# Derek Brown: Brown is even higher on Tetairoa McMillan (WR17) and calls him Carolina's alpha WR1, pitches Tony Pollard as a value with top-15 RB upside and the clear lead back in Tennessee, and says George Pickens is badly underpriced and will finish as a WR2. **Claimed:** Jul 26, 2025 **Pundit:** Derek Brown — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/derek-brown **Outlet:** The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/the-herd-with-colin-cowherd-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview **Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/fantasypros-fantasy-football-podcast/the-best-fantasy-football-value-picks-of-2025-ep-1628 8 checkable claims — 4 positional finishes, 2 depth chart calls and 2 sleeper calls — 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. All 8 have settled, averaging 52.1 out of 100, against 47.9 for a naive guess at the same calls. > He's gonna be a wide receiver two, with the volume that he's gonna see. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **George Pickens to outplay his draft cost (seventy first overall in ECR wide receiver thirty two)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Tony Pollard to outplay his draft cost (sixty six overall. He's the RB twenty six in ACR)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Tony Pollard to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **George Pickens to finish top 16 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Drake Maye to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Drake Maye, New England Patriots - Verdict: scored 16.67 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Tony Pollard to finish top 15 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans - Verdict: scored 33.33 out of 100, against 91.67 for a naive guess - **Tetairoa McMillan to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 91.67 for a naive guess - **Tetairoa McMillan to finish top 17 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers - Verdict: scored 66.67 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess ## Who this take is about - George Pickens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/george-pickens - Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys - Tony Pollard — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tony-pollard - Tennessee Titans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/titans - Drake Maye — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/drake-maye - New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/patriots - Tetairoa McMillan — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tetairoa-mcmillan - Carolina Panthers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/panthers ## What others said about the same people - Chris Simms on Carolina Panthers: 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) - Connor Rogers on Carolina Panthers: Rogers 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/83d1e88b-95a0-45ba-83d3-f86297170c6c (scored 0) - Nate Tice on New England Patriots: Tice 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b6211c80-3d1c-46b8-8a0c-151fc0ba92de (scored 100) - John Middlekauff on Tennessee Titans: Middlekauff 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/8115d255-82e3-442e-aeef-c3eaa3587603 (scored 0) - Chris Broussard on New England Patriots: Broussard picked the Bills to beat the Chargers in a competitive, higher-scoring game, said the Chiefs will rout the Dolphins, and for upset alert parlayed the Patriots over the Jaguars and the Raiders over the Saints. He also restated his Cowboys-versus-Ravens Super Bowl matchup pick. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dee7585c-6da6-4afc-9954-ff32cf8de4e3 (scored 0) - Danny Parkins on New England Patriots: In the winners-only chips segment Parkins backed the Patriots over the Jaguars, the Bengals over the Steelers and the Ravens over the Cowboys in Brazil. He also said New England has a real shot at a top-10 defense and that Kayshon/Romeo Dobbs will be the Patriots' number one target. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/88f60b41-3824-4b00-b0f0-f434c55c539b (scored 0) ## More positional finishes The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Rich Hribar on Matthew Stafford: Hribar published his 2023 fantasy football quarterback tiers, ordering 41 quarterbacks into eight tiers that reflect how he prioritizes 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9d1e15ad-f96d-457c-ad9f-25882182e28b (scored 100) - Chris Brockman on Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Brockman argued Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already the best receiver in the NFL and deserves to be the highest paid, called his 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c47d130c-5598-4cd0-b546-1121046b9166 (scored 100) - Ryan Tracy on Bryan Cook: Tracy argues the Chiefs should address edge rusher and defensive tackle via the draft and use free agency on running back and wide receiver; he names Brian Robinson as his 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/18bb787c-4f93-4c95-b8c2-02daeeffe823 (scored 0) - Pat Gustavson on Bijan Robinson: 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 his own coaching landing spots. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/06884586-5b21-40c8-9439-e303a3e8a806 (scored 75) - JP Acosta on Bijan Robinson: JP picked the Eagles to beat the 49ers in a low-scoring game and the Jaguars to beat the Bills, called Bijan Robinson the best running back in the league, and named his own first-team All-Pro roster. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/660e3494-2b0b-415e-beb7-9e3bf3464e30 (scored 75) - Rich Eisen on Puka Nacua: Eisen defended his preseason call of the Packers reaching the Super Bowl, said the Chiefs will win the AFC West, called the Ravens the favorites in the AFC North, said the Colts are a playoff team, expected Denver to handle Cincinnati and the Giants to beat the winless Saints, and endorsed Puka Nacua as the league's best receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e0759bb3-fd2c-400d-8ee9-f77e5c5fe3e6 (scored 91.67) --- 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=derek-brown