# John Breech: A panel of 13 CBS Sports experts named its defensive All-Breakout Team for 2026, tabbing Abdul Carter, Dallas Turner, Travis Hunter, Nohl Williams, Malachi Starks and Kevin Winston as breakout players.

**Claimed:** Aug 27, 2026
**Pundit:** John Breech — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/john-breech
**Outlet:** CBS Sports — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/cbs-sports
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-trade-candidates-for-cutdown-day-plus-pro-bowl-gets-canceled-and-ranking-every-roster-1-32/

6 checkable claims — 6 sleeper calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 12 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.

> We rounded up 13 NFL experts here at CBS Sports, and we all voted on the top breakout candidates for the 2026 season.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Travis Hunter to outplay his draft cost**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Nohl Williams to outplay his draft cost**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Nohl Williams, Kansas City Chiefs
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Dallas Turner to outplay his draft cost**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Dallas Turner, Minnesota Vikings
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Abdul Carter to outplay his draft cost**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Abdul Carter, New York Giants
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Kevin Winston Jr. to outplay his draft cost**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Kevin Winston Jr., Tennessee Titans
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Malaki Starks to outplay his draft cost**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Malaki Starks, Baltimore Ravens
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Travis Hunter — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/travis-hunter
- Jacksonville Jaguars — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/jaguars
- Nohl Williams — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/nohl-williams
- Kansas City Chiefs — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/chiefs
- Dallas Turner — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/dallas-turner
- Minnesota Vikings — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/vikings
- Abdul Carter — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/abdul-carter
- New York Giants — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/giants
- Kevin Winston Jr. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/kevin-winston-jr
- Tennessee Titans — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/titans
- Malaki Starks — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/malaki-starks
- Baltimore Ravens — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/ravens

## What others said about the same people

- Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice touts Kyler Murray as a value QB who will start Week 1 for Minnesota, Tyler Shough as the Saints' undisputed starter, and Juwan Johnson and Terrance Ferguson as late-round tight end targets. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/70a7844a-2fb6-44d7-814f-30ec9fbcc26d (scored 100)
- John Shipley on Jack Kiser: Shipley projects a full 16-player (plus one international/exemption spot) Jaguars practice squad for 2026, naming specific players at each position he expects to land there. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/c0a52b7c-63b2-4e18-b7da-9342dbbc111f (scored 0)
- Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to be Minnesota's Week 1 starter and calls him one of the better quarterback values in 2026 drafts; he also views Jordan Love as a top-10 real-life quarterback but only a QB2 in fantasy. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0653fc24-437c-4aba-89ee-f1f417e1983d (scored 100)
- Pat Fitzmaurice on Kyler Murray: Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to open the season as Minnesota's starting quarterback and to be one of the better quarterback values in 2026 fantasy drafts, and he likewise likes Tyler Shough as New Orleans' entrenched starter with an easy schedule. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/18bf77c0-c921-4593-997e-8405355274e9 (scored 100)
- Jared Dubin on Daniel Faalele: Dubin grades the Faalele trade, predicting Faalele has a decent chance to be Jacksonville's Week 1 starting right guard in competition with Wyatt Milum, and that Evan Neal's odds of making the Giants' 53-man roster improved while Jon Runyan and Francis Mauigoa hold the Giants' starting guard jobs. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/aae46267-fc6d-44c1-a96c-7355b3db857b (scored 0)
- Matt Okada on Kyler Murray: In a PPR-framed fantasy draft guide, Okada makes a few non-fantasy claims: rookie Jeremiyah Love will be Arizona's featured back despite being listed as RB2, Tua Tagovailoa will be Atlanta's Week 1 starter, and Kyler Murray will open the season as Minnesota's starting quarterback. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8ada4169-6627-4730-a98d-6869382735d2 (scored 100)

## More sleeper calls

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

- Matt Money Smith on Tre Harris: Smith says Ladd McConkie is a legitimate No. 1 receiver who could post a Jaylen Waddle-like season of roughly 1,700 yards and eight touchdowns, and he predicts second-year Chargers receiver Trey Harris will have a big year under Mike McDaniel. He also expects Philip Rivers to become an NFL head coach and thinks the Chargers offense will be good in the coming season. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/1f779ee4-78d9-4f01-a069-bcd0ef45fc72 (scored 0)
- Brandon Carney on Javonte Williams: Carney predicted AJ Brown would not be back with the Eagles, forecast a wave of free-agent landing spots (Breece Hall to the Chiefs, Alec Pierce to the 49ers, Rico Dowdle to the Saints, George Pickens to the Patriots, Mike Evans to the Bills), and named Week 1 starting quarterbacks for several teams in flux. He also gave fantasy takes on Javonte Williams, Chris Olave and others. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/9337347d-fde9-46c9-9bb6-26ade467538b (scored 100)
- Chad Ochocinco Johnson on Saquon Barkley: Johnson says the Steelers aren't legitimate Super Bowl contenders even with Aaron Rodgers back, and that Saquon Barkley can have a bounce-back season in year nine with the Eagles competing for a championship if the offensive line stays healthy. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cd0eab3d-1392-41f3-a9b6-026860f9ffa5 (scored 0)
- Ross Jackson on Devaughn Vele: Ross Jackson agreed to the same Saints mock draft board — Jeremiah Love at eight, Akeem Mesador in the second, Keonte Scott at 73, Keelan Rutledge and Ted Hurst in the fourth, Xavien Harris at 148, Aaron Anderson in the fifth and Bryce Boettcher in the sixth — and also called Devon Vellet a 2026 breakout candidate. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/b4c58f9f-23b8-4857-8505-17c213d3a342 (scored 0)
- Greg Cosell on Omarion Hampton: Cosell expects the Nick Bonito vs. Will Campbell matchup to be pivotal, predicts Caleb Williams' future is bright, expects the Chargers' run game to improve dramatically under Mike McDaniel with a good season from Omarion Hampton, and expects Sean Payton not to hide Stidham. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/26c1330e-ee04-42a9-b29d-d6f0cc6bab6a (scored 0)
- Andrew Erickson on Saquon Barkley: Erickson gave his 2026 first-round board, leaning on running backs early with Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs, Ja'Marr Chase as his WR1 and Christian McCaffrey slipping to 12. He also touted Malik Nabers as a buying opportunity, projected big touchdown numbers for Burrow and Chase, and called Barkley a buy-low. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/abd0628c-1338-467b-9ac3-d89c922468eb (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.

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