The Stephie Smalls Show kicked off its 2026 NFL Team Preview series with the Las Vegas Raiders, which feels appropriate because nothing says “football is back” quite like optimism wearing a fake mustache and a Raiders hoodie.
https://youtu.be/hmJvTzW9wq8
Stephie was joined by Vegas Matty from FootballContest.com to break down a Raiders team that may not be ready to win big yet, but at least appears to have something resembling a plan. After a brutal three-win season, the Raiders landed Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, bringing a full-blown case of Mendoza Mania to Las Vegas. The question now is when the rookie quarterback actually takes over.
That is where Kirk Cousins enters the chat, probably wearing Kohl’s cash in cleats. Stephie and Matty agreed Cousins makes sense as a bridge quarterback, giving Mendoza time to learn while the Raiders attempt to stabilize an offense that was rough last season. Brock Bowers remains the obvious fantasy football star, while Ashton Jeanty is positioned for a potential sophomore leap in Klint Kubiak’s run-first system.
The fantasy sleeper conversation got spicy with Mike Washington Jr., who Matty believes could be the perfect handcuff to Jeanty and a possible goal-line touchdown thief. Trey Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Dante Thornton, and the rest of the young receiving group also got some love as best ball and player prop targets.
On the betting side, the Raiders’ win total sits in the five-to-six-win sadness casino, with Matty leaning under 5.5 at plus money. There was also plenty of Maxx Crosby talk, including Defensive Player of the Year value and the lingering question of whether he could become a trade deadline storyline.
Matty also explained how FootballContest.com helps bettors enter major Las Vegas contests like Circa Survivor and Circa Millions through its proxy service.
The Raiders may not be good yet. But they are interesting, young, bettable, and weirdly hopeful. For July football content, that is basically a five-star meal.
