Pat Fitzmaurice#8 of 87 NFL pundits · Aug 22, 2026
FantasyPros' Fitz lays out his 2026 draft board: Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs at the top (with a slight lean to Bijan), followed by the 'Big Three' receivers Ja'Marr Chase, Puka Nacua and Jaxson Smith-Njigba as his third through fifth picks. He fades Josh Allen, Trey McBride, Samaje Perine and Jerry Jeudy at their draft costs while touting mid-round values at QB and TE.
Published in writing · FantasyProsRead the original
What Pat Fitzmaurice said
I slightly prefer Bijan.
- Where it was published
- FantasyPros
- The piece
- Fantasy Football Draft Advice to Dominate Your League (2026)
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
Box score, by kind
HitCloseMissWaiting| Group | Hits | Close | Misses | Waiting | Calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fantasy Rankings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Sleeper Calls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Fantasy Bust Calls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| All | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
How each call scored
9 checkable claims — 5 sleeper calls, 3 fantasy bust calls and 1 fantasy ranking — 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.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
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.
Fantasy Rankings1 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
“if I draw either the 1.01 or 1.02 spot, I'm drafting Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs... I slightly prefer Bijan... Picks 1.03, 1.04, and 1.05 are where the Big Three at wide receiver dwell: Ja'Marr Chase, Puka Nacua, and Jaxson Smith-Njigba. Those three are my third, fourth, and fifth picks in start-3WR leagues.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Sleeper Calls5 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
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.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
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, not the early rounds, are where you should do your QB shopping.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Justin Herbert to outplay his draft cost (an ADP of QB9 and is going in the back half of the seventh round)
“His offensive line should be healthier and better, and the arrival of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel could help unlock the sort of big passing numbers that Herbert produced in his first three seasons.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Harold Fannin Jr. to outplay his draft cost (coming off the board 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.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
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... Kevin Stefanski is the Falcons' new head coach, and the tight ends in Stefanski's Cleveland offenses averaged 164.3 targets over the last three seasons.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Fantasy Bust Calls3 waitingShow ▸Hide ▾
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.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
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.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Josh Allen to fall short of his draft cost (a late-third-round ADP)
“The talent pool is so deep that it's not worth sacrificing the chance to draft a top-20 running back or receiver for the chance to take Josh Allen, the consensus QB1. Allen has a late-third-round ADP.”
—WaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Alex Curry · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Curry expects Fernando Mendoza to be taken No. 1 overall by the Raiders and to be thrown into the starting lineup immediately, and they say Kirk Cousins will be released by Atlanta within weeks.Alex Curry · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Curry expects Fernando Mendoza to be the No. 1 overall pick and land with the Raiders, and they say Kirk Cousins will be released by Atlanta.JP Acosta · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Acosta expects John Harbaugh's Giants to jump to roughly seven wins in year one, and forecast several offseason moves: Aaron Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh, Daniel Jones returning to the Colts, Kirk Cousins being released by Atlanta, and Brandon Aiyuk leaving San Francisco.Gregg Rosenthal · Trade and Signing Calls · Kirk Cousins · Hit 100
Rosenthal gave their award ballot: Drake May atop their MVP list (though they expect Matthew Stafford to actually win), Myles Garrett for Defensive Player of the Year, Bijan Robinson for Offensive Player of the Year, Tetairoa McMillan for Offensive Rookie of the Year, Carson Schwesinger for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Mike Macdonald for Coach of the Year and Broncos O-line coach Zach Strief for Assistant Coach of the Year. They also expect Kirk Cousins to be cut by Atlanta.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.
More sleeper calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Derek Brown · Sleeper Calls · Travis Hunter · Hit 100
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 · Sleeper Calls · Tyler Warren · 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 · Sleeper Calls · Tyreek Hill · 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.