# Mark Morales-Smith: Morales-Smith names four late-round quarterback sleepers — Kyler Murray, Malik Willis, Tyler Shough and Cam Ward — arguing each will outperform his draft cost. He also insists Murray, not J.J. McCarthy, will be the Vikings' starter, and that Shough can deliver low-end QB1 production.

**Claimed:** Aug 4, 2026
**Pundit:** Mark Morales-Smith — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/pundits/mark-morales-smith
**Outlet:** Sports Illustrated — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/outlets/sports-illustrated
**How it reached us:** published in writing
**Original:** https://www.si.com/onsi/fantasy/nfl/fantasy-football-quarterback-sleepers-malik-willis-brings-huge-upside-while-a-year-two-qb-is-on-the-rise

5 checkable claims — 3 sleeper calls, 1 depth chart call and 1 positional finishe — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 6 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.

> As the QB17 off the boards, he's an absolute steal in fantasy drafts.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Kyler Murray to outplay his draft cost (QB17)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Tyler Shough to outplay his draft cost (QB20)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Kyler Murray to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Malik Willis to outplay his draft cost (QB21)**
  - Kind: Sleeper Calls · About: Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Tyler Shough to finish QB1 (1–12) at his position, by passing yards**
  - Kind: Positional Finishes · About: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
  - Verdict: too vague to check

## 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
- Malik Willis — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/players/malik-willis
- Miami Dolphins — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/nfl/teams/dolphins

## What others said about the same people

- Pat Fitzmaurice on Aaron Jones: In previewing the 10 most intriguing fantasy performers of Week 2, Fitzmaurice expects Atlanta's quarterback problems to persist with Tua Tagovailoa unlikely to play and Michael Penix Jr. not ready to return, flags Falcons slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. as a possible Week 2 returnee, and describes Aaron Jones as Minnesota's lead back and Kaelon Black as the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/31adc8bb-8f15-453f-bbcf-cab44e29b8b3 (scored 100)
- Devon Platana on Johnny Hekker: With punter Brett Thorson dealing with a hamstring injury, Platana suggests the Vikings have a decent chance of bringing back veteran free-agent punter Johnny Hekker as a familiar fill-in. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/eafcb668-aa60-42b1-8d77-ebdd33d0c2af (scored 100)
- Mike Moraitis on Andre Jones Jr.: Moraitis expects Andre Jones Jr. to hold a spot on Miami's 53-man roster after being signed off Buffalo's practice squad, with a significant special teams role under coordinator Chris Tabor. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/aada599b-129d-4866-bc24-0562e28b735c (scored 100)
- Doug Joubert on Kelvin Banks Jr.: Joubert grades the Saints' units after their win at Baltimore and predicts that left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. will be placed on injured reserve, with one of three practice-squad tackles potentially elevated. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/6e48166c-9792-4e2b-aae7-fe44b83758e2 (scored 0)
- Dylan Sanders on New Orleans Saints: Dylan Sanders picked the Saints to upset the Ravens 23-17 in a low-scoring game. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/55d9798e-b8b9-4382-a11b-22a86a66d80e (scored 97.62)
- Tyler Sullivan on New Orleans Saints: A CBS Sports column flags five Week 2 favorites on upset alert, effectively backing the underdogs — Lions at Bills, Bengals at Texans, Jets over Packers, Jaguars at Broncos and Saints at Ravens — to pull off wins. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/0ee2daf0-868b-4ffd-a252-f478174d97f6 (scored 100)

## More sleeper calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Derek Brown on Travis Hunter: Derek Brown ("Debro") laid out a slate of wide receiver breakouts — Ricky Pearsall, Jalen Coker, Egbuka, Jalen Waddle, Joshua Palmer, George Pickens, DeVonta Smith and Travis Hunter — while fading Xavier Worthy, Tyreek Hill and the cheap Cleveland/late-round types, and gave his own rankings well ahead of ADP for several of them. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/effe2fda-3dcb-489f-a1e1-f8fa5b11ada7 (scored 100)
- Tom Strachan on Ricky Pearsall: Tom Strachan backed Xavier Worthy, Jalen Coker, Egbuka, Jalen Waddle, Darnell Mooney, Zay Flowers, George Pickens, DeVonta Smith and Travis Hunter as values at their draft costs, while avoiding Jerry Jeudy and the Cleveland receivers. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/c42eacc5-eb10-4103-a94d-50545a487cbb (scored 100)
- Ryan Wormeli on Ricky Pearsall: Host Ryan Warmley endorsed Ricky Pearsall as a bet worth making and put his rookie-receiver capital in Tetairoa McMillan, while fading Zay Flowers at his cost and opting out of Marvin Harrison Jr. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/192d6e67-2e0e-49b3-bc82-4c8a77bd5950 (scored 100)
- Chris Welsh on Tyler Warren: Welsh drafted Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan, Travis Hunter, the Rams and Saints receivers, Justin Fields (a top-10 QB), Drake Maye (QB10-14), Travis Kelce and Tyler Warren, while passing on Joe Mixon, the Commanders backfield, Tyreek Hill, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/9f0f2132-f3b8-4813-b2b1-374b827d86a8 (scored 100)
- Pat Fitzmaurice on Rashee Rice: Pat Fitzmaurice gave draft-or-pass calls: reluctant drafts on Christian McCaffrey, RJ Harvey, Tetairoa McMillan (his WR16), Rashee Rice at a ninth-round price, Austin Ekeler, Chris Rodriguez, Chris Olave, Drake Maye (his QB8) and Tyler Warren, with passes on Breece Hall, Joe Mixon, Croskey-Merritt, Tyreek Hill, Travis Hunter, the Rams receivers and Justin Fields. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/e36f1287-466c-4889-a7ea-c9d86f4b5182 (scored 0)
- Joe Pisapia on RJ Harvey: Joey P (Joe Pisapia) played draft-or-pass on 2025 fantasy values: he passed on Christian McCaffrey at pick 7, Breece Hall, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Hunter and Chris Olave, while drafting RJ Harvey, Tyreek Hill, Tetairoa McMillan, Puka Nacua, Tyler Warren and a late-round Joe Mixon. — https://missedtakes.thegoodapps.co/opinions/c3c95c1c-64a4-42b6-9389-58d5fb5b27d1 (scored 100)

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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:
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