Pat Fitzmaurice· Aug 30, 2026
FantasyPros' Fitz lays out his 2026 draft strategy, fading early-round quarterbacks (Josh Allen) and Trey McBride, warning off Quinshon Judkins as a volume trap and Jerry Jeudy entirely, while touting middle-round QBs (Purdy, Herbert, Lawrence), tight ends (Kraft, Fannin, Pitts) and Packers WR Christian Watson as values.
“Quinshon Judkins looks like a volume trap.”
published in writing · FantasyPros · read the original →
11 checkable claims — 7 sleeper calls and 4 fantasy bust calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 14 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
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Who this take is about
11 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.
- Sleeper CallsHarold Fannin Jr.Cleveland BrownsAug 30, 2026
Harold Fannin Jr. to outplay his draft cost (around the sixth-round/seventh-round turn)
“Harold Fannin is coming off the board around the sixth-round/seventh-round turn... there are some gems to be mined at tight end in the middle rounds.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Fantasy Bust CallsJosh AllenAug 30, 2026
Josh Allen to fall short of his draft cost (a late-third-round ADP)
“Under no circumstances will I draft a quarterback in the first four rounds of a 1QB league... Allen has a late-third-round ADP. He's being drafted just ahead of Ladd McConkey.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Fantasy Bust CallsTrey McBrideAug 30, 2026
Trey McBride to fall short of his draft cost (the first four rounds)
“There are three tight ends guaranteed to land in the first four rounds: Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and Colston Loveland. I'm willing to draft Bowers and Loveland at cost, but not McBride.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsBrock PurdyAug 30, 2026
Brock Purdy to outplay his draft cost (a late-eighth-round ADP)
“Brock Purdy has a late-eighth-round ADP... I would rather have a Brock Purdy/Ladd McConkey combo than a Josh Allen/Michael Wilson combo.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsJustin HerbertAug 30, 2026
Justin Herbert to outplay his draft cost (an ADP of QB9 and is going in the back half of the seventh round)
“Justin Herbert has an ADP of QB9 and is going in the back half of the seventh round... the arrival of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel could help unlock the sort of big passing numbers that Herbert produced in his first three seasons.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Quinshon Judkins to fall short of his draft cost (a midrange or low-end RB2)
“Judkins is being drafted as a midrange or low-end RB2... the constraints of the Cleveland offense will almost certainly limit his touchdowns and hinder his efficiency. Quinshon Judkins looks like a volume trap.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Fantasy Bust CallsJerry JeudyCleveland BrownsAug 30, 2026
Jerry Jeudy to fall short of his draft cost (the late rounds)
“But there is no reason to draft Jeudy in 2026. The Browns just spent early-round draft picks on WRs KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsChristian WatsonGreen Bay PackersAug 30, 2026
Christian Watson to outplay his draft cost (the sixth round of 12-team drafts)
“On a recent podcast, I touted Packers WR Christian Watson as a high-upside player worth pursuing... Risk aversion typically drops Watson into the sixth round of 12-team drafts. That's appealing value”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsTrevor LawrenceAug 30, 2026
Trevor Lawrence to outplay his draft cost (an ADP of QB10 and is coming off the board around the seventh-round/eighth-round turn)
“Trevor Lawrence has an ADP of QB10 and is coming off the board around the seventh-round/eighth-round turn... The middle rounds are loaded with quality fantasy quarterbacks.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsKyle PittsAtlanta FalconsAug 30, 2026
Kyle Pitts to outplay his draft cost (being drafted in the seventh round)
“The much-maligned Kyle Pitts is being drafted in the seventh round... the tight ends in Stefanski's Cleveland offenses averaged 164.3 targets over the last three seasons.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsTucker KraftGreen Bay PackersAug 30, 2026
Tucker Kraft to outplay his draft cost (a sixth-round ADP)
“Tucker Kraft has a sixth-round ADP... should be a key contributor to the Green Bay passing game.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris SimmsScore Predictions · Green Bay PackersMiss · 10Simms picked the Packers to beat the Falcons in the Thursday night game by a low score, expecting a defensive struggle.
- Pete PriscoScore Predictions · Cleveland BrownsHit · 100Prisco picks every Week 3 game with exact scores, highlighting upsets by Tampa Bay over Minnesota and Cleveland over Carolina, and expects the Giants to rally behind Jameis Winston.
- Mike KadlickScore Predictions · Green Bay PackersMiss · 7Kadlick expects an ugly, low-scoring Thursday night game at Lambeau Field, with Green Bay beating Atlanta 10–7 to move to 2–1 while the Falcons drop to 0–3 in Michael Penix Jr.'s return.
- Jared DubinScore Predictions · Green Bay PackersMiss · 24Dubin picks the Packers to beat the Falcons comfortably on Thursday Night Football, predicting a 23-13 Green Bay win.
- Jordan DajaniScore Predictions · Green Bay PackersMiss · 17Dajani gave final-score predictions for eight Week 3 games, picking the Packers, Bengals, Jaguars, Texans, Buccaneers (upset), Ravens, Broncos (upset) and Eagles to win.
- Jared DubinScore Predictions · Green Bay PackersMiss · 24Dubin gave final-score predictions for the same eight Week 3 games, picking the Packers, Bengals, Jaguars, Texans, Vikings, Ravens, Rams and Eagles.
More sleeper calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Derek BrownSleeper Calls · Travis HunterHit · 100Derek 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 his own rankings well ahead of ADP for several of them.
- Tom StrachanSleeper Calls · Ricky PearsallHit · 100Tom Strachan backed Xavier Worthy, Jalen Coker, Egbuka, Jalen Waddle, Darnell Mooney, Zay Flowers, George Pickens, DeVonta Smith and Travis Hunter as values at their draft costs, while avoiding Jerry Jeudy and the Cleveland receivers.
- Ryan WormeliSleeper Calls · Ricky PearsallHit · 100Host Ryan Warmley endorsed Ricky Pearsall as a bet worth making and put his rookie-receiver capital in Tetairoa McMillan, while fading Zay Flowers at his cost and opting out of Marvin Harrison Jr.
- Chris WelshSleeper Calls · Tyler WarrenHit · 100Welsh 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 PisapiaSleeper Calls · Tyreek HillMiss · 0Joey P (Joe Pisapia) played draft-or-pass on 2025 fantasy values: he 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.
- Ryan WormeliSleeper Calls · Tetairoa McMillanHit · 100Hosting the segment, Warmley backed Bryce Young to finish better than his QB22 consensus ranking, endorsed Cedric Tillman as a late-round target, and said Tetairoa McMillan will be a top-15 fantasy receiver this season.