Tom StrachanAug 9, 2026
In a draft-strategy piece for the 1.03 pick, Strachan predicts Ja'Marr Chase will again finish as the overall WR1, while naming Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor as players to avoid at that pick.
Published in writing · FantasyProsRead the original
What Tom Strachan said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromLock Chase in for another WR1 overall season.
- Where it was published
- FantasyPros
- The piece
- Fantasy Football Mock Draft: How to Approach Pick 1.03 (2026)
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
The page this came from has changed since we captured it on Aug 9, 2026. The quote and evidence here are from our capture, not from what the page says today.
- 1Jonathan Taylor to fall short of his draft cost (the third overall pick)“Another tough fade for this selection is Jonathan Taylor ... do you deserve to be drafted with the third overall pick when your quarterback is coming off said achilles injury”
- 2Ja'Marr Chase to finish top 1 at his position, by fantasy points“Burrow is fully healthy this offseason, and ceiling is the name of the game at the top of the draft. Lock Chase in for another WR1 overall season.”
- 3Christian McCaffrey to fall short of his draft cost (1.03)“Players to Avoid at 1.03 Fantasy Football Draft Pick — Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF) ... McCaffrey is a stronger pick slightly later than this.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Taylor to fall short of his draft cost (the third overall pick)1 | Fantasy Bust Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Ja'Marr Chase to finish top 1 at his position, by fantasy points2 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| Christian McCaffrey to fall short of his draft cost (1.03)3 | Fantasy Bust Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 2 fantasy bust calls and 1 positional finish — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 6 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 below the rest of the room.
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.
1Fantasy Bust CallsJonathan TaylorIndianapolis Colts
Jonathan Taylor to fall short of his draft cost (the third overall pick)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Positional FinishesJa'Marr ChaseCincinnati Bengals
Ja'Marr Chase to finish top 1 at his position, by fantasy points
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Fantasy Bust CallsChristian McCaffreySan Francisco 49ers
Christian McCaffrey to fall short of his draft cost (1.03)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
AJ Hawk · Game Outcome Picks · San Francisco 49ers · Hit 100
Hawk said the Chiefs would beat the Jets, the Seahawks would beat the Cardinals, and the 49ers would beat the Raiders, even while taking the points with the underdogs in each case.Connor Rogers · Game Outcome Picks · San Francisco 49ers · Hit 100
Rogers picked straight-up winners in every Week 9 game, agreeing with Simms on all of them, and gave a 24-20 Bills score over the Vikings on Monday night.Chris Simms · Score Predictions · San Francisco 49ers · Hit 93
Simms gave a predicted final score for every Week 9 game, picking the Bengals, Chiefs, Broncos, Lions, Giants, Rams, Cowboys, Saints, 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, Texans, Bears and Bills, and also said they wouldn't be shocked to see Jacksonville reach the AFC Championship Game.
More fantasy bust calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Derek Brown · Fantasy Bust Calls · Zay Flowers · Miss 0
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 · Fantasy Bust Calls · Austin Ekeler · 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 · Fantasy Bust Calls · Rashee Rice · 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.Pat Fitzmaurice · Fantasy Bust Calls · Breece Hall · Miss 0
Pat Fitzmaurice gave draft-or-pass calls: reluctant drafts on Christian McCaffrey, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan (their WR16), Rashee Rice at a ninth-round price, Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez, Chris Olave, Drake Maye (their QB8) and Tyler Warren, with passes on Breece Hall, Joe Mixon, Croskey-Merritt, Tyreek Hill, Travis Hunter, the Rams receivers and Justin Fields.