# Pat Fitzmaurice: Fitzmaurice names five quarterbacks they love to target in the middle rounds of 2026 fantasy drafts — Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford — arguing each will outproduce their mid-round cost, with Purdy specifically pegged as a low-end QB1.

**Claimed:** Aug 11, 2026
**Pundit:** Pat Fitzmaurice — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/pat-fitzmaurice
**Outlet:** FantasyPros — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/fantasypros
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.fantasypros.com/2026/08/fantasy-football-5-mid-round-quarterbacks-to-draft-2026/

6 checkable claims — 5 sleeper calls and 1 positional finish — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 9 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 above the rest of the room.

> Consider him a low-end QB1 in 2026 fantasy drafts.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Brock Purdy to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Brock Purdy to outplay his draft cost (the middle rounds)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Trevor Lawrence to outplay his draft cost (the middle rounds)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Trevor Lawrence
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Justin Herbert to outplay his draft cost (the middle rounds)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Dak Prescott to outplay his draft cost (the middle rounds)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Matthew Stafford to outplay his draft cost (the middle rounds)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Brock Purdy — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/brock-purdy
- San Francisco 49ers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/49ers
- Trevor Lawrence — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/trevor-lawrence
- Justin Herbert — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/justin-herbert
- Los Angeles Chargers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chargers
- Dak Prescott — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/dak-prescott
- Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys
- Matthew Stafford — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/matthew-stafford
- Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/rams

## What others said about the same people

- Nate Gosney on Daiyan Henley: After the Broncos rescinded the trade, Gosney expects Daiyan Henley to remain with the Chargers for the rest of the 2026 season, but believes the awkward fallout has effectively killed any chance of them signing a new contract with Los Angeles after the season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/60272861-4ad0-4749-b36a-dcdf09b9213f (scored 0)
- Parker Hurley on Khalid Kareem: Hurley predicts the 49ers will release Khalil Kareem when Nate Hobbs is activated and cut Brandin Cooks when C.J. West returns, while arguing Sebastian Valdez won't be the one let go and no cornerback will be cut. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/5a729417-69ee-493a-9bec-d905fd1a7082 (scored 0)
- Colin Cowherd on Matthew Stafford: Cowherd predicts Matt Stafford stays with the Rams rather than moving on, and says Travis Hunter may underachieve because they're being asked to play both ways — Cowherd doubts they're a No. 1 receiver and would slot them as a No. 2 receiver while being a No. 1 corner. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/005e6ad1-bc95-49da-9db2-3a9da2d5041d (scored 100)
- Rich Eisen on Micah Parsons: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c9216871-a4a2-4676-b3d8-2221daa70413 (scored 0)
- Colin Cowherd on Matthew Stafford: Cowherd believes Matt Stafford's public negotiation posturing means he ultimately stays in Los Angeles, and he flags Travis Hunter as a high draft pick who could underachieve because trying to play both cornerback and receiver full-time will hurt him. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2c1faeb3-7adb-456d-bd42-275be95269e8 (scored 100)
- Pete Prisco on San Francisco 49ers: Prisco gives score predictions for every Week 9 NFL game, picking the Bengals to rout the Falcons in Madrid, the Cowboys to rebound at Indianapolis, and the Jaguars to win in Baltimore without Lamar Jackson. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dc43909b-bc7f-47aa-b208-5cf7c95844bc (scored 83.33)

## More sleeper calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Derek Brown on Travis Hunter: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/effe2fda-3dcb-489f-a1e1-f8fa5b11ada7 (scored 100)
- Tom Strachan on Jalen Coker: Tom 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c42eacc5-eb10-4103-a94d-50545a487cbb (scored 100)
- Chris Welsh on Tyler Warren: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9f0f2132-f3b8-4813-b2b1-374b827d86a8 (scored 100)
- Joe Pisapia on Tyreek Hill: 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. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c3c95c1c-64a4-42b6-9389-58d5fb5b27d1 (scored 0)
- Ryan Wormeli on Tetairoa McMillan: Hosting the segment, Warmley backed Bryce Young to finish better than their QB22 consensus ranking, endorsed Cedric Tillman as a late-round target, and said Tetairoa McMillan will be a top-15 fantasy receiver this season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2c695b79-bc5e-4d3f-8136-6705656267a2 (scored 100)
- Jake Ciely on Braelon Allen: Counting down their top-five middle/late-round breakout candidates, Seely picked Bryce Young, Cedric Tillman, Braelon Allen, Marvin Mims and Rome Odunze, arguing Young can be a fringe QB1 with added rushing, Tillman and Mims are their teams' No. 2 receivers, and Caleb Williams will post a huge statistical season that lifts Odunze. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/6b5a40bc-e349-48a1-ad37-18ee448ebe75 (scored 0)

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Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology

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