Tom StrachanAug 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. They also expect the first five picks of drafts to be Robinson, Gibbs, Chase, Nacua and Smith-Njigba.

Published in writing · FantasyProsRead the original

Waiting9 calls, none settled yet

—Average accuracynothing settled yet

—A naive guessthe same calls, no knowledge

0 of 9Settled9 still waiting

9Waitingnot graded yet

What Tom Strachan said

While the passing offense will be spread out, Cook remains the safest and strongest bet outside of Josh Allen.

Tom Strachan, the lead quote

Where it was published: FantasyPros
The piece: Fantasy Football Mock Draft: How to Approach Pick 1.09 (2026)
The original: Read the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

Box score, by kind

HitCloseMissWaiting

Group	Hits	Close	Misses	Waiting	Calls
Fantasy Bust Calls	0	0	0	3
Sleeper Calls	0	0	0	4
Depth Chart Calls	0	0	0	1
Fantasy Rankings	0	0	0	1
All	0	0	0	9

How each call scored

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 call.

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.

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.

Fantasy Bust Calls3 waitingShow ▸

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.”
Omarion Hampton Los Angeles Chargers
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
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.”
Trey McBride Arizona Cardinals
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
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.”
Brock Bowers
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Sleeper Calls4 waitingShow ▸

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.”
James Cook Buffalo Bills
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
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.”
CeeDee Lamb Dallas Cowboys
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
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.”
Saquon Barkley Philadelphia Eagles
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?
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.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown Detroit Lions
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Depth Chart Calls1 waitingShow ▸

Saquon Barkley to be 1st on the depth chart
“Barkley is the undoubted No. 1 RB in an offense that will score points”
Saquon Barkley Philadelphia Eagles
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Fantasy Rankings1 waitingShow ▸

“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.”
—Waiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Think this is wrong?

Who this take is about

Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers, James Cook, Buffalo Bills, Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles, Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals, CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys, Brock Bowers, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

Where do you stand on this one?Pick every open claim on Picks →

Others on the same people

Nate Gosney · Trade and Signing Calls · Daiyan Henley · Miss 0
After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season.
Pete Prisco · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 76
Prisco picked the Bills to win 21-14 at Minnesota.
John Breech · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 76
Breech picked the Bills to beat the Vikings on Monday night by a score of 24-17.
Jordan Dajani · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 62
Dajani picked the Bills to edge the Vikings 24-23.
Jared Dubin · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 74
Dubin picked Buffalo to win a low-scoring Monday night game in Minnesota, 20-14.
Tyler Sullivan · Score Predictions · Buffalo Bills · Close 76
Sullivan picked the Bills to beat the Vikings 24-17.

More sleeper calls

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