Joe Marino· Sep 1, 2026
Marino picked left guard Alec Anderson as his offensive breakout player and projected him as the Bills' starting left guard, named DJ Moore his comeback kid, said not to forget Khalil Shakir's expanding role, and made James Cook his dark-horse MVP with more pass-catching work coming.
“But Alec Anderson is where I'm gonna go here.”
said on air, transcribed by us · Locked On Bills (podcast) · read the original →
5 checkable claims — 4 sleeper calls and 1 depth chart call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 5 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 below the rest of the room.
Where this call stands in the room
Alec Anderson · 2026 season5 calls from 4 pundits between 1 and 1. Joe Marino 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.
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Who this take is about
5 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.
- Sleeper CallsKhalil ShakirBuffalo BillsSep 1, 2026
Khalil Shakir to outplay his draft cost
“But I think there's just so much more of a expanded role coming for Khalil Shakir.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsAlec AndersonBuffalo BillsSep 1, 2026
Alec Anderson to be 1st on the depth chart
“now he's positioned to be a starting left guard. And that's between Deion Dawkins and Connor McGovern”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsDJ MooreBuffalo BillsSep 1, 2026
DJ Moore to outplay his draft cost
“I think that he might even come close to doubling his receiving total that he put up last year for the for the for the bears. So he's my comeback kid.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsAlec AndersonBuffalo BillsSep 1, 2026
Alec Anderson to outplay his draft cost
“But Alec Anderson is where I'm gonna go here... I think it's a ripe, opportunity for Alec Anderson to step in”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Sleeper CallsJames CookBuffalo BillsSep 1, 2026
James Cook to outplay his draft cost
“maybe not the deepest of dark horse MVPs, but I think this could be a monster year for James Cook... I'm expecting more pass catching from James Cook this year.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Danny ParkinsGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Parkins 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.
- Kirk HerbstreitGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Herbstreit 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.
- AJ HawkGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100AJ 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.
- Richard ShermanScore Predictions · Buffalo BillsHit · 98Sherman 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.
- Mike KadlickGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Kadlick's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games.
- Albert BreerGame Outcome Picks · Buffalo BillsHit · 100Breer's Week 1 straight-up picks for all 16 games.
More sleeper calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Matt Money SmithSleeper Calls · Tre HarrisMiss · 0Smith 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.
- Brandon CarneySleeper Calls · Javonte WilliamsHit · 100Carney 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.
- Chad Ochocinco JohnsonSleeper Calls · Saquon BarkleyMiss · 0Johnson 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.
- Ross JacksonSleeper Calls · Devaughn VeleMiss · 0Ross 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.
- Greg CosellSleeper Calls · Omarion HamptonMiss · 0Cosell 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.
- Andrew EricksonSleeper Calls · Malik NabersMiss · 0Erickson 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.