Raju ByfieldAug 27, 2026
In a preseason "studs" column, Byfield forecasts several depth-chart outcomes — Caleb Douglas as Miami's No. 2 receiver, Mike Washington as Jeanty's top backup, Joe Milton as Dallas' backup QB, Kyle Williams fourth in New England — plus John Metchie making the Panthers' roster and Jeremiyah Love being a draft-day discount who outperforms their cost once healthy.
Published in writing · FantasyProsRead the original
What Raju Byfield said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromHe should be considered questionable at best for Week 1 of the regular season, but has already shown enough that he will be a RB2 with weekly RB1 upside once he is healthy.
- Where it was published
- FantasyPros
- The piece
- 14 Preseason Studs (2026 Fantasy Football)
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- SaidAug 27
- GradedSep 25
- 1John Metchie III to make the roster“John Metchie was a Week 2 standout who seemingly solidified his spot on the team”
- 2Caleb Douglas to be 2nd on the depth chart“Caleb Douglas has seemingly emerged as the Miami Dolphins’ number two receiver.”
- 3Joe Milton III to be 2nd on the depth chart“Milton should open the season as the backup.”
- 4Mike Washington to be 2nd on the depth chart“seemingly solidifying his role as Ashton Jeanty’s top backup in the process”
- 5Kyle Williams to be 4th on the depth chart“the trade of Kayshon Boutte ascends the young receiver to number four on the depth chart”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Metchie III to make the roster1 | Roster Spot Calls | 3 weeks on a 53 | 100 | 100 | 0 | |
| Caleb Douglas to be 2nd on the depth chart2 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Joe Milton III to be 2nd on the depth chart3 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Mike Washington to be 2nd on the depth chart4 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Kyle Williams to be 4th on the depth chart5 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 calls · 1 hit · 4 waiting | 100 | 100 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naive5 checkable claims — 4 depth chart calls and 1 roster spot call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 10 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 5 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 above the room on 1 and below it on 3.
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
Caleb Douglas · 2026 season14 calls from 9 pundits between 1 and 2. Raju Byfield said 2. 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.
1Roster Spot CallsJohn Metchie IIICarolina Panthers
John Metchie III to make the roster
What happened3 weeks on a 53100Hit · naive 100100this call−100a naive guess=0better than naive×2difficulty=0skillThink this is wrong?How this was scored
- club:
- CAR
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- John Metchie III
- 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
2Depth Chart CallsCaleb DouglasMiami Dolphins
Caleb Douglas to be 2nd on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Depth Chart CallsJoe Milton IIIDallas Cowboys
Joe Milton III to be 2nd on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Depth Chart CallsMike WashingtonLas Vegas Raiders
Mike Washington to be 2nd on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
5Depth Chart CallsKyle WilliamsNew England Patriots
Kyle Williams to be 4th on the depth chart
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.Pat Fitzmaurice · Score Predictions · New England Patriots · Miss 14
Fitzmaurice predicted a 24-21 Patriots win over the Packers, said they would not be surprised if Jonathan Taylor were inactive amid trade talk, pegged Jonah Coleman as an RB22 rest-of-season value, expected Evan Hull to be Arizona's backup back, and saw Kerby Joseph returning in Week 10 or 11.Kevin Wildes · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
Wildes took Minnesota over Buffalo, predicted a comfortable roughly 10-point New England win over Green Bay, and switched their Super Bowl matchup to Jaguars–Bears.Nick Wright · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
Wright argued the Jaguars are the AFC's most complete team, calling them the considerable favorite for the No. 1 seed and the only club essentially locked into the playoffs. They also picked Tampa Bay to upset Chicago, had Kansas City sweeping its next three games, liked New England over Green Bay by about a field goal, and updated their Super Bowl matchup to Chiefs–49ers.Eric Mangini · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
Mangini picked New England to beat Green Bay by more than a field goal, flagged Tampa Bay as their upset alert over Chicago, expects Kansas City to handle the Jets, took Buffalo over Minnesota, backed Cincinnati over Atlanta in Madrid, and updated their Super Bowl to Rams–Bengals.Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · New England Patriots · Miss 0
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.
Michael Moore · Depth Chart Calls · Shedeur Sanders · Hit 100
In a Week 9 injury roundup, Moore forecast which banged-up fantasy contributors would play or sit: Deshaun Watson, Garrett Wilson, David Montgomery, Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, TreVeyon Henderson and Terrance Ferguson are expected out, while Travis Kelce, Saquon Barkley, Michael Wilson, Christian Watson and Emeka Egbuka should play. They also expect Shedeur Sanders and Drew Lock to start at quarterback.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.