# Brandon Carney: Co-host of Brand Coverage who called Deebo Samuel a draft-day value, warned off Kyle Pitts and Courtland Sutton, and in the sleepers/busts draft took Kenneth Walker, Jordan Tyson, JK Dobbins and Malik Washington as sleepers while naming Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashee Rice, Malik Nabers and TreVeyon Henderson as busts. **Claimed:** Aug 5, 2026 **Pundit:** Brandon Carney — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/brandon-carney **Outlet:** Bran Coverage with BenchwarmerBran (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/bran-coverage-with-benchwarmerbran-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us **Original:** https://www.buzzsprout.com/2182919/episodes/19604240-sleepers-and-busts-for-2026-fantasy-football-podcast-for-8-5.mp3 10 checkable claims — 4 depth chart calls, 3 sleeper calls, 2 fantasy bust calls and 1 positional finishe — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 16 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 5 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 4. > Kenneth Walker would it just would not shock me if he was maybe not number one, but, like, the number three running back provided health to the top two guys, Gibbs and Bijon, this season. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Kenneth Walker III to finish top 3 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs - Verdict: not settled yet - **Kenneth Walker III to outplay his draft cost (mid to late second round)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs - Verdict: not settled yet - **Luther Burden III to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jaxon Smith-Njigba to fall short of his draft cost (drafted as the wide receiver three, at worst wide receiver four on some platforms)** - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks - Verdict: not settled yet - **J.K. Dobbins to outplay his draft cost (RB 34)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos - Verdict: not settled yet - **Malik Washington to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jordyn Tyson to outplay his draft cost (wide receiver 38)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Jordyn Tyson, New Orleans Saints - Verdict: not settled yet - **J.K. Dobbins to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos - Verdict: not settled yet - **Malik Nabers to fall short of his draft cost (at worst a second round pick)** - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Malik Nabers, New York Giants - Verdict: not settled yet - **Rhamondre Stevenson to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Kenneth Walker III — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/kenneth-walker-iii - Kansas City Chiefs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chiefs - Luther Burden III — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/luther-burden-iii - Chicago Bears — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bears - Jaxon Smith-Njigba — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jaxon-smith-njigba - Seattle Seahawks — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/seahawks - J.K. Dobbins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/j-k-dobbins - Denver Broncos — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/broncos - Malik Washington — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/malik-washington - Miami Dolphins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/dolphins - Jordyn Tyson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jordyn-tyson - New Orleans Saints — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/saints - Malik Nabers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/malik-nabers - New York Giants — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/giants - Rhamondre Stevenson — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/rhamondre-stevenson - New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/patriots ## What others said about the same people - Chris Simms on Kansas City Chiefs: 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 100) - Connor Rogers on New York Giants: 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 100) - Steven Ruiz on Denver Broncos: Previewing 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a30ff469-4972-4c48-855b-ba984e4de9d0 (scored 100) - Nate Tice on Denver Broncos: Tice 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b8378e16-ea5c-4107-a883-28aaf0e71134 (scored 100) - Sam Monson on Seattle Seahawks: Monson 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0b810ffd-fd93-4ea2-a208-b1353dea5fb0 (scored 0) - Jake Arthur on Kansas City Chiefs: Arthur expects a close Chiefs win on Sunday Night Football at Arrowhead, predicting a final score of 27-23 for Kansas City. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ca7ab74e-ab34-4ed6-a77f-2c7e9f8c8c4d (scored 97.62) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Fox Sports on Michael Penix Jr.: Fox Sports states that a healthy Tua Tagovailoa will serve as Atlanta's backup quarterback in Week 3, with Michael Penix Jr. handling the starting duties against Green Bay. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a90e69a8-707f-43e9-a63e-cdb3e7bd0829 (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Aaron Jones: In previewing the 10 most intriguing fantasy performers of Week 2, Fitzmaurice expects Atlanta's quarterback problems to persist with Tua Tagovailoa unlikely to play and Michael Penix Jr. not ready to return, flags Falcons slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. as a possible Week 2 returnee, and describes Aaron Jones as Minnesota's lead back and Kaelon Black as the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/31adc8bb-8f15-453f-bbcf-cab44e29b8b3 (scored 100) - Matt Severance on Deshaun Watson: The CBS Sports preview backs Tampa Bay to beat Cleveland in the Bucs' Week 2 home opener, and states that Deshaun Watson — not Shedeur Sanders — will be Cleveland's starting quarterback in Week 2. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/944568ce-7205-409f-8354-a392016fd8bf (scored 100) - Rafael Zamorano on Deshaun Watson: Zamorano reports Watson will start Week 2 at Tampa Bay and suggests there's little reason to expect improvement, raising the possibility Watson's five-year contract never yields more than single-digit wins. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d7d7e0a2-61e0-4525-970b-b01a2356f11b (scored 100) - Rich Hribar on Tua Tagovailoa: Hribar expects Tua Tagovailoa to be Atlanta's starting quarterback for Week 2 while Michael Penix stays out, with Penix's return closer to Week 4. He is unenthusiastic about the Falcons' offense either way and treats Bryce Young as a fringe fantasy starter. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/124ac755-a942-4382-8bad-177da7f8170d (scored 0) - Bradley Locker on Carson Wentz: PFF's unsigned adjusted power rankings after Week 1 of the 2026 season place the Bills first, the Rams second and the Dolphins last, with notes on quarterback situations in Seattle, Minnesota and Cleveland. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a3716f21-0488-4fc8-a414-c25c2d781a6e (scored 100) --- 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=brandon-carney