# Derek Brown: Brown names five wide receivers to target in 2026 fantasy drafts, arguing each will outperform his draft cost: McLaurin bounces back as a WR2, Flowers is a WR2 with WR1 upside, Egbuka beats his mid-WR2 cost and becomes Tampa Bay's clear WR1, Watson is Green Bay's clear WR1 and a strong WR2, and Evans is a value with WR1 upside in San Francisco. **Claimed:** Sep 2, 2026 **Pundit:** Derek Brown — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/derek-brown **Outlet:** FantasyPros — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/fantasypros **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.fantasypros.com/2026/09/5-must-have-wide-receivers-2026-fantasy-football-expert-picks/ 10 checkable claims — 5 sleeper calls, 3 positional finishes and 2 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 10 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 5 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 2 and below it on 3. > Consider me a rabid drafter hellbent upon drafting as much Egbuka as possible this season. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Mike Evans to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Mike Evans, San Francisco 49ers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Terry McLaurin to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders - Verdict: not settled yet - **Emeka Egbuka to outplay his draft cost (mid WR2 draft cost)** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Christian Watson to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Emeka Egbuka to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Christian Watson to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Christian Watson to finish top 24 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Zay Flowers to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens - Verdict: not settled yet - **Terry McLaurin to finish top 24 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders - Verdict: not settled yet - **Zay Flowers to finish top 24 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Mike Evans — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/mike-evans - San Francisco 49ers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/49ers - Terry McLaurin — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/terry-mclaurin - Washington Commanders — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/commanders - Emeka Egbuka — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/emeka-egbuka - Tampa Bay Buccaneers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/buccaneers - Christian Watson — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/christian-watson - Green Bay Packers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/packers - Zay Flowers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/zay-flowers - Baltimore Ravens — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/ravens ## What others said about the same people - Chris Brockman on Baker Mayfield: Brockman's season-preview overreactions: Fernando Mendoza becomes an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist; Dak Prescott wins MVP and the Cowboys win the Super Bowl; Jesse Minter's Ravens win the AFC North; C.J. Stroud leads Houston to the AFC's No. 1 seed; Jonathan Taylor approaches 2,000 rushing yards; Baker Mayfield wins the NFC South, goes 12-5 and reaches the NFC title game while landing a $60 million-per-year deal; and Aaron Rodgers throws 35-plus touchdowns as the Steelers go 11-6 and win the North. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/d508736e-a824-4fa0-854c-df4ebdd9ef02 (scored 100) - Jon Gruden on Baker Mayfield: The former Buccaneers head coach predicted that Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield are closer on a new contract than believed and that an extension will get done. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/10bb8ff2-886c-488e-b693-fb4ea9dd5880 (scored 100) - Joel Corry on Baker Mayfield: The unsigned CBS Sports analysis lays out the contract it believes Tampa Bay will have to give Mayfield at minimum: a two-year extension averaging $50 million per year with $110 million in guarantees and a no-trade clause. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/8a840ff4-f1e5-48ca-bec6-ba41e9ef2396 (scored 100) - Seth Walder on Kayshon Boutte: Walder proposes five trades he believes should happen before Week 1 of the 2026 season: Jessie Bates III to the 49ers, Kayvon Thibodeaux to the Patriots, Keon Coleman to the Colts, Walker Little to the Cardinals, and Kayshon Boutte to the Commanders, where he says Boutte would immediately be Washington's No. 2 receiver. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0263bd78-6c5c-41c5-8615-0467d8ef521a (scored 0) - Garrett Podell on Stefon Diggs: An unsigned CBS Sports report frames Stefon Diggs as filling Washington's vacant No. 2 receiver role opposite Terry McLaurin after his reported one-year deal, expecting him in that spot in the 2026 passing game with Jayden Daniels. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/bc79861b-dbde-474e-9d55-bf50f7b766d2 (scored 100) - Mason Cameron on Ethan Pocic: An unsigned PFF piece ranks the NFL's top 32 centers heading into the 2026 season, with Creed Humphrey first for the fourth straight year, and names Ethan Pocic and Austin Schlottmann as the favorites to win starting center jobs in Baltimore and Tennessee. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ac17490e-98b7-4d3c-9fea-750e5dc9e486 (scored 0) ## 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 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) --- 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=derek-brown