# Matt Bowen: Bowen names five low-cost, high-upside players he expects to outperform their draft cost: Elijah Arroyo, Jaydon Blue, Pat Bryant, Keaton Mitchell and Isaac TeSlaa. He also sees 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 bet.

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

- **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
- **AJ Barner to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **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
- **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
- **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
- **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

## Who this take is about

- Omarion Hampton — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/omarion-hampton
- Los Angeles Chargers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chargers
- Jaydon Blue — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jaydon-blue
- Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys
- AJ Barner — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/aj-barner
- Seattle Seahawks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/seahawks
- Keaton Mitchell — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/keaton-mitchell
- Pat Bryant — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/pat-bryant
- Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos
- Isaac TeSlaa — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/isaac-teslaa
- Detroit Lions — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/lions

## What others said about the same people

- Connor Rogers on Los Angeles Chargers: Rogers made his own Week 2 calls, taking the Packers, Eagles (by at least 10), Panthers (by at least a field goal), Cowboys (by at least six), Chargers, Chiefs and Rams to win. He also noted Baltimore was his Super Bowl pick and said it wouldn't shock him if Jacksonville hosted the AFC Championship Game. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0c2a0048-cb74-4da9-8ef4-695cc6571cdf (scored 0)
- Chris Simms on Los Angeles Chargers: Simms went through every Week 2 game with predicted final scores, picking the Texans, Bears, Steelers (as an upset), Packers, Ravens, Eagles, Buccaneers, Panthers, Jaguars, Seahawks, Cowboys, 49ers, Chargers, Chiefs and Rams to win. He also reiterated that Denver was his preseason Super Bowl pick while predicting the Broncos would fall to 0-2. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/32db5f5e-13da-47e3-b280-2aa9a80d172b (scored 40.48)
- Brandon Carney on Austin Ekeler: Carney drafted a team of rookies he expects to make an immediate fantasy impact (headlined by Karnell Tate and Makai Lemon), predicted landing spots for the remaining big-name free agents, and gave way-too-early division winners, wild cards and award picks — Patriots, Chargers, Bengals, Jaguars, Eagles, Rams, Vikings and Saints as division champs with Joe Burrow as MVP. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c4d477da-4fb8-4a25-a904-c5057a249a70 (scored 0)
- Chris Simms on Denver Broncos: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 97.62)
- Connor Rogers on Detroit Lions: Rogers picked Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle and the Giants to win their Week 3 games, saying the Chiefs win by two touchdowns and the Giants by a field goal. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/83d1e88b-95a0-45ba-83d3-f86297170c6c (scored 100)
- Chris Long on Detroit Lions: Long liked the Rams over the Broncos on Sunday night even without Puka Nacua, and expected the Bills to beat the winless Chargers in Buffalo. He also backed the Bengals over the Steelers, expected an angry Detroit team to handle the Jets, and still thought both the Lions and Vikings could win the NFC North. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/3df9ea25-e57f-4fd7-b20c-c910a1c3633a (scored 100)

## 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 his 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 his rookie-receiver capital in Tetairoa McMillan, while fading Zay Flowers at his 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 (his WR16), Rashee Rice at a ninth-round price, Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez, Chris Olave, Drake Maye (his 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: he 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)

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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

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