Tom Strachan· Aug 26, 2026
Strachan lays out draft strategy from the 1.09 pick, arguing Amon-Ra St. Brown, James Cook, CeeDee Lamb and Saquon Barkley are values there, while calling elite tight ends Brock Bowers and Trey McBride, plus Omarion Hampton, players to avoid at that spot. He also expects the first five picks of drafts to be Robinson, Gibbs, Chase, Nacua and Smith-Njigba.
“While the passing offense will be spread out, Cook remains the safest and strongest bet outside of Josh Allen.”
published in writing · FantasyPros · read the original →
9 checkable claims — 4 sleeper calls, 3 fantasy bust calls, 1 depth chart call and 1 fantasy ranking — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 13 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
9 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.
- Sleeper CallsJames CookBuffalo BillsAug 26, 2026
James Cook to outplay his draft cost (1.09)
“If reports from training camp are true and the Bills do use Cook more in the receiving game, a top-two finish is within his range of outcomes.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Saquon Barkley to be 1st on the depth chart
“Barkley is the undoubted No. 1 RB in an offense that will score points”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsAmon-Ra St. BrownDetroit LionsAug 26, 2026
Amon-Ra St. Brown to outplay his draft cost (ahead of Jaxon Smith-Njigba)
“Some might see him as a high-floor option, but it's fair to point out that not much more would need to swing his way for a WR1 overall finish.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Omarion Hampton to fall short of his draft cost (1.09)
“Omarion Hampton and the Chargers are very much the target of offseason hype... there are reasons not to get too carried away with offseason hype.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Fantasy RankingsAug 26, 2026
“The top of the draft will start with Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs and Ja'Marr Chase likely as the first three picks off the board. After that, Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba usually go next before things open up slightly.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsSaquon BarkleyPhiladelphia EaglesAug 26, 2026
Saquon Barkley to outplay his draft cost (1.09)
“With a new offensive coordinator and a healthy offensive line, it's not hard to start seeing positives for Barkley.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsCeeDee LambDallas CowboysAug 26, 2026
CeeDee Lamb to outplay his draft cost (1.09)
“If you're happy to believe 2025 was a blip rather than the new normal, it becomes easier to see Lamb as a value pick in this range.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Fantasy Bust CallsTrey McBrideArizona CardinalsAug 26, 2026
Trey McBride to fall short of his draft cost (1.09)
“Whether you prefer Brock Bowers or Trey McBride doesn't really matter. Neither should be drafted this high.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Fantasy Bust CallsBrock BowersAug 26, 2026
Brock Bowers to fall short of his draft cost (1.09)
“Whether you prefer Brock Bowers or Trey McBride doesn't really matter. Neither should be drafted this high.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Connor RogersGame Outcome Picks · Detroit LionsHit · 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.
- Chris SimmsScore Predictions · Buffalo BillsHit · 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.
- Chris LongGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Long 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.
- Nate TiceGame Outcome Picks · Detroit LionsHit · 100Tice matched his guest on every Week 3 game, picking the Ravens over the Cowboys, the Jaguars over the Patriots in a close game, the Broncos to upset the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears and the Lions over the Jets.
- Steven RuizGame Outcome Picks · Detroit LionsHit · 100Previewing 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.
- Sam MonsonGame Outcome Picks · Los Angeles ChargersMiss · 0Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South.
More sleeper calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Derek BrownSleeper Calls · Travis HunterHit · 100Derek 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.
- Ryan WormeliSleeper Calls · Ricky PearsallHit · 100Host 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.
- Chris WelshSleeper Calls · Tyler WarrenHit · 100Welsh 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.
- Pat FitzmauriceSleeper Calls · Rashee RiceMiss · 0Pat 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.
- Joe PisapiaSleeper Calls · Tyreek HillMiss · 0Joey 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.
- Ryan WormeliSleeper Calls · Tetairoa McMillanHit · 100Hosting the segment, Warmley backed Bryce Young to finish better than his QB22 consensus ranking, endorsed Cedric Tillman as a late-round target, and said Tetairoa McMillan will be a top-15 fantasy receiver this season.