# Matt Bowen: Bowen names five low-cost, high-upside players they expect to outperform their draft cost: Elijah Arroyo, Jaydon Blue, Pat Bryant, Keaton Mitchell and Isaac TeSlaa. They also see Blue winning the No. 2 job behind Javonte Williams, Mitchell competing for the Chargers' No. 2 back role, and lists Omarion Hampton as a breakout candidate. **Claimed:** Aug 12, 2026 **Pundit:** Matt Bowen — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/matt-bowen **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.espn.com/fantasy/football/story/_/id/49517085/fantasy-football-sleepers-upside-picks-nfl-2026 7 checkable claims — 4 sleeper calls and 3 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call. It names 11 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one. > None of the 10 names that follow are being selected among the top 100 picks in fantasy football drafts, but every one has the upside to make a major difference for your team at some point. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Keaton Mitchell to outplay his draft cost (not being selected among the top 100 picks in fantasy football drafts)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Keaton Mitchell, Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: not settled yet - **AJ Barner to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks - Verdict: not settled yet - **Isaac TeSlaa to outplay his draft cost (not being selected among the top 100 picks in fantasy football drafts)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit Lions - Verdict: not settled yet - **Omarion Hampton to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jaydon Blue to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jaydon Blue to outplay his draft cost (not being selected among the top 100 picks in fantasy football drafts)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: not settled yet - **Pat Bryant to outplay his draft cost (not being selected among the top 100 picks in fantasy football drafts)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Pat Bryant, Denver Broncos - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Keaton Mitchell — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/keaton-mitchell - Los Angeles Chargers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chargers - AJ Barner — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/aj-barner - Seattle Seahawks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/seahawks - Isaac TeSlaa — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/isaac-teslaa - Detroit Lions — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/lions - Omarion Hampton — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/omarion-hampton - Jaydon Blue — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jaydon-blue - Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys - Pat Bryant — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/pat-bryant - Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos ## What others said about the same people - Zack Kelberman on Sean Fresch Jr.: Kelberman expects Sean Fresch Jr. to clear waivers and return to the Broncos' practice squad, sees Riley Moss back from concussion for the Week 11 game at Las Vegas, and projects newly acquired Daiyan Henley to begin as the third inside linebacker behind Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad before likely moving into a starting role. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/978f775c-5611-4514-ad2f-b35a6eac0402 (scored 0) - Zack Kelberman on Sean Fresch Jr.: Kelberman writes that Riley Moss may sit out the preseason finale against Minnesota but should be available for the Week 1 opener at Kansas City; they also suggest undrafted corners Sean Fresch Jr. and Brent Austin are being evaluated for practice squad spots. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3c8c47b8-6041-4282-8d21-d21741d8f11b (scored 0) - Nate Gosney on Daiyan Henley: After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/60272861-4ad0-4749-b36a-dcdf09b9213f (scored 0) - Chad Jensen on Jordan Turner: Jensen predicts Daiyan Henley's arrival will cut into Justin Strnad's snaps while Alex Singleton keeps playing virtually every down, and that Denver will return to a three-linebacker rotation after the Week 10 bye. They also expect one of Jordan Turner or Karene Reid — most likely Turner — to be waived to clear a roster spot. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a84d2c6e-5554-46aa-95b1-620858d31e0f (scored 0) - Jeremy Brener on Drew Lock: Brener picked the Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in Week 9 by a multi-score margin, giving a final score of 27-13, and expressed confidence Seattle would be fine with Drew Lock starting at quarterback. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/7eb2d245-63d0-4be0-80ba-3f60197e2b16 (scored 100) - Rich Eisen on Micah Parsons: Eisen expects Myles Garrett to be traded before the draft and says the Browns will then take Abdul Carter with their early first-round pick; they also predict Buffalo will end up paying James Cook and that Micah Parsons will remain a Cowboy and get their money from Dallas, likely late in the process. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c9216871-a4a2-4676-b3d8-2221daa70413 (scored 0) ## More sleeper calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Derek Brown on Travis Hunter: Derek Brown ("Debro") laid out a slate of wide receiver breakouts — Ricky Pearsall, Jalen Coker, Egbuka, Jalen Waddle, Joshua Palmer, George Pickens, DeVonta Smith and Travis Hunter — while fading Xavier Worthy, Tyreek Hill and the cheap Cleveland/late-round types, and gave their own rankings well ahead of ADP for several of them. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/effe2fda-3dcb-489f-a1e1-f8fa5b11ada7 (scored 100) - Tom Strachan on Ricky Pearsall: Tom Strachan backed Xavier Worthy, Jalen Coker, Egbuka, Jalen Waddle, Darnell Mooney, Zay Flowers, George Pickens, DeVonta Smith and Travis Hunter as values at their draft costs, while avoiding Jerry Jeudy and the Cleveland receivers. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c42eacc5-eb10-4103-a94d-50545a487cbb (scored 100) - Ryan Wormeli on Ricky Pearsall: Host Ryan Warmley endorsed Ricky Pearsall as a bet worth making and put their rookie-receiver capital in Tetairoa McMillan, while fading Zay Flowers at their cost and opting out of Marvin Harrison Jr. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/192d6e67-2e0e-49b3-bc82-4c8a77bd5950 (scored 100) - Chris Welsh on Tyler Warren: Welsh drafted Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan, Travis Hunter, the Rams and Saints receivers, Justin Fields (a top-10 QB), Drake Maye (QB10-14), Travis Kelce and Tyler Warren, while passing on Joe Mixon, the Commanders backfield, Tyreek Hill, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9f0f2132-f3b8-4813-b2b1-374b827d86a8 (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Rashee Rice: Pat Fitzmaurice gave draft-or-pass calls: reluctant drafts on Christian McCaffrey, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan (their WR16), Rashee Rice at a ninth-round price, Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez, Chris Olave, Drake Maye (their QB8) and Tyler Warren, with passes on Breece Hall, Joe Mixon, Croskey-Merritt, Tyreek Hill, Travis Hunter, the Rams receivers and Justin Fields. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e36f1287-466c-4889-a7ea-c9d86f4b5182 (scored 0) - Joe Pisapia on Tyreek Hill: Joey P (Joe Pisapia) played draft-or-pass on 2025 fantasy values: they passed on Christian McCaffrey at pick 7, Breece Hall, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Hunter and Chris Olave, while drafting RJ Harvey, Tyreek Hill, Tetairoa McMillan, Puka Nacua, Tyler Warren and a late-round Joe Mixon. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c3c95c1c-64a4-42b6-9389-58d5fb5b27d1 (scored 0) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages. Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=matt-bowen