# Pat Fitzmaurice: 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.

**Claimed:** Sep 2, 2026
**Pundit:** Pat Fitzmaurice — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/pat-fitzmaurice
**Outlet:** FantasyPros — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/fantasypros
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.fantasypros.com/2026/09/fantasy-football-sleepers-experts-love-to-draft-2026/

5 checkable claims — 3 sleeper calls and 2 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 7 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

1 of 5 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess at the same calls.

Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.

> The perception might be that Murray is damaged goods, but he could be one of the better QB values in 2026 fantasy drafts.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Kyler Murray to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
  - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 0 for a naive guess
- **Tyler Shough to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Juwan Johnson to outplay his draft cost (ADP 16)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Terrance Ferguson to outplay his draft cost (ADP 23)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Terrance Ferguson, Los Angeles Rams
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Kyler Murray to outplay his draft cost (ADP 17)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Kyler Murray — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/kyler-murray
- Minnesota Vikings — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/vikings
- Tyler Shough — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/tyler-shough
- New Orleans Saints — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/saints
- Juwan Johnson — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/juwan-johnson
- Terrance Ferguson — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/terrance-ferguson
- Los Angeles Rams — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/rams

## What others said about the same people

- 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)
- Mike Fanelli on Kyler Murray: Fanelli ranks all 32 NFL teams for 2026 fantasy purposes, with the Bengals first and the Dolphins last, and makes assorted calls including Joe Burrow winning Comeback Player of the Year, Drake Maye leading the league in passing touchdowns, various starting-role and depth-chart projections, plus sleepers (Godwin, Travis Hunter, Jonathon Brooks) and a bust call on De'Von Achane. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/2c6f6ca7-2193-4aef-8a62-e4a7f535b80a (scored 100)
- Jordan Dajani on Kyler Murray: An unsigned CBS Sports piece states Kyler Murray will be Minnesota's Week 1 starting quarterback with J.J. McCarthy as the backup, and suggests Tua Tagovailoa appears to have the Falcons' starting job locked up. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/19a4034c-aa5b-4af7-8032-43473ee363dd (scored 100)
- Tyler Sullivan on Kyler Murray: Sullivan predicts Kyler Murray beats out J.J. McCarthy to start Week 1 for the Vikings, and that Deshaun Watson wins the Browns' quarterback battle over Shedeur Sanders. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/a5816056-90bc-46bd-8232-660289eb999f (scored 100)
- Tyler Sullivan on Kyler Murray: An unsigned CBS Sports piece predicts the winners of the four ongoing quarterback battles — Kyler Murray in Minnesota, Tua Tagovailoa in Atlanta, Deshaun Watson in Cleveland and Kirk Cousins in Las Vegas — and names several veterans (Brissett, Geno Smith, Malik Willis) as their teams' Week 1 starters, with rookie Fernando Mendoza opening as Cousins' backup. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/01cff256-f2a6-4304-81b2-b7aa782af3c7 (scored 100)
- Nick Shook on Aaron Donald: Shook unveiled his first NFL power rankings of the year, putting the Rams first, the Broncos second and the defending champion Seahawks only third, with the Dolphins last. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ea18c6ec-7662-4e66-91ed-4d0ef9d7d97d (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)
- 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 Malik Nabers: 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)
- Joe Pisapia on Omarion Hampton: Joe Pisapia's 2026 first round is receiver-heavy, starting with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Ja'Marr Chase, insisting Amon-Ra St. Brown belongs in the top five, keeping Justin Jefferson in round one, and dropping Christian McCaffrey to 12. He also sees Omarion Hampton as a value who will be a top-10 pick a year later. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/830a3414-41f0-4e58-9f3b-b1a5f9e10c3c (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=pat-fitzmaurice
