Tom StrachanAug 11, 2026
Strachan argues Ja'Marr Chase is an easy pick at 1.04 and will be the top overall fantasy receiver again, while fading Jonathan Taylor and CeeDee Lamb at that pick.
Published in writing · FantasyProsRead the original
What Tom Strachan said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromLock in Chase for another WR1 overall season.
- Where it was published
- FantasyPros
- The piece
- Fantasy Football Mock Draft: How to Approach Pick 1.04 (2026)
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Ja'Marr Chase to finish top 1 at his position, by fantasy points“Burrow is fully healthy this offseason, and the ceiling is the name of the game at the top of the draft. Lock in Chase for another WR1 overall season.”
- 2CeeDee Lamb to fall short of his draft cost (1.04)“Players to Avoid at 1.04 Fantasy Football Draft Pick ... CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL) ... Pickens has slightly capped Lamb’s upside.”
- 3Jonathan Taylor to fall short of his draft cost (the third overall pick)“Another tough fade for this selection is Jonathan Taylor... do you deserve to be drafted with the third overall pick when your quarterback is coming off said achilles injury... Despite the new contract, this is too rich for Taylor.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ja'Marr Chase to finish top 1 at his position, by fantasy points1 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| CeeDee Lamb to fall short of his draft cost (1.04)2 | Fantasy Bust Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Jonathan Taylor to fall short of his draft cost (the third overall pick)3 | Fantasy Bust Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 2 fantasy bust calls and 1 positional finish — 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 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.
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.
Their call against the record
positional finishTheir call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.
1Positional FinishesJa'Marr ChaseCincinnati Bengals
Ja'Marr Chase to finish top 1 at his position, by fantasy points
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Fantasy Bust CallsCeeDee LambDallas Cowboys
CeeDee Lamb to fall short of his draft cost (1.04)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Fantasy Bust CallsJonathan TaylorIndianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor to fall short of his draft cost (the third overall pick)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Rich Eisen · Trade and Signing Calls · Micah Parsons · Miss 0
Eisen expects Myles Garrett to be traded before the draft and says the Browns will then take Abdul Carter with their early first-round pick; they also predict Buffalo will end up paying James Cook and that Micah Parsons will remain a Cowboy and get their money from Dallas, likely late in the process.Randy Gurzi · Roster Spot Calls · Jordan Hudson · Miss 0
Gurzi predicts the Cowboys' 17-man practice squad, naming each player they expect Dallas to sign, including a surprise addition of released Giants tackle Evan Neal. They also predict Jaydon Blue will be claimed off waivers by another team and that Sam Williams will land elsewhere.Jeff Cavanaugh · Roster Spot Calls · Marist Liufau · Hit 100
Building their projected Cowboys 53-man roster on defense, Jeff keeps five interior linemen (Kenny Clark, Quentin, Tito Obonia, LT Overton, Bullard), six edge rushers including Von Miller, Malachi Lawrence and Marist Liufau while cutting Sam Williams, four linebackers with Jayshawn Barham starting, six corners including rookie Devin Moore, and four safeties including Marquise Bell.
More fantasy bust calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Derek Brown · Fantasy Bust Calls · Zay Flowers · Miss 0
Derek Brown ("Debro") laid out a slate of wide receiver breakouts — Ricky Pearsall, Jalen Coker, Egbuka, Jalen Waddle, Joshua Palmer, George Pickens, DeVonta Smith and Travis Hunter — while fading Xavier Worthy, Tyreek Hill and the cheap Cleveland/late-round types, and gave their own rankings well ahead of ADP for several of them.Chris Welsh · Fantasy Bust Calls · Austin Ekeler · Hit 100
Welsh drafted Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan, Travis Hunter, the Rams and Saints receivers, Justin Fields (a top-10 QB), Drake Maye (QB10-14), Travis Kelce and Tyler Warren, while passing on Joe Mixon, the Commanders backfield, Tyreek Hill, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy.Joe Pisapia · Fantasy Bust Calls · Rashee Rice · Miss 0
Joey P (Joe Pisapia) played draft-or-pass on 2025 fantasy values: they passed on Christian McCaffrey at pick 7, Breece Hall, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Hunter and Chris Olave, while drafting RJ Harvey, Tyreek Hill, Tetairoa McMillan, Puka Nacua, Tyler Warren and a late-round Joe Mixon.Pat Fitzmaurice · Fantasy Bust Calls · Breece Hall · Miss 0
Pat Fitzmaurice gave draft-or-pass calls: reluctant drafts on Christian McCaffrey, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan (their WR16), Rashee Rice at a ninth-round price, Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez, Chris Olave, Drake Maye (their QB8) and Tyler Warren, with passes on Breece Hall, Joe Mixon, Croskey-Merritt, Tyreek Hill, Travis Hunter, the Rams receivers and Justin Fields.