Ralph Ventre· Aug 28, 2026
Ventre reads the Bills' preseason finale as revealing the Week 1 roster: Alec Anderson wins the starting left guard job, Dorian Williams starts at inside linebacker next to Terrel Bernard, Maxwell Hairston starts at cornerback opposite Christian Benford, and Joe Andreessen, Sam Franklin, Trent Sherfield and undrafted Kani Walker make the 53.
“With Dorian Williams not dressed for the preseason finale, it's safe to assume that he will be the starter next to Terrel Bernard for the September 13 opener.”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
7 checkable claims — 4 depth chart calls and 3 roster spot calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 8 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
2 of 7 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 4 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.
Where this call stands in the room
Alec Anderson · 2026 season5 calls from 4 pundits between 1 and 1. Ralph Ventre said 1. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
7 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Roster Spot CallsSam Franklin Jr.Buffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Sam Franklin Jr. to make the roster
“Special teams ace Sam Franklin's spot is safe... received veteran roster lock treatment as an inactive on Thursday.”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- BUF
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 7310639c-0df3-4a8c-8b23-e61d9799f073
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsJoe AndreessenBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Joe Andreessen to make the roster
“Third-year backup linebacker Joe Andreessen faced some uncertainty over the offseason, but it turns out that he apparently remains in his hometown team's plans... it's likely a sign that he locked up his roster spot”
Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skillHow this was scored
- club:
- BUF
- skill:
- 0
- player:
- 65f0730f-46fa-417e-90b0-06cfa46b8056
- season:
- 2026
- claimed:
- he makes the 53
- accuracy:
- 100
- baseline:
- 100
- difficulty:
- 2
- the naive guess:
- he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- weeks on the53:
- 1
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- first week on the53:
- 1
- weeks on the practice squad:
- 0
- Roster Spot CallsKani WalkerBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Kani Walker to make the roster
“The Bills will almost definitely keep a fourth cornerback, and undrafted rookie Kani Walker appears to be the choice.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsDorian WilliamsBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Dorian Williams to be 1st on the depth chart
“With Dorian Williams not dressed for the preseason finale, it's safe to assume that he will be the starter next to Terrel Bernard for the September 13 opener.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsMaxwell HairstonBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Maxwell Hairston to be 1st on the depth chart
“CB Maxwell Hairston deemed starter... in a competition against second-round rookie Davison Igbinosun for the starting cornerback job opposite franchise piece Christian Benford.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsTrent SherfieldBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Trent Sherfield to be 6th on the depth chart
“While Buffalo may opt to keep only five wide receivers, Sherfield warrants serious consideration to be the sixth man”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsAlec AndersonBuffalo BillsAug 28, 2026
Alec Anderson to be 1st on the depth chart
“Most notably, Buffalo decided on its starting left guard, choosing returnee Alec Anderson over veteran Austin Corbett.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Danny ParkinsGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Parkins picked the Giants to upset Dallas, the Steelers to beat Atlanta by two scores, the Bears to beat Carolina, the Bills to beat Houston and Denver to beat Kansas City outright; he also said Justin Herbert will win an MVP and had the Bengals as AFC North champs.
- Kirk HerbstreitGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Herbstreit made a full slate of Week 1 picks — Lions, Ravens, Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Packers and Cowboys — and also said he still thinks Seattle is the team to beat in the NFC West.
- AJ HawkGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100AJ Hawk picked the Ravens over the Colts, Carolina to beat Chicago outright, the Bills at Houston, the Bengals over Tampa Bay, the Titans over the Jets, the Raiders over Miami, the Packers at Minnesota and the Cowboys over the Giants.
- Richard ShermanScore Predictions · Buffalo BillsHit · 98Sherman picked Seattle to beat New England 28-17 in the opener, ran through score picks for the rest of the week one slate (49ers, Cowboys, Bills, Bears, Vikings, Colts, Broncos), said the Seahawks would also beat the Cardinals, Commanders and Chargers, backed Dallas to win its division, and predicted Christian Gonzalez's deal would come in barely above Devon Witherspoon's.
- Mike KadlickGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Kadlick's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games.
- Albert BreerGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Breer's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Tyler SullivanDepth Chart Calls · Drew LockMiss · 0In an unsigned Week 2 odds roundup, the piece states that with Sam Darnold hurt, Drew Lock will likely start at quarterback for Seattle against Arizona.
- Ralph VacchianoDepth Chart Calls · Tua TagovailoaMiss · 0Vacchiano ranks all 32 NFL teams entering the 2026 season, with the Rams first and Dolphins last. He also flags the Giants as a potential surprise team with a top-10 defense, and notes Deshaun Watson won Cleveland's QB job while Tua Tagovailoa starts Week 1 in Atlanta.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice 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.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice 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.
- Steven RuizDepth Chart Calls · Michael Penix Jr.Miss · 0In a retrospective tiering of all 32 starting quarterbacks, Ruiz treats Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons' Week 1 starter over Kirk Cousins, whom he places in his lowest tier.
- Mike FlorioDepth Chart Calls · Shedeur SandersMiss · 0Florio reports the Browns will start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 but predicts Shedeur Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback by Week 3.