Nathan Jahnke#72 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 26, 2026
A PFF fantasy piece names Chase Brown and Kenneth Walker as early-round league winners with top-five running back upside, predicts Quinshon Judkins delivers a top-20 fantasy season behind a rebuilt Browns line, and lists several late-round backs as sleepers for 2026.
Published in writing · Pro Football FocusRead the original
What Nathan Jahnke said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromIf both stay healthy, Brown has a realistic path to finishing as a top-five fantasy running back.
- Where it was published
- Pro Football Focus
- The piece
- Fantasy Football: Running back sleepers, breakouts and league winners
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Chase Brown to outplay his draft cost (ADP: 2.04)“Chase Brown , Cincinnati Bengals (ADP: 2.04) ... The league winners are early-round targets with a better chance than similarly priced players to deliver first-round value.”
- 2Kenneth Walker III to outplay his draft cost (ADP: 2.06)“Kenneth Walker , Kansas City Chiefs (ADP: 2.06) ... At minimum, Walker projects as a weekly fantasy starter.”
- 3Kenneth Walker III to finish top 5 at his position, by fantasy points“Walker has the upside to finish as a top-five fantasy running back.”
- 4Quinshon Judkins to finish top 20 at his position, by fantasy points“he has the volume and supporting cast to deliver a top-20 fantasy season.”
- 5Chase Brown to finish top 5 at his position, by fantasy points“If both stay healthy, Brown has a realistic path to finishing as a top-five fantasy running back.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Brown to outplay his draft cost (ADP: 2.04)1 | Sleeper Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Kenneth Walker III to outplay his draft cost (ADP: 2.06)2 | Sleeper Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Kenneth Walker III to finish top 5 at his position, by fantasy points3 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| Quinshon Judkins to finish top 20 at his position, by fantasy points4 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| Chase Brown to finish top 5 at his position, by fantasy points5 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 5 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
5 checkable claims — 3 positional finishes and 2 sleeper calls — 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 1 and below it on 2.
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.
Where this call stands in the room
Kenneth Walker III · 2026 season · positional finish5 calls from 5 pundits between 1 positional finish and 5 positional finish. Nathan Jahnke said 5 positional finish. the room's median is 5 positional finish. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
1Sleeper CallsChase BrownCincinnati Bengals
Chase Brown to outplay his draft cost (ADP: 2.04)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Sleeper CallsKenneth Walker IIIKansas City Chiefs
Kenneth Walker III to outplay his draft cost (ADP: 2.06)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Positional FinishesKenneth Walker IIIKansas City Chiefs
Kenneth Walker III to finish top 5 at his position, by fantasy points
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Positional FinishesQuinshon JudkinsCleveland Browns
Quinshon Judkins to finish top 20 at his position, by fantasy points
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Positional FinishesChase BrownCincinnati Bengals
Chase Brown to finish top 5 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
Chris Clark · Trade and Signing Calls · Nikko Remigio · Miss 0
Clark expects the Chiefs to bring back exclusive-rights receiver Nico (Remigio) and long snapper James Winchester, to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster as a cheap veteran fifth receiver, and not to bring back Hollywood Brown, Josh Dobbs-type depth, Gardner Minshew, Janarius Robinson or Mike Caliendo; they also say the Chiefs will not use a franchise tag and believes Bryan Cook won't return.Gilberto Manzano · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Previewing the trade deadline, he expects Justin Herbert to stay in Los Angeles despite the Chargers' 0–7 start, thinks the Jets will keep Garrett Wilson and pair him with their young weapons, expects a receiver-hungry Kansas City to be aggressive with Josh Downs the likeliest target, and suggests expiring Eagles contracts Moro Ojomo and Riq Woolen could be dealt for mid-round picks.Joshua Poniatowski · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Poniatowski names several trade targets, predicting Malik Willis underperforms this week against New England, that Omarion Hampton could become a viable RB2 if Adam Gase takes over play-calling, that Josh Downs gets traded (ideally to Kansas City, where they'd be a top-24 WR), that Brian Thomas Jr. could be dealt to the Rams or 49ers, and that Travis Kelce remains a consistent weekly TE.Jordan Dajani · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
After reporting that Colts receiver Josh Downs requested a trade, they identify five clubs as plausible landing spots for them: the Rams, Patriots, Falcons, Chiefs and Raiders, and suggests Las Vegas could also give them a long-term extension.Mike Kadlick · Trade and Signing Calls · Josh Downs · Hit 100
Kadlick names the Chiefs, Patriots and 49ers as the three best trade landing spots for Colts wide receiver Josh Downs ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.
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.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.Rich Eisen · Positional Finishes · George Pickens · Hit 100
Eisen called the Rams-winning-it-all take an overreaction but expects Los Angeles to win the NFC West, said they don't see how Myles Garrett fails to win Defensive Player of the Year, and called George Pickens perhaps the third-best receiver in the NFL this season.