Raju ByfieldAug 10, 2026

Byfield runs through eight players they see as surprising roster-bubble candidates ahead of the 2026 preseason, projecting cuts (Cedric Tillman, Elijah Moore, Deion Burks), depth-chart pecking orders in Cleveland, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and New England, a possible Trey Benson trade to Green Bay, and safety for John Metchie and Darius Cooper.

Published in writing · FantasyProsRead the original

2 of 4calls landed2 hits · 2 misses · 9 waiting

50Average accuracyout of 100, across 4 calls

75A naive guessthe same calls, no knowledge

4 of 13Settled9 still waiting

9Waitingnot graded yet

What Raju Byfield said

Tillman has fallen down the depth chart in Cleveland, and his lack of special teams value will likely prove prohibitive when the Browns are deciding on the final wide receiver spots on their initial 53-man roster.

Raju Byfield, the lead quote

Where it was published: FantasyPros
The piece: 8 Surprising Players on the Roster Bubble (2026 Fantasy Football)
The original: Read the original
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The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 10, 2026. The quote and evidence here are from our capture, not from what the page says today.

SaidAug 10
GradedSep 25–Oct 1

Box score, by kind

HitCloseMissWaiting

Group	Hits	Misses	Waiting
Roster Spot Calls	2	2	1
Depth Chart Calls	0	0	7
Trade and Signing Calls	0	0	1
All	2	2	9

How each call scored

13 checkable claims — 7 depth chart calls, 5 roster spot calls and 1 trade and signing call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 19 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

4 of 13 have settled so far, averaging 50 out of 100, against 75 for a naive guess at the same calls.

Of the 6 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 4 and below it on 2.

Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.

Roster Spot Calls2 hits · 2 misses · 1 waitingShow ▸

Deion Burks to be cut
“Burks, who is still running with the 3s, is in jeopardy of not making the active roster”
Deion Burks Indianapolis Colts
4 weeks on a 53
0Miss
0 − 0 naive = 0 × 2 difficulty = 0 skill
How this was scored
club:
IND
skill:
0
player:
Deion Burks
season:
2026
claimed:
he does not make the 53
accuracy:
0
baseline:
0
difficulty:
2
the naive guess:
he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
weeks in the season:
18
weeks on the53:
4
weeks left when called:
18
first week on the53:
1
weeks on the practice squad:
0
Think this is wrong?
Elijah Moore to be cut
“Elijah Moore is in danger of being waived by the Philadelphia Eagles at final cutdown unless he makes waves in preseason.”
Elijah Moore Philadelphia Eagles
3 weeks on a 53
0Miss
0 − 100 naive = −100 × 2 difficulty = −200 skill
How this was scored
club:
PHI
skill:
−200
player:
Elijah Moore
season:
2026
claimed:
he does not make the 53
accuracy:
0
baseline:
100
difficulty:
2
the naive guess:
he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
weeks in the season:
18
weeks on the53:
3
weeks left when called:
18
first week on the53:
1
weeks on the practice squad:
0
Think this is wrong?
Darius Cooper to make the roster
“former UDFA Darius Cooper, now seen as a virtual lock to make the final roster”
Darius Cooper Philadelphia Eagles
3 weeks on a 53
100Hit
100 − 100 naive = 0 × 2 difficulty = 0 skill
How this was scored
club:
PHI
skill:
0
player:
Darius Cooper
season:
2026
claimed:
he makes the 53
accuracy:
100
baseline:
100
difficulty:
2
the naive guess:
he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
weeks in the season:
18
weeks on the53:
3
weeks left when called:
18
first week on the53:
1
weeks on the practice squad:
0
Think this is wrong?
John Metchie III to make the roster
“It would be surprising if Metchie did not make the roster... so he should be safe”
John Metchie III Carolina Panthers
3 weeks on a 53
100Hit
100 − 100 naive = 0 × 2 difficulty = 0 skill
How this was scored
club:
CAR
skill:
0
player:
John Metchie III
season:
2026
claimed:
he makes the 53
accuracy:
100
baseline:
100
difficulty:
2
the naive guess:
he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
weeks in the season:
18
weeks on the53:
3
weeks left when called:
18
first week on the53:
1
weeks on the practice squad:
0
Think this is wrong?
Cedric Tillman to be cut
“his lack of special teams value will likely prove prohibitive when the Browns are deciding on the final wide receiver spots on their initial 53-man roster”
Cedric Tillman Cleveland Browns
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Depth Chart Calls7 waitingShow ▸

Tre Tucker to be 2nd on the depth chart
“with Jalen Nailor and Tre Tucker occupying the top two slots”
Tre Tucker Las Vegas Raiders
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Jerry Jeudy to be 3rd on the depth chart
“This means that the top three in Cleveland will be Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, and Jerry Jeudy.”
Jerry Jeudy Cleveland Browns
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Elijah Moore to be 6th on the depth chart
“Moore is clearly behind DeVonta Smith, Dontaviyon Wicks, Darius Cooper, Makai Lemon, and Marquise Brown.”
Elijah Moore Philadelphia Eagles
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Denzel Boston to be 1st on the depth chart
“This means that the top three in Cleveland will be Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, and Jerry Jeudy.”
Denzel Boston Cleveland Browns
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Kayshon Boutte to be 4th on the depth chart
“Kayshon wants a new contract and will not be happy with his role as the number four receiver behind A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Pop Douglas.”
Kayshon Boutte New England Patriots
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
Jalen Nailor to be 1st on the depth chart
“The Raiders' wide receiver depth chart is starting to concretize, with Jalen Nailor and Tre Tucker occupying the top two slots”
Jalen Nailor Las Vegas Raiders
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
K.C. Concepcion to be 2nd on the depth chart
“This means that the top three in Cleveland will be Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, and Jerry Jeudy.”
K.C. Concepcion Cleveland Browns
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Trade and Signing Calls1 waitingShow ▸

Trey Benson to move to Green Bay Packers
“we could see a trade between brothers that sends Benson to the Green Bay Packers”
Trey Benson Green Bay Packers
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Others on the same people

John Middlekauff · Draft Bust Calls · Anthony Richardson · Hit 100
Middlekoff's bold predictions, as relayed on the show, have the Patriots and Colts making the playoffs; they also argue the Colts whiffed on Anthony Richardson, comparing them to Trey Lance.
Rich Eisen · Trade and Signing Calls · Myles Garrett · Hit 100
Discussing Myles Garrett's trade request, Eisen said they expect Garrett to get their way and be moved out of Cleveland rather than stay, which is why staying would be shocking.
Bill Huber · Game Outcome Picks · Green Bay Packers · Hit 100
Huber argues Green Bay has no excuses left and will beat New England in Foxborough, and expects Christian Watson to play despite their rib injury. They also sketch the projected interior offensive line, with John Williams at center and Laken Tomlinson at right guard.
Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · Green Bay Packers · Close 64
Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson.
Derek Brown · Game Outcome Picks · Green Bay Packers · Hit 100
Brown picked the Bengals to beat the Falcons in Madrid, the Packers to win outright in New England and the Bills to beat the Vikings on Monday night. They were bullish on Jonah Coleman's rest-of-season value, expected Jonathan Taylor to play for the Colts, floated a Breece Hall trade, and did not expect DJ Reed to play in Week 9.
Pat Fitzmaurice · Score Predictions · New England Patriots · Miss 14
Fitzmaurice predicted a 24-21 Patriots win over the Packers, said they would not be surprised if Jonathan Taylor were inactive amid trade talk, pegged Jonah Coleman as an RB22 rest-of-season value, expected Evan Hull to be Arizona's backup back, and saw Kerby Joseph returning in Week 10 or 11.

More depth chart calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

Jeremy Brener · Depth Chart Calls · Drew Lock · Hit 100
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.
Jeremy Brener · Depth Chart Calls · Jalen Milroe · Miss 0
Brener suggests Seattle may turn to rookie-contract quarterback Jalen Milroe for their first career start in Week 9 against the Cardinals, with Sam Darnold ruled out and Drew Lock dealing with an elbow injury.
Nic Bodiford · Depth Chart Calls · Joe Fagnano · Hit 100
Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.
Garrett Podell · Depth Chart Calls · Carson Beck · Miss 0
Podell argues the Cardinals have maxed out with Jacoby Brissett and that rookie Carson Beck should be ramped up to replace them as starter, targeting Week 8 at Dallas for Beck's regular-season debut.
Jacob Herlin · Depth Chart Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Herlin published Week 7 fantasy D/ST rankings with projections for 28 team defenses, led by Houston, Minnesota and Cleveland. They also expect Cleveland to post a fourth straight top-10 fantasy defense result, and predicts Jalon Daniels starts another week for Tampa Bay while J.J. McCarthy takes over as the Giants' starter.
Donnie Druin · Depth Chart Calls · Jacoby Brissett · Hit 100
Following the Cardinals' decision not to make staff or lineup changes, Druin states that Jacoby Brissett will remain Arizona's starting quarterback for another week, with rookie Carson Beck staying behind them.

What Raju Byfield said

Box score, by kind

How each call scored

Who this take is about

Others on the same people

More depth chart calls

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