# Derek Brown: 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 his own rankings well ahead of ADP for several of them. **Claimed:** Aug 30, 2025 **Pundit:** Derek Brown — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/derek-brown **Outlet:** The Herd with Colin Cowherd (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/the-herd-with-colin-cowherd-podcast **How it reached us:** said on air or in an interview **Original:** https://omny.fm/shows/fantasypros-fantasy-football-podcast/high-upside-fantasy-football-draft-picks-wide-receiver-breakout-candidates-ep-1678 17 checkable claims — 6 positional finishes, 5 sleeper calls, 4 fantasy bust calls, 1 depth chart call and 1 player season number — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 21 players and teams, each linked to their own record. All 17 have settled, averaging 54.1 out of 100, against 23.6 for a naive guess at the same calls. > Second year of breakout is here, boys. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Zay Flowers to fall short of his draft cost (wide receiver two)** - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Travis Hunter to outplay his draft cost (wide receiver thirty one and seventy fourth overall)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Xavier Worthy to fall short of his draft cost (wide receiver twenty four)** - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Marquise Brown to fall short of his draft cost (back of the... final round picks)** - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Jalen Coker to outplay his draft cost (wide receiver seventy six)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **DeVonta Smith to outplay his draft cost (wide receiver three)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Ricky Pearsall to outplay his draft cost (wide receiver thirty five)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Keon Coleman to fall short of his draft cost (back of the... final round picks)** - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Emeka Egbuka to outplay his draft cost (wide receiver thirty three)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Travis Hunter to finish top 25 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **George Pickens to finish top 15 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: scored 8.33 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Ricky Pearsall to finish top 26 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 75 for a naive guess - **Jaylen Waddle to record 100 receptions** - Kind: Player Season Numbers · About: Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins - Verdict: scored 28 out of 100, against 33.83 for a naive guess - **Xavier Worthy to finish top 36 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Jalen Coker to finish top 52 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers - Verdict: scored 0 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess - **Jalen Coker to be 2nd on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers - Verdict: scored 91.67 out of 100, against 91.67 for a naive guess - **Jaylen Waddle to finish top 20 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins - Verdict: scored 91.67 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess ## Who this take is about - Zay Flowers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/zay-flowers - Baltimore Ravens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/ravens - Travis Hunter — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/travis-hunter - Jacksonville Jaguars — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/jaguars - Xavier Worthy — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/xavier-worthy - Kansas City Chiefs — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chiefs - Marquise Brown — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/marquise-brown - Jalen Coker — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jalen-coker - Carolina Panthers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/panthers - DeVonta Smith — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/devonta-smith - Philadelphia Eagles — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/eagles - Ricky Pearsall — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/ricky-pearsall - San Francisco 49ers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/49ers - Keon Coleman — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/keon-coleman - Buffalo Bills — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bills - Emeka Egbuka — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/emeka-egbuka - Tampa Bay Buccaneers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/buccaneers - George Pickens — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/george-pickens - Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/cowboys - Jaylen Waddle — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/jaylen-waddle - Miami Dolphins — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/dolphins ## What others said about the same people - Fox Sports on Austin Ekeler: The piece reports, citing ESPN, that Carolina is expected to sign veteran running back Austin Ekeler with Jonathon Brooks sidelined. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a3aa7c15-e643-4c03-85d9-10aef8b4085a (scored 0) - Chris Simms on Carolina Panthers: Simms went through every Week 2 game with predicted final scores, picking the Texans, Bears, Steelers (as an upset), Packers, Ravens, Eagles, Buccaneers, Panthers, Jaguars, Seahawks, Cowboys, 49ers, Chargers, Chiefs and Rams to win. He also reiterated that Denver was his preseason Super Bowl pick while predicting the Broncos would fall to 0-2. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/32db5f5e-13da-47e3-b280-2aa9a80d172b (scored 50) - Connor Rogers on Kansas City Chiefs: Rogers made his own Week 2 calls, taking the Packers, Eagles (by at least 10), Panthers (by at least a field goal), Cowboys (by at least six), Chargers, Chiefs and Rams to win. He also noted Baltimore was his Super Bowl pick and said it wouldn't shock him if Jacksonville hosted the AFC Championship Game. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0c2a0048-cb74-4da9-8ef4-695cc6571cdf (scored 100) - Chris Long on Philadelphia Eagles: Previewing Week 2, Long called New England a spot to bounce back against Pittsburgh, projected a 27-14 Patriots win, saw Eagles-Titans as a 23-10 grinder, liked the Rams' spot Monday night against the Giants, and wrote down a Bills 31, Lions 23 final for the Thursday nighter. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/ab903e00-9f1b-4862-91a6-96343679649c (scored 78.57) - Connor Rogers on Buffalo Bills: Rogers predicted the Bills would beat the Lions in their new stadium on Thursday night, winning by a touchdown. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/feddcc68-c714-4448-9a45-6679a6dbd34e (scored 100) - Chris Simms on Kansas City Chiefs: 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 100) ## More positional finishes The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Rich Hribar on Matthew Stafford: Hribar published his 2023 fantasy football quarterback tiers, ordering 41 quarterbacks into eight tiers that reflect how he prioritizes drafting the position, with Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes in the top tier as the trio most likely to finish as the overall QB1. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/9d1e15ad-f96d-457c-ad9f-25882182e28b (scored 100) - Chris Brockman on Jaxon Smith-Njigba: Brockman argued Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already the best receiver in the NFL and deserves to be the highest paid, called his shot that three quarterbacks (Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck) go in the first round with Mendoza first overall, and suggested New England is headed for a 7-10 season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c47d130c-5598-4cd0-b546-1121046b9166 (scored 100) - Pat Gustavson on Bijan Robinson: Gustafson picks the Patriots, Bills, Seahawks and Bears in the divisional round with a Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl, predicts Mike Tomlin and Matt LaFleur stay, Aaron Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh, and lays out his own coaching landing spots. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/06884586-5b21-40c8-9439-e303a3e8a806 (scored 75) - JP Acosta on Bijan Robinson: JP picked the Eagles to beat the 49ers in a low-scoring game and the Jaguars to beat the Bills, called Bijan Robinson the best running back in the league, and named his own first-team All-Pro roster. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/660e3494-2b0b-415e-beb7-9e3bf3464e30 (scored 75) - Chad Ochocinco Johnson on Christian Gonzalez: Ochocinco says Christian Gonzalez belongs in the top-five DB conversation, believes Kyler Murray will be elsewhere next year, expects Chase to get a one-game suspension, backs Sam Darnold to bounce back, and floats Jaxon Smith-Njigba reaching 2,000 receiving yards. He also reminds listeners he called the Bears and Panthers as teams to watch before the season. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c6469c58-b508-48d9-b72f-fe6e0d7d4da5 (scored 0) - Rich Eisen on Puka Nacua: Eisen defended his preseason call of the Packers reaching the Super Bowl, said the Chiefs will win the AFC West, called the Ravens the favorites in the AFC North, said the Colts are a playoff team, expected Denver to handle Cincinnati and the Giants to beat the winless Saints, and endorsed Puka Nacua as the league's best receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/e0759bb3-fd2c-400d-8ee9-f77e5c5fe3e6 (scored 91.67) --- 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=derek-brown