# Derek Brown: Brown is even higher on Tetairoa McMillan (WR17) and calls them 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:** FantasyPros Fantasy Football Podcast (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/fantasypros-fantasy-football-podcast-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 call.

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

- Shaun Calderon on Jeffery Simmons: Calderon argues the 0-5 Titans won't turn their season around, that Cam Ward won't be benched soon, and that Jeffery Simmons stays in Tennessee while Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley are likely trade candidates with modest returns. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/fcfebcd7-04de-406f-aa74-4c404a9f8b0e (scored 0)
- Rich Eisen on Micah Parsons: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c9216871-a4a2-4676-b3d8-2221daa70413 (scored 0)
- Pat Fitzmaurice on New England Patriots: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/41cd806b-d6f3-401d-ac46-33a027d3a0fd (scored 14.29)
- Kevin Wildes on New England Patriots: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/f31ce48f-df1b-41cf-9d17-ec463ba972d4 (scored 0)
- Nick Wright on New England Patriots: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/878403ae-b780-41f0-b38a-200b1a3e36ff (scored 0)
- Eric Mangini on New England Patriots: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/af0819c3-4662-44a2-a451-a08fa3b7e59a (scored 0)

## More positional finishes

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

- Nick Wright on Puka Nacua: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d48b8521-6883-4f25-99f1-6f552bfe5a94 (scored 75)
- Rich Hribar on Matthew Stafford: 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. — 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 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. — 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; 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. — 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 their 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 their own first-team All-Pro roster. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/660e3494-2b0b-415e-beb7-9e3bf3464e30 (scored 75)

---

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