Ralph Ventre· Aug 28, 2026
Ventre reads the Bills' preseason finale as revealing the Week 1 roster: Alec Anderson wins the starting left guard job, Dorian Williams starts at inside linebacker next to Terrel Bernard, Maxwell Hairston starts at cornerback opposite Christian Benford, and Joe Andreessen, Sam Franklin, Trent Sherfield and undrafted Kani Walker make the 53.
“With Dorian Williams not dressed for the preseason finale, it's safe to assume that he will be the starter next to Terrel Bernard for the September 13 opener.”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
7 checkable claims — 4 depth chart calls and 3 roster spot 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.
2 of 7 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 4 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.
Where this call stands in the room
Alec Anderson · 2026 season5 calls from 4 pundits between 1 and 1. Ralph Ventre said 1. the room's median is 1. 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.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
7 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Roster Spot CallsJoe AndreessenBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Joe Andreessen to make the roster
“Third-year backup linebacker Joe Andreessen faced some uncertainty over the offseason, but it turns out that he apparently remains in his hometown team's plans... it's likely a sign that he locked up his roster spot”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- BUF
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Joe Andreessen
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsSam Franklin Jr.Buffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Sam Franklin Jr. to make the roster
“Special teams ace Sam Franklin's spot is safe... received veteran roster lock treatment as an inactive on Thursday.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- BUF
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- Sam Franklin Jr.
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 3
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Depth Chart CallsAlec AndersonBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Alec Anderson to be 1st on the depth chart
“Most notably, Buffalo decided on its starting left guard, choosing returnee Alec Anderson over veteran Austin Corbett.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Roster Spot CallsKani WalkerBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Kani Walker to make the roster
“The Bills will almost definitely keep a fourth cornerback, and undrafted rookie Kani Walker appears to be the choice.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsDorian WilliamsBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Dorian Williams to be 1st on the depth chart
“With Dorian Williams not dressed for the preseason finale, it's safe to assume that he will be the starter next to Terrel Bernard for the September 13 opener.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsTrent SherfieldBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Trent Sherfield to be 6th on the depth chart
“While Buffalo may opt to keep only five wide receivers, Sherfield warrants serious consideration to be the sixth man”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsMaxwell HairstonBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Maxwell Hairston to be 1st on the depth chart
“CB Maxwell Hairston deemed starter... in a competition against second-round rookie Davison Igbinosun for the starting cornerback job opposite franchise piece Christian Benford.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris SimmsScore Predictions · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Simms 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.
- Chris LongGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Long liked the Rams over the Broncos on Sunday night even without Puka Nacua, and expected the Bills to beat the winless Chargers in Buffalo. He also backed the Bengals over the Steelers, expected an angry Detroit team to handle the Jets, and still thought both the Lions and Vikings could win the NFC North.
- Carmen VitaliGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100In the show's weekly picks segment Vitali took the Broncos over the Rams, the Ravens over the Cowboys in Rio, Tampa at home over Minnesota, the Bills over the Chargers and the Eagles on the road in Chicago. She also agreed that Caleb Williams would be out roughly two to three weeks.
- Tracy SandlerGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Sandler predicted Caleb Williams would miss two to three weeks with his hamstring injury, and in the picks segment took the Broncos, Ravens, Vikings, Bills and Bears (switching off an earlier Tampa pick).
- Chris BroussardGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Broussard 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.
- Dwight FreeneyGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Freeney said the Chargers' volume of mistakes is too great to fix in a week and that fans shouldn't expect Los Angeles to beat Buffalo.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Jonah ColemanMiss · 0In his Week 3 waiver column, Fitzmaurice makes several depth-chart calls around injuries: Jonah Coleman leading Denver's backfield, Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington, Michael Penix Jr. starting once healthy, and Malik Washington serving as Miami's top receiver, plus availability expectations for Detroit's injured safeties.
- Fox SportsDepth Chart Calls · Michael Penix Jr.Hit · 100Fox 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.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Aaron JonesHit · 100In 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.
- Matt SeveranceDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100The 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.
- Rafael ZamoranoDepth Chart Calls · Deshaun WatsonHit · 100Zamorano 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.
- Rich HribarDepth Chart Calls · Tua TagovailoaMiss · 0Hribar 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.