Bill Huber· Sep 13, 2026
Huber picks the Vikings to beat the Packers 34-31 in the season opener, forecasts Matthew Golden to lead Green Bay in catches, Christian Watson to top 1,000 receiving yards, Tucker Kraft to lead in touchdowns and MarShawn Lloyd to lead the team in rushing, with Micah Parsons reaching at least eight sacks. He picks Matthew Stafford for MVP, the Bears to win the NFC North, the Rams to win the Super Bowl, and the Packers to go 8-9.
“Bill Huber: Vikings 34, Packers 31.”
published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →
13 checkable claims — 4 depth chart calls, 2 player season numbers, 1 award pick, 1 division winner, 1 fantasy bust call, 1 score prediction, 1 season win total, 1 sleeper call and 1 super bowl pick — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 11 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
1 of 13 have settled so far, averaging 66.7 out of 100, against 58.3 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Of the 7 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
MarShawn Lloyd · 2026 season25 calls from 13 pundits between 1 and 2. Bill Huber 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
The game in this take
- Packers at Vikings 41 calls
13 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.
- Score PredictionsMinnesota VikingsSep 13, 2026
Minnesota Vikings 34 — Packers 31
“Bill Huber: Vikings 34, Packers 31.”
Close · 67Scored 66.67a naive guess scored 58.25+16.83 skillHow this was scored
- score:
- 22-39
- skill:
- 16.83
- they picked:
- MIN
- season:
- 2026
- accuracy:
- 66.67
- baseline:
- 58.25
- difficulty:
- 2
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- actual margin:
- 17
- weeks left when called:
- 18
- naive home margin:
- -0.53
- predicted margin:
- 3
Christian Watson to be 1st on the depth chart
“Bill: Matthew Golden in receptions, Christian Watson in yards, Tucker Kraft in touchdowns.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsMatthew GoldenGreen Bay PackersSep 13, 2026
Matthew Golden to be 1st on the depth chart
“Bill: Matthew Golden in receptions, Christian Watson in yards, Tucker Kraft in touchdowns.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Christian Watson to record 1,000 receiving yards
“If he stays healthy and keeps averaging 17 yards per catch, Watson should be the team's first 1,000-yard receiver since Davante Adams.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsTucker KraftGreen Bay PackersSep 13, 2026
Tucker Kraft to be 1st on the depth chart
“And someone's got to score all those touchdown that had been going to Josh Jacobs; big Tucker Kraft seems like the logical beneficiary.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsMarShawn LloydGreen Bay PackersSep 13, 2026
MarShawn Lloyd to be 1st on the depth chart
“Bill: MarShawn Lloyd. This is a tough one. It's tempting to go with Josh Jacobs. ... But I'll go with Lloyd.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Award PicksMatthew StaffordLos Angeles RamsSep 13, 2026
Matthew Stafford to win NFL MVP
“Who Will Win NFL MVP (and Will Jordan Love Be in Race)? Bill: Matthew Stafford.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Division WinnersChicago BearsSep 13, 2026
Chicago Bears to win the division
“NFC North Winner Bill: Bears.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Super Bowl PicksLos Angeles RamsSep 13, 2026
Los Angeles Rams to win the Super Bowl
“Super Bowl Winner Bill: Los Angeles Rams.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Season Win TotalsGreen Bay PackersSep 13, 2026
Green Bay Packers to finish with 8 wins
“Packers Record (And When Season Will End) Bill: 8-9.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Micah Parsons to record 8 sacks
“Even if Parsons misses the first six games, he should at least double that number.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsMatthew GoldenGreen Bay PackersSep 13, 2026
Matthew Golden to outplay his draft cost
“Who Will Be Biggest Breakout Player? Bill: Matthew Golden. ... He's going to have a big season and might replace Romeo Doubs as a go-to player on third down.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Lukas Van Ness to fall short of his draft cost
“Who Will Be Biggest Disappointment? Bill: Lukas Van Ness.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- 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.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice 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.
- Mike MoraitisDepth Chart Calls · Ozzy TrapiloMiss · 0Moraitis writes that although Braxton Jones has looked like the favorite, Ozzy Trapilo is likely to take over as the Bears' starting left tackle once he's healthy enough to play.
- Pete MartuneacDepth Chart Calls · Ozzy TrapiloMiss · 0After Trapilo's activation from the PUP list roughly seven months after rupturing his patellar tendon, Martuneac says the Bears' left tackle competition is over and Trapilo will be starting at left tackle early in the 2026 season, even if not by Week 1.
- Matt OkadaDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100In 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.
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.
- 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.
- Nathan JahnkeDepth Chart Calls · Jalen TolbertMiss · 0PFF's preseason fantasy recap makes a large number of depth-chart, role and fantasy-value calls across the league, including Chig Okonkwo as a top sleeper tight end, Tre Tucker as the Raiders' top receiver, and various backfield hierarchies.
- Emmett MatasovskyDepth Chart Calls · Christian IzienMiss · 0Matasovsky says Dobbs is currently leading the backup quarterback race and suggests Christian Izien may be pressed into a starting safety role in Week 1 while Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph rehab.