# Pat Fitzmaurice: Fitzmaurice lists 11 players he's avoiding in 2026 fantasy drafts, arguing each will underperform his current draft price — including Jalen Hurts, Jaxson Dart, De'Von Achane, Quinshon Judkins, Rico Dowdle, Woody Marks, Rashee Rice, Davante Adams, Brian Thomas Jr., Trey McBride and Dalton Kincaid. **Claimed:** Aug 1, 2026 **Pundit:** Pat Fitzmaurice — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/pat-fitzmaurice **Outlet:** FantasyPros — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/fantasypros **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.fantasypros.com/2026/08/pat-fitzmaurices-11-fantasy-football-players-to-avoid-2026/ 5 checkable claims — 4 depth chart calls and 1 fantasy ranking — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 6 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 4 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 3. > With sensational rushing yards no longer bankable, Hurts is a fade. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Rico Dowdle to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Woody Marks to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Woody Marks, Houston Texans - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jaylen Warren to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers - Verdict: not settled yet - **David Montgomery to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: David Montgomery, Houston Texans - Verdict: not settled yet - **Pat Fitzmaurice's 11 Fantasy Football Players to Avoid (2026)** - Kind: Fantasy Rankings - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Rico Dowdle — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/rico-dowdle - Pittsburgh Steelers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/steelers - Woody Marks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/woody-marks - Houston Texans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/texans - Jaylen Warren — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jaylen-warren - David Montgomery — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/david-montgomery ## What others said about the same people - Chris Simms on Houston Texans: 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 47.62) - Steven Ruiz on Houston Texans: Previewing Week 3, Ruiz picked the Ravens to beat the Cowboys in Brazil, Jacksonville over New England in a low-scoring game, an upset by the Broncos over the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears, the Lions over the Jets, and his Hail Mary that Houston beats Indianapolis by two touchdowns. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a30ff469-4972-4c48-855b-ba984e4de9d0 (scored 0) - Gregg Rosenthal on Houston Texans: Outside of his spread picks, Rosenthal referenced his season-long pick of the Texans to win the Super Bowl and said he expects Houston to beat the Colts on Sunday. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2fb84ac9-889f-4649-8c4d-f170f7b65f66 (scored 0) - Jordan Dajani on Houston Texans: Dajani gave final-score predictions for eight Week 3 games, picking the Packers, Bengals, Jaguars, Texans, Buccaneers (upset), Ravens, Broncos (upset) and Eagles to win. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c96aaa6d-2d0c-41cc-a9f7-c21ac21886ac (scored 40.48) - Jared Dubin on Houston Texans: Dubin gave final-score predictions for the same eight Week 3 games, picking the Packers, Bengals, Jaguars, Texans, Vikings, Ravens, Rams and Eagles. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fe04828a-d532-414c-a58a-54f6505f2263 (scored 45.24) - Richard Sherman on Houston Texans: Sherman picked winners and several exact scores across the Week 3 slate, favoring Seattle, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Detroit, Green Bay, Carolina, New Orleans, Baltimore, the Rams, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Kansas City, Minnesota, the Giants, Jacksonville and Houston, and named Kenneth Walker his MVP. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c2102f61-711d-4041-af08-065e95ccaf03 (scored 47.62) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Fox Sports on Michael Penix Jr.: Fox 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a90e69a8-707f-43e9-a63e-cdb3e7bd0829 (scored 100) - Matt Severance on Deshaun Watson: The 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/944568ce-7205-409f-8354-a392016fd8bf (scored 100) - Rafael Zamorano on Deshaun Watson: Zamorano 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d7d7e0a2-61e0-4525-970b-b01a2356f11b (scored 100) - Rich Hribar on Tua Tagovailoa: Hribar 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/124ac755-a942-4382-8bad-177da7f8170d (scored 0) - Bradley Locker on Carson Wentz: PFF's unsigned adjusted power rankings after Week 1 of the 2026 season place the Bills first, the Rams second and the Dolphins last, with notes on quarterback situations in Seattle, Minnesota and Cleveland. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a3716f21-0488-4fc8-a414-c25c2d781a6e (scored 100) - Tyler Sullivan on Michael Penix Jr.: In a Week 1 recap with no named byline, CBS Sports suggested Michael Penix Jr. would take over as Atlanta's Week 2 starter if healthy, called Ashton Jeanty's sophomore breakout imminent, and warned readers not to overlook San Francisco as NFC West winners. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/1000d8d0-5de1-405e-b8ce-255cde75a32d (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=pat-fitzmaurice