# Andrew Erickson: Erickson names five wide receivers he's targeting in 2026 fantasy drafts — A.J. Brown, Zay Flowers, Emeka Egbuka, Christian Watson and Parker Washington — highlighting Brown as a bounce-back WR1 after his trade to New England and Egbuka and Watson as breakout/opportunity plays. **Claimed:** Aug 9, 2026 **Pundit:** Andrew Erickson — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/andrew-erickson **Outlet:** FantasyPros — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/fantasypros **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.fantasypros.com/2026/08/5-wide-receivers-we-love-to-draft-2026-fantasy-football/ 6 checkable claims — 5 sleeper calls and 1 positional finishe — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 9 players and teams, each linked to their own record. None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in. Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the rest of the room. > With him on a pass-heavy offense that is willing to feature him as the focal point, a major fantasy bounce-back and WR1 szn is LOADING for AJB. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Christian Watson to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers - Verdict: not settled yet - **Emeka Egbuka to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Verdict: not settled yet - **A.J. Brown to finish top 12 at his position, by fantasy points** - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: A.J. Brown, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet - **Zay Flowers to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens - Verdict: not settled yet - **Parker Washington to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Parker Washington - Verdict: not settled yet - **A.J. Brown to outplay his draft cost** - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: A.J. Brown, New England Patriots - Verdict: not settled yet ## Who this take is about - Christian Watson — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/christian-watson - Green Bay Packers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/packers - Emeka Egbuka — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/emeka-egbuka - Tampa Bay Buccaneers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/buccaneers - A.J. Brown — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/a-j-brown - New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/patriots - Zay Flowers — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/zay-flowers - Baltimore Ravens — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/ravens - Parker Washington — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/parker-washington ## 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) - 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) - Danny Parkins on Trey Hendrickson: Parkins predicts Fernando Mendoza goes No. 1 overall to the Raiders, Trey Hendrickson signs in Tampa, Michael Penix Jr. wins Atlanta's QB competition, Jared Wilson takes over at center in New England, Mike Evans reaches 1,000 yards, and the Bears lose Byard and Brisker. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/ca8ddcc3-733b-4a44-92b9-b90577e59c9c (scored 0) - Evan Silva on Baltimore Ravens: In his 2020 fantasy defense/special teams rankings, Silva puts the Steelers first, the 49ers second and the Ravens third, citing pass rush, favorable early schedules and game scripts. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/180b1036-60e5-494b-9b4d-90b5dc3d6528 (scored 58.33) ## 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) - 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=andrew-erickson