# Tom Strachan: In a guide to drafting from pick 1.08, Strachan targets Jonathan Taylor, CeeDee Lamb and James Cook (plus Amon-Ra St. Brown), arguing Taylor and Cook have top-two RB upside and St. Brown could finish as the overall WR1, while warning against taking elite tight ends Brock Bowers or Trey McBride or Ashton Jeanty that early. **Claimed:** Aug 23, 2026 **Pundit:** Tom Strachan — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/tom-strachan **Outlet:** FantasyPros — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/fantasypros **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.fantasypros.com/2026/08/fantasy-football-mock-draft-how-approach-pick-1-08-2026-advice/ 7 checkable claims — 3 fantasy bust calls, 3 positional finishes and 1 sleeper call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 13 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one. > There's a very real world where Taylor is a top-two back this season. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Trey McBride to fall short of his draft cost (1.08)** - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals - Verdict: not settled yet - **CeeDee Lamb to outplay his draft cost (1.08)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys - Verdict: not settled yet - **Ashton Jeanty to fall short of his draft cost (1.08)** - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders - Verdict: not settled yet - **Amon-Ra St. Brown to finish top 1 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions - Verdict: not settled yet - **James Cook to finish top 2 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: James Cook, Buffalo Bills - Verdict: not settled yet - **Brock Bowers to fall short of his draft cost (1.08)** - Kind: Fantasy Bust Calls · About: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders - Verdict: not settled yet - **Jonathan Taylor to finish top 2 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Trey McBride — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/trey-mcbride - Arizona Cardinals — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/cardinals - CeeDee Lamb — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/ceedee-lamb - Dallas Cowboys — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/cowboys - Ashton Jeanty — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/ashton-jeanty - Las Vegas Raiders — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/raiders - Amon-Ra St. Brown — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/amon-ra-st-brown - Detroit Lions — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/lions - James Cook — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/james-cook - Buffalo Bills — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/bills - Brock Bowers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/brock-bowers - Jonathan Taylor — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/jonathan-taylor - Indianapolis Colts — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/colts ## What others said about the same people - Mike Moraitis on DaRon Bland: Moraitis names five Cowboys he expects to be playing their final season opener in Dallas in 2026: George Pickens (likely tag-and-trade or departure), Malik Hooker, Luke Schoonmaker, DeMarvion Overshown and DaRon Bland. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/66b5ed7b-41bd-4f67-9b4d-16eae4675e67 (scored 100) - Bucky Brooks on Keenan Allen: Brooks predicted J.J. McCarthy won't be on the Vikings' roster (traded or released), said Kyler Murray wins the Vikings' QB competition, made a series of 2025 award picks, made 2026 Heisman/draft projections including Arch Manning as the front-runner for the No. 1 overall pick, and said none of Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow win a championship this season. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/10c3797b-f9e0-41ca-a2a3-5d765a242a79 (scored 100) - Emmett Matasovsky on Christian Izien: Matasovsky says Dobbs is currently leading the backup quarterback race and suggests Christian Izien may be pressed into a starting safety role in Week 1 while Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph rehab. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/9715ee92-1646-4ee4-8911-e3e4cbae9027 (scored 0) - Noah Compton on C.J. Allen: After watching the Colts' eleventh training camp practice, Compton says rookie linebacker CJ Allen is still expected to start the regular-season opener, identifies Alec Pierce as the team's top receiver and Cam Taylor-Britt as the first cornerback behind the starting trio, and declares the kicking job Blake Grupe's to lose. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/98a8bd92-bcd8-4b5a-aad7-96ecd936662b (scored 0) - Henry McKenna on Carson Beck: McKenna predicts Kyler Murray will win the Vikings' starting QB job over J.J. McCarthy, that Minnesota will make the playoffs if Murray cuts out the hero ball, that both QBs will play in 2026, and wonders whether rookie Carson Beck could unseat Jacoby Brissett as Arizona's Week 1 starter. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/9025c533-03e6-4e1f-8773-b8ef2f1d46ea (scored 0) - Fernando Alfaro-Donis on Kayshon Boutte: Argues the Raiders' weakest spot is their receiver room, expects Jalen Nailor to take a big step forward in Klint Kubiak's scheme with Kirk Cousins starting before Fernando Mendoza takes over, and suggests Las Vegas should trade a mid-round pick for Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte, who would immediately become their top option. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/b988191f-a153-4f4b-a1b8-7b5a7a18265c (scored 0) ## More fantasy bust calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Mike Harmon on Joe Burrow: Harmon gave his Week 18 fantasy rankings — top five quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers — plus lists of 'hot plays,' 'cold sores' (players to avoid) and 'ninjas' (sneaky plays), and said Trevor Lawrence would land around a top-four fantasy quarterback finish for the season. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/e2e20c82-d482-48e6-90f3-929d0862fc0d (scored 100) - Patrick Claybon on Aaron Rodgers: Claibon says Aaron Rodgers' deep-passing outburst was a one-week product of Baltimore's defense and won't continue, still endorses starting Jacoby Brissett in a tough Houston matchup, and picks Devon Achane as the top running back and AJ Brown as the top receiver for Week 15. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/13d54729-d582-4201-9440-31f8510c7305 (scored 100) - Marcas Grant on Tony Pollard: Grant calls Christian Watson the Packers' clear No. 1 receiver and RJ Harvey Denver's lead back, while labeling Mike Gesicki's and Tony Pollard's big weeks mirages to avoid; he also wants no part of Colts pass catchers with Philip Rivers signing. For Week 15 he picks Matthew Stafford as the top quarterback and Puka Nacua among the top receivers. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/d990340b-36f2-4842-81d8-d08a5f3db65a (scored 100) - Andrew Erickson on Cooper Kupp: Erickson reiterated his prediction that Jordan Mason will lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns, backed the Broncos to blow out the Titans in Week 1, called Garrett Wilson a sell and Jacoby Myers a buy-low, expects little from Cooper Kupp, and made several depth-chart calls (Thornton starting in New England, Myers as Vegas' No. 1 receiver, Croskey-Merritt eventually taking the Commanders' 'A back' role). — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/3809e587-6fa2-464b-ab98-fd96d353c1bd (scored 100) - Ryan Wormeli on Zay Flowers: Host Ryan Warmley endorsed Ricky Pearsall as a bet worth making and put his rookie-receiver capital in Tetairoa McMillan, while fading Zay Flowers at his cost and opting out of Marvin Harrison Jr. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/192d6e67-2e0e-49b3-bc82-4c8a77bd5950 (scored 0) - Derek Brown on Zay Flowers: 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/effe2fda-3dcb-489f-a1e1-f8fa5b11ada7 (scored 0) --- 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.thegoodapps.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.thegoodapps.co/corrections?pundit=tom-strachan