# Ralph Ventre: 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. **Claimed:** Aug 28, 2026 **Pundit:** Ralph Ventre — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/ralph-ventre **Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/sports-illustrated **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.si.com/nfl/bills/onsi/preseason-what-bills-third-win-reveals-about-roster-outcomes-who-survives-nfl-cutdown-day 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. > 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. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Sam Franklin Jr. to make the roster** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Sam Franklin Jr., Buffalo Bills - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Joe Andreessen to make the roster** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Joe Andreessen, Buffalo Bills - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Kani Walker to make the roster** - Kind: Roster Spot Calls · About: Kani Walker, Buffalo Bills - Verdict: not settled yet - **Dorian Williams to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Dorian Williams, Buffalo Bills - Verdict: not settled yet - **Maxwell Hairston to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Maxwell Hairston, Buffalo Bills - Verdict: not settled yet - **Trent Sherfield to be 6th on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Trent Sherfield, Buffalo Bills - Verdict: not settled yet - **Alec Anderson to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Alec Anderson, Buffalo Bills - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Sam Franklin Jr. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/sam-franklin-jr - Buffalo Bills — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/bills - Joe Andreessen — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/joe-andreessen - Kani Walker — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/kani-walker - Dorian Williams — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/dorian-williams - Maxwell Hairston — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/maxwell-hairston - Trent Sherfield — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/trent-sherfield - Alec Anderson — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/alec-anderson ## What others said about the same people - Danny Parkins on Buffalo Bills: Parkins 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/36c480cc-6b54-4cea-8204-3fc00ea6493c (scored 100) - Kirk Herbstreit on Buffalo Bills: Herbstreit 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/5bc3755c-9b84-484f-b8f2-b18d51a12261 (scored 100) - AJ Hawk on Buffalo Bills: AJ 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/74f9146c-d27f-4851-b8a4-4103d043308f (scored 100) - Richard Sherman on Buffalo Bills: Sherman 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/3b4f1960-4810-4136-8023-c9a76a0598a3 (scored 97.62) - Mike Kadlick on Buffalo Bills: Kadlick's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/934613ff-97e3-4894-a383-faa755bdfc35 (scored 100) - Albert Breer on Buffalo Bills: Breer's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/81a0a660-de14-460e-a283-c357a6a1bcda (scored 100) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Tyler Sullivan on Drew Lock: In 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8a14b5e6-066b-457f-b409-a3ddbd512aca (scored 0) - Ralph Vacchiano on Tua Tagovailoa: Vacchiano 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/6f782be9-64d3-47cf-b054-6566e14194d6 (scored 0) - 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) - 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) - Steven Ruiz on Michael Penix Jr.: In 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. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/968b3764-11ef-41b5-a370-ff570b3219d1 (scored 0) - Mike Florio on Shedeur Sanders: Florio reports the Browns will start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 but predicts Shedeur Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback by Week 3. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/cf6258b2-b55f-4f50-84f9-24269a5a006a (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=ralph-ventre