Henry McKenna· Aug 3, 2026
McKenna argues the Patriots are being underestimated as 3.5-point underdogs in the Week 1 opener at Seattle, implying New England can beat the Seahawks; he also names Romeo Doubs an upgrade at WR2 and Mansoor Delane as the Chiefs' likely CB1, and expects Mason Thomas to start for Kansas City. He suggests the Cowboys could win their division and floats rookie WR Cyrus Allen as a fantasy player to draft.
“New England is currently a 3.5-point underdog for the season-opener. I'd say that underestimates the Patriots.”
published in writing · Fox Sports · read the original →
7 checkable claims — 5 depth chart calls, 1 division winner and 1 game outcome pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 8 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 7 have settled so far, averaging 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 5 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.
Where this call stands in the room
Romeo Doubs · 2026 season12 calls from 10 pundits between 1 and 2. Henry McKenna said 2. the room's median is 2. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
The game in this take
- Patriots at Seahawks 34 calls
7 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Game Outcome PicksNew England PatriotsAug 3, 2026
New England Patriots to beat Seahawks
“Why Drake Maye Can Beat The Seahawks ... New England is currently a 3.5-point underdog for the season-opener. I'd say that underestimates the Patriots.”
Miss · 0Scored 0a naive guess scored 100-200 skillHow this was scored
- won:
- SEA
- score:
- 10-13
- skill:
- -200
- they picked:
- NE
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 0
- baseline:
- 100
- the naive pick:
- SEA
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks left when called:
- 18
Alijah Vera-Tucker to be 1st on the depth chart
“Defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker aren't flashy players, but they will be excellent starters at their respective positions.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Dre'Mont Jones to be 1st on the depth chart
“Defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker aren't flashy players, but they will be excellent starters at their respective positions.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Romeo Doubs to be 2nd on the depth chart
“Receiver Romeo Doubs is an upgrade at WR2.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Division WinnersDallas CowboysAug 3, 2026
Dallas Cowboys to win the division
“So if the defense is better — and it should be, given the additions of safeties Jalen Thompson and Caleb Downs and edges Rashan Gary and Malachi Lawrence — then the Cowboys could win their division.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Mansoor Delane to be 1st on the depth chart
“The Chiefs will almost definitely start cornerback Mansoor Delane at CB1 after trading up to draft him in Round 1.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
R Mason Thomas to be 1st on the depth chart
“Edge R Mason Thomas appears to have a direct path to a starting spot, getting plenty of work with the first team.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris SimmsScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 100Simms 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.
- Connor RogersGame Outcome Picks · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 100Rogers 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.
- Jake ArthurScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 98Arthur expects a close Chiefs win on Sunday Night Football at Arrowhead, predicting a final score of 27-23 for Kansas City.
- Zach HicksScore Predictions · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 98Hicks predicts a lower-scoring, field-goal-heavy game with the Chiefs beating the Colts 23-19, citing Indianapolis' red-zone success against Kansas City historically.
- Nate TiceGame Outcome Picks · New England PatriotsHit · 100Tice picked the Bengals over the Texans in a low-scoring game, the Jaguars at Denver, the Bears over the Vikings, the Patriots over the Steelers and the Rams to edge the Giants, and his Hail Mary was the Cowboys scoring 40 on Washington. He also floated Abdul Carter as a possible All-Pro.
- John MiddlekauffGame Outcome Picks · Kansas City ChiefsHit · 100Middlekauff expects blowout wins for Seattle over Washington and Kansas City over Miami in Week 3, picks Cincinnati to beat Pittsburgh in the AFC North matchup, and takes Tennessee over the Giants if Jameis Winston is taking snaps.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Jonah ColemanMiss · 0In his Week 3 waiver column, Fitzmaurice makes several depth-chart calls around injuries: Jonah Coleman leading Denver's backfield, Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington, Michael Penix Jr. starting once healthy, and Malik Washington serving as Miami's top receiver, plus availability expectations for Detroit's injured safeties.
- Fox SportsDepth Chart Calls · Michael Penix Jr.Hit · 100Fox Sports states that a healthy Tua Tagovailoa will serve as Atlanta's backup quarterback in Week 3, with Michael Penix Jr. handling the starting duties against Green Bay.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Aaron JonesHit · 100In previewing the 10 most intriguing fantasy performers of Week 2, Fitzmaurice expects Atlanta's quarterback problems to persist with Tua Tagovailoa unlikely to play and Michael Penix Jr. not ready to return, flags Falcons slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. as a possible Week 2 returnee, and describes Aaron Jones as Minnesota's lead back and Kaelon Black as the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco.
- Matt SeveranceDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100The CBS Sports preview backs Tampa Bay to beat Cleveland in the Bucs' Week 2 home opener, and states that Deshaun Watson — not Shedeur Sanders — will be Cleveland's starting quarterback in Week 2.
- Rafael ZamoranoDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100Zamorano reports Watson will start Week 2 at Tampa Bay and suggests there's little reason to expect improvement, raising the possibility Watson's five-year contract never yields more than single-digit wins.
- Rich HribarDepth Chart Calls · Tua TagovailoaMiss · 0Hribar expects Tua Tagovailoa to be Atlanta's starting quarterback for Week 2 while Michael Penix stays out, with Penix's return closer to Week 4. He is unenthusiastic about the Falcons' offense either way and treats Bryce Young as a fringe fantasy starter.