# Derek Brown: Brown names five quarterbacks he targets in 2026 fantasy drafts, projecting Drake Maye as a top-five fantasy QB with QB1 upside, Jalen Hurts to bounce back into the top 3-5, Dak Prescott as a locked-in QB1 with top-five potential, Jaxson Dart as a strong QB1, and Trevor Lawrence as a locked-in QB1.

**Claimed:** Aug 30, 2026
**Pundit:** Derek Brown — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/derek-brown
**Outlet:** FantasyPros — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/fantasypros
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.fantasypros.com/2026/08/fantasy-football-5-must-have-quarterbacks-2026/

5 checkable claims — 5 positional finishes — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 9 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 2 and below it on 3.

> 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.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Jalen Hurts to finish top 5 at his position, by fantasy points**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Dak Prescott to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Drake Maye to finish top 5 at his position, by fantasy points**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Drake Maye, New England Patriots
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Trevor Lawrence to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Trevor Lawrence
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Jaxson Dart to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Jalen Hurts — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jalen-hurts
- Philadelphia Eagles — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/eagles
- Dak Prescott — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/dak-prescott
- Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys
- Drake Maye — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/drake-maye
- New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/patriots
- Trevor Lawrence — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/trevor-lawrence
- Jaxson Dart — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jaxson-dart
- New York Giants — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/giants

## What others said about the same people

- Chris Simms on New York Giants: 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 97.62)
- 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)
- Nate Tice on Philadelphia Eagles: 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 0)
- Steven Ruiz on Philadelphia Eagles: 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 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)
- Matt Harmon on Philadelphia Eagles: Harmon picked the Bengals to beat the Texans in Week 2, expecting Nico Collins to miss the game with a hamstring injury, and also predicted the Titans would be shut out by the Eagles. He took the Rams over the Giants, the Bears over the Vikings, and the Jaguars at Denver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/21a71025-ab65-4716-ac2c-e77ad5ce3348 (scored 100)

## 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)

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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.

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