Derek Brown#12 of 87 NFL pundits · Sep 6, 2026
Brown expects Drake Maye to be a top-five fantasy quarterback with a chance to challenge Josh Allen for the QB1 spot, and lists them among must-have quarterbacks to target in 2026 drafts. They also call Dak Prescott a locked-in QB1 with top-five upside and touts Malik Willis as a QB1-caliber sleeper in Miami.
Published in writing · FantasyProsRead the original
What Derek Brown said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromMaye should be considered a strong top-five fantasy quarterback option with the ability to push Josh Allen for the QB1 spot if everything goes his way in 2026.
- Where it was published
- FantasyPros
- The piece
- Fantasy Football: 5 Must-Have Quarterbacks to Draft (2026)
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Dak Prescott to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points“Prescott is a locked-in QB1 that could be a top-five option if they can put more touchdowns in the end zone in 2026.”
- 2Drake Maye to finish top 5 at his position, by fantasy points“Maye should be considered a strong top-five fantasy quarterback option with the ability to push Josh Allen for the QB1 spot if everything goes his way in 2026.”
- 3Malik Willis to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points“Willis's running prowess should have him flirting with QB1 production this year alone. If he and this offense surpass lowly expectations through the air, Willis would be a strong QB1 with upside in 2026.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dak Prescott to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points1 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| Drake Maye to finish top 5 at his position, by fantasy points2 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| Malik Willis to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points3 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 3 positional finishes — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
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 3 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 2 and below it on 1.
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.
Their call against the record
positional finishTheir call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.
1Positional FinishesDak PrescottDallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Positional FinishesDrake MayeNew England Patriots
Drake Maye to finish top 5 at his position, by fantasy points
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Positional FinishesMalik WillisMiami Dolphins
Malik Willis to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Rich Eisen · Trade and Signing Calls · Micah Parsons · Miss 0
Eisen expects Myles Garrett to be traded before the draft and says the Browns will then take Abdul Carter with their early first-round pick; they also predict Buffalo will end up paying James Cook and that Micah Parsons will remain a Cowboy and get their money from Dallas, likely late in the process.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.Kevin Wildes · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
Wildes took Minnesota over Buffalo, predicted a comfortable roughly 10-point New England win over Green Bay, and switched their Super Bowl matchup to Jaguars–Bears.Nick Wright · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
Wright argued the Jaguars are the AFC's most complete team, calling them the considerable favorite for the No. 1 seed and the only club essentially locked into the playoffs. They also picked Tampa Bay to upset Chicago, had Kansas City sweeping its next three games, liked New England over Green Bay by about a field goal, and updated their Super Bowl matchup to Chiefs–49ers.Eric Mangini · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
Mangini picked New England to beat Green Bay by more than a field goal, flagged Tampa Bay as their upset alert over Chicago, expects Kansas City to handle the Jets, took Buffalo over Minnesota, backed Cincinnati over Atlanta in Madrid, and updated their Super Bowl to Rams–Bengals.Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night.
More positional finishes
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Nick Wright · Positional Finishes · Puka Nacua · Close 75
Nick Wright picked the Ravens to beat Houston this weekend even with Lamar Jackson possibly out (leaning on Derrick Henry and Cooper Rush), the Chiefs to win in Jacksonville, and the Rams to beat the 49ers on Thursday night. They also laid out an AFC playoff field of Bills, Steelers, Chiefs, Chargers and Colts, projected the Chiefs' receiver pecking order once Rashee Rice returns, and called Justin Jefferson the best receiver in football with Puka Nacua a top-five receiver.Rich Hribar · Positional Finishes · Matthew Stafford · Hit 100
Hribar published their 2023 fantasy football quarterback tiers, ordering 41 quarterbacks into eight tiers that reflect how they prioritize drafting the position, with Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes in the top tier as the trio most likely to finish as the overall QB1.Chris Brockman · Positional Finishes · Jaxon Smith-Njigba · Hit 100
Brockman argued Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already the best receiver in the NFL and deserves to be the highest paid, called their shot that three quarterbacks (Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck) go in the first round with Mendoza first overall, and suggested New England is headed for a 7-10 season.Ryan Tracy · Positional Finishes · Bryan Cook · Miss 0
Tracy argues the Chiefs should address edge rusher and defensive tackle via the draft and use free agency on running back and wide receiver; they name Brian Robinson as their target, expects Kenneth Walker III to re-sign with Seattle, thinks Nick Bolton-style veterans like Jerry Tillery, Derek Nnadi and Mike Pennel shouldn't return, believes Bryan Cook is a top-10 safety the Chiefs can't afford, and predicts a quarterback (Trinidad Chambliss) will rocket up boards so more than one QB goes in the top 10.Pat Gustavson · Positional Finishes · Bijan Robinson · Close 75
Gustafson picks the Patriots, Bills, Seahawks and Bears in the divisional round with a Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl, predicts Mike Tomlin and Matt LaFleur stay, Aaron Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh, and lays out their own coaching landing spots.