers |
| 2024 | Brock Bowers | TE | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 2023 | C.J. Stroud | QB | Houston Texans |
| 2022 | Garrett Wilson | WR | New York Jets |
| 2021 | Ja’Marr Chase | WR | Cincinnati Bengals |
Source: Sportradar NFL
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