# Zachary Pereles: A CBS Sports winners-and-losers column projects De'Zhaun Stribling as an immediate starter in San Francisco, forecasts a big season for Bo Nix and the Broncos offense, predicts Shedeur Sanders will play at some point this season for Cleveland, and expects Aaron Donald to still be a star and Nnamdi Madubuike to return early in the season. **Claimed:** Aug 31, 2026 **Pundit:** Zachary Pereles — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/zachary-pereles **Outlet:** CBS Sports — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/cbs-sports **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-preseason-winners-and-losers-fernando-mendoza-rams/ 6 checkable claims — 5 depth chart calls and 1 roster spot call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 11 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 5 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 4. > It's all adding up for a big year for Nix. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Nnamdi Madubuike to make the roster** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Nnamdi Madubuike, Baltimore Ravens - Verdict: not settled yet - **Shedeur Sanders to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns - Verdict: not settled yet - **Kirk Cousins to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders - Verdict: not settled yet - **Tua Tagovailoa to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta Falcons - Verdict: not settled yet - **De'Zhaun Stribling to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: De'Zhaun Stribling, San Francisco 49ers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Fernando Mendoza to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Nnamdi Madubuike — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/nnamdi-madubuike - Baltimore Ravens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/ravens - Shedeur Sanders — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/shedeur-sanders - Cleveland Browns — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/browns - Kirk Cousins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/kirk-cousins - Las Vegas Raiders — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/raiders - Tua Tagovailoa — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/tua-tagovailoa - Atlanta Falcons — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/falcons - De'Zhaun Stribling — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/de-zhaun-stribling - San Francisco 49ers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/49ers - Fernando Mendoza — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/fernando-mendoza ## What others said about the same people - Chris Simms on Baltimore Ravens: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 97.62) - Steven Ruiz on Las Vegas Raiders: Previewing Week 3, Ruiz picked the Ravens to beat the Cowboys in Brazil, Jacksonville over New England in a low-scoring game, an upset by the Broncos over the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears, the Lions over the Jets, and his Hail Mary that Houston beats Indianapolis by two touchdowns. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a30ff469-4972-4c48-855b-ba984e4de9d0 (scored 100) - Nate Tice on Baltimore Ravens: Tice matched his guest on every Week 3 game, picking the Ravens over the Cowboys, the Jaguars over the Patriots in a close game, the Broncos to upset the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears and the Lions over the Jets. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b8378e16-ea5c-4107-a883-28aaf0e71134 (scored 100) - Richie Bradshaw on San Francisco 49ers: Bradshaw picks the 49ers to beat the Cardinals in their Week 3 matchup, predicting a final score of 27-14 in San Francisco's favor. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/56e0c2a3-ddff-46f8-8359-2a546546a29c (scored 83.33) - Tracy Sandler on Baltimore Ravens: Sandler predicted Caleb Williams would miss two to three weeks with his hamstring injury, and in the picks segment took the Broncos, Ravens, Vikings, Bills and Bears (switching off an earlier Tampa pick). — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/74f12600-9587-488a-af00-2e8c11643531 (scored 100) - Carmen Vitali on Baltimore Ravens: In the show's weekly picks segment Vitali took the Broncos over the Rams, the Ravens over the Cowboys in Rio, Tampa at home over Minnesota, the Bills over the Chargers and the Eagles on the road in Chicago. She also agreed that Caleb Williams would be out roughly two to three weeks. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/948bc684-6a05-4cb4-a5ff-72861da00102 (scored 100) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Pat Fitzmaurice on Jonah Coleman: In his Week 3 waiver column, Fitzmaurice makes several depth-chart calls around injuries: Jonah Coleman leading Denver's backfield, Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington, Michael Penix Jr. starting once healthy, and Malik Washington serving as Miami's top receiver, plus availability expectations for Detroit's injured safeties. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2cbd48f6-15ea-4aa5-84bc-bcc50d94d09a (scored 0) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Aaron Jones: In previewing the 10 most intriguing fantasy performers of Week 2, Fitzmaurice expects Atlanta's quarterback problems to persist with Tua Tagovailoa unlikely to play and Michael Penix Jr. not ready to return, flags Falcons slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. as a possible Week 2 returnee, and describes Aaron Jones as Minnesota's lead back and Kaelon Black as the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/31adc8bb-8f15-453f-bbcf-cab44e29b8b3 (scored 100) - Bradley Locker on Carson Wentz: PFF's unsigned adjusted power rankings after Week 1 of the 2026 season place the Bills first, the Rams second and the Dolphins last, with notes on quarterback situations in Seattle, Minnesota and Cleveland. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a3716f21-0488-4fc8-a414-c25c2d781a6e (scored 100) - Bill Huber on Chris McClellan: Huber's first Packers rookie progress report projects second-round cornerback Brandon Cisse to hold onto his spot with the No. 1 defense, third-round defensive tackle Chris McClellan to start in Week 1, and fifth-round lineman Jager Burton to be the team's top interior backup rather than a starter. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/dcf9daae-b511-490c-b438-173cf91e8597 (scored 0) - Rich Hribar on Malik Willis: Hribar previews the Week 1 Dolphins-Raiders game, calling Malik Willis a strong floor-based QB2 for fantasy, noting Kirk Cousins is the Raiders' starter and not a Week 1 streamer in 1QB leagues, and listing expected defensive starters for both teams. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0ff48079-418b-4d5a-9eb2-6e66b0e6f6e1 (scored 100) - Randy Gurzi on Jadarian Price: Gurzi suggests the Seahawks could sign three free agents — safety Donovan Wilson, guard Kevin Zeitler, and running back Kareem Hunt — if weaknesses show up after Week 1. He also notes Trevon Diggs starting on the practice squad and describes Seattle's projected backfield roles. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/350eed1b-4675-4a2d-aaf5-812e20678283 (scored 100) --- 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 We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us: https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=zachary-pereles