Henry McKennaAug 24, 2026
McKenna's preseason notebook: DeVonta Smith takes over as the Eagles' WR1 with rookie Makai Lemon as WR2; Fernando Mendoza will start for the Raiders at some point in 2026; the Browns are the best-positioned team for the 2027 No. 1 overall pick; Houston will end up paying C.J. Stroud; and they flag several rookie receivers as fantasy names to watch.
Published in writing · Fox SportsRead the original
What Henry McKenna said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromI still think he'll start at some point this season.
- Where it was published
- Fox Sports
- The piece
- On Track Or Falling Behind? The Eagles’ Offense And Fernando Mendoza’s Growth
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Cleveland Browns to pick at number 1“But after the Cleveland Browns named Deshaun Watson as QB1, no other team is in a better position to get the top pick.”
- 2Makai Lemon to be 2nd on the depth chart“But he is expected to contribute immediately as the team's WR2.”
- 3Fernando Mendoza to be 1st on the depth chart“I still like Mendoza. I still think he'll start at some point this season.”
- 4DeVonta Smith to be 1st on the depth chart“It would've been hard enough to get promoted from WR2 to WR1 in the wake of the A.J. Brown trade.”
- 5C.J. Stroud to sign a new deal with Houston Texans“In all likelihood, the Texans will have to pay Stroud.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns to pick at number 11 | Team Draft Slot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Makai Lemon to be 2nd on the depth chart2 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Fernando Mendoza to be 1st on the depth chart3 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| DeVonta Smith to be 1st on the depth chart4 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| C.J. Stroud to sign a new deal with Houston Texans5 | Contract Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 5 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
5 checkable claims — 3 depth chart calls, 1 contract call and 1 team draft slot call — 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.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 4 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.
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
Fernando Mendoza · 2026 season35 calls from 29 pundits between 1 and 2. Henry McKenna 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.
Their call against the room
overall pickTheir call against everyone else's, while this is still unsettled.
1Team Draft Slot CallsCleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns to pick at number 1
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Depth Chart CallsMakai LemonPhiladelphia Eagles
Makai Lemon to be 2nd on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Depth Chart CallsFernando MendozaLas Vegas Raiders
Fernando Mendoza to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Depth Chart CallsDeVonta SmithPhiladelphia Eagles
DeVonta Smith to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Contract CallsC.J. StroudHouston Texans
C.J. Stroud to sign a new deal with Houston Texans
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Bobby Skinner · Trade and Signing Calls · Stefon Diggs · Miss 0
Skinner predicted Daniel Jones signs with and wins the starting job in Indianapolis, Milton Williams to New England, Lavonte David back to Tampa, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams to the Giants, DJ Reid to Arizona, Hassan Reddick to Washington and Justin Fields staying in Pittsburgh, plus alternates they had listed.Rich Eisen · Trade and Signing Calls · Myles Garrett · Hit 100
Discussing Myles Garrett's trade request, Eisen said they expect Garrett to get their way and be moved out of Cleveland rather than stay, which is why staying would be shocking.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · Houston Texans · Hit 81
Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game.Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · Houston Texans · Hit 100
Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Nic Bodiford · Depth Chart Calls · Joe Fagnano · Hit 100
Previewing Week 9 running game matchups, Bodiford expects Jacksonville to win lopsidedly over a depleted Baltimore team, with Bhayshul Tuten sitting out and Chris Rodriguez taking over as lead back, while Joe Fagnano starts at quarterback for the Ravens. They also view Broncos rookie Jonah Coleman as an RB2 going forward.Jacob Herlin · Depth Chart Calls · J.J. McCarthy · Hit 100
Herlin published Week 7 fantasy D/ST rankings with projections for 28 team defenses, led by Houston, Minnesota and Cleveland. They also expect Cleveland to post a fourth straight top-10 fantasy defense result, and predicts Jalon Daniels starts another week for Tampa Bay while J.J. McCarthy takes over as the Giants' starter.