In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter:

Do you want to know why fantasy people love making bold predictions? Because we don’t have to answer for them if they don’t come true. “Hey man, I told you they were bold. I think I even said ‘maybe crazy’ in the headline!”

But there’s a little bit of truth in them. Conviction, even! And they’re fun in their dangerousness. Could Shedeur Sanders start 10 games for the Browns? Yes. Could he start 0? Also yes.

You know what? You all know what bold predictions are. Let’s just get into it.

Shedeur Sanders will start at least 10 games for the Browns and be a fantasy stud.

Two bold predictions wrapped into one!

Every draft analyst I love and respect had Sanders as their top QB in the 2025 draft. Thor had him as his No. 1 QB. Emory Hunt took him first overall in our mock. And then, over three bizarro days, it got weird and Mel Kiper became a meme. ALL THESE PEOPLE CAN’T BE WRONG! Shedeur Sanders, despite the draft shenanigans, may be the best QB on the Browns’ roster.

Things don’t look great for Sanders at the moment, of course—especially if you check our projections page. I’m in the Matthew Freedman camp; “The Oracle” has Sanders with 1,202 yards and 7 TDs. But I’m thinking bigger. On the other hand, Dwain McFarland might win you over with this Flacco stat:

With any bold prediction, there’s a slight issue … or a few. Sanders is currently assumed to be behind Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and Dillon Gabriel. Dwain has those Flacco stats that say the path is not very clear at all. But this is why we have to strike now! Once we see the (inevitable) “Shedeur Sanders is getting second-team reps” tweets from Ian Rapoport in a couple weeks, Sanders’ ROY odds drop from 40-1 to 18-1 and this all moves to “Milquetoast Prediction” territory—and who likes milquetoast predictions??

The Athletic’s Zac Jackson had this to say in his latest column: Dillon Gabriel is clearly third in line ahead of fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders for now.

Note the “for now”!!

Even Kevin Stefanski says the drill order will change in the coming week. In an earlier column, Jackson also noted that, “Sanders showed in the spring that he’s capable of throwing with touch and accuracy.” Keep an eye on Jackson’s columns, by the way—he’s usually spot on and his assumptions are very accurate.

So, where does this leave us? My hunch is that Flacco starts a few games, the Browns go 1-2, and fans scream for change. Pickett comes in maybe the second half of Week 4 “to try and spark something.” Stefanski refuses to name a Week 5 London starter; it’s eventually Pickett. Somewhere in there, Pickett gets hurt (there will be a big controversy about the Tottenham Hotspur field, but that’s for another newsletter), and Flacco comes back in and is largely ineffective. London fans lustily boo Joe Flacco. Our hearts collectively break for him because we do love the guy. In the lead-up to Week 6, Zac Jackson reports that Shedeur Sanders may start. On Wednesday, they announce him as the starter. Lines shift, people go crazy. TV shows have days of debate. The Oracle quietly has a drink of an expensive bourbon he’s been holding on to and chuckles to himself.

In Week 6 against the Steelers, Sanders puts on a show: 300+ passing yards. The rapport he developed with Jamari Thrash when both practiced as backups results in a 10-target breakout game for the 24-year-old. Diontae Johnson gets 11 targets. Cleveland (the city) erupts in fandom, and the next week, at home against Miami, Sanders does it again. But this time it’s Harold Fannin Jr. breaking out, with 60 yards and 2 TDs.

Sanders’ card prices explode. His jersey is the second-best-selling in the NFL shop, behind a special-edition Caitlin Clark one the Colts made. Zac Jackson uncovers an NFL-wide conspiracy from the NFL Draft and wins a Pulitzer. Predictable “shock” hosts try hard to be contrarian and say these two games are flukes. The rest of the world embraces the lovable Sanders, who goes on to win OROY honors and makes the Pro Bowl.

Is this too far-fetched? No. Is it regular, far-fetched? Maybe. Am I really going to do that “answer my own question” thing twice in the same intro? Yes.

Do you agree? Disagree? I barely check Twitter, but our Head of Video, Matt Swing, is on it a lot and would love to hear from you. Hit him up @I_Am_MattSwing with your thoughts. Swear a little. It’ll confuse him because he’s on vacation and probably not reading this.

Quick note: Later in that first linked Zac Jackson column, he notes that Pierre Strong Jr. has been acting as the top RB with Jerome Ford out. Just something to file away for a rainy day!

And if you want to do your own Projection Cosplaying, there’s no better place to start than right here —>

Introducing Fantasy HQ

Fantasy HQ is your NEW fantasy football command center. Think Red Zone, but for fantasy football.

To get started, simply sync your league (it's free to sync). With Fantasy HQ, you'll be able to see, manage, and sweat all of your teams across all platforms, all in one place. You can even have Fantasy HQ manage your teams for you and reflect on your fantasy apps!

We Interrupt Draft Season … For Draft Season

Speaking of Thor … he kicked off the 2026 NFL Draft season with a mock draft earlier in the month.

He’s back with his Top 15 QBs.

To have a little fun, here is a sentence Thor used for each of the top five. Answers are … in the column.

1. “He is far more athletically gifted than either of his uncles.”
2. “[REDCATED] is not getting the credit or the respect he deserves for what he did last season and for what he’s already shown as an NFL prospect.”
3. “There remain more bugs that need fixing in his game than his ardent supporters readily acknowledge.”
4. “In my exposure to him live last year, he reminded me of a pint-sized Tony Romo.”
5. “The jaw-dropping flash plays on film are undeniable.”

Check it all out below! 👇

In Praise of Pip Auction Leagues

Not enough people seem to be playing in auction leagues. There’s a bit of a barrier to entry, but not realllllly—if you’ve ever used eBay, you will understand an auction league. And with August hot on our heels, the time to try and change your league over to an auction format is shrinking. It may already be too late. But here’s our try.

Auction leagues are awesome. Sure…

• they take a little more effort
• they are longer draft day experiences
• they’re easier to mess up
• you have some nuances that auction first-timers may not pick up
• if you convince your league to switch and then you dominate, they’ll all say you did it just so you could win

BUT they’re fun. And they’re more fun than a regular draft. You have free will—pick any player you want. Do none of the second or third-rounders appeal to you? In an auction you can avoid them entirely; pick three first-rounders! You have the money (at least you will before you do that). There are bidding wars! There are last-second swoop-ins! And this format lends itself really nicely to dynasty and keeper formats, for those who are so inclined.

And we, of course, have advice …

More people should play in auction leagues. Convince your league to consider it. Take your team back into your own hands.

And if you don’t know where to start? Your pal Adam Ronis has a primer for you with advice like this: Like anything in life, flexibility is key.

Then just skip over to our auction values … and you’re set! 👇 👇 👇

Around the Watercooler

Let’s get to work, people! It’s draft season!!

🤔 Ranking every OC for fantasy football … from 1 to 32.

🔥 ICYMI: Dwain’s QB tiers.

🔥🔥 ICYMTT: Dwain’s TE tiers.

🤯 Could Trey McBride get even better? Oh baby…

💪 Bold calls and My Guys for 2025. Ian welcomes John Daigle as they talk players they can’t wait to draft.

💰 Headed to the National? Here’s the best advice you can get.

👀 Our latest dynasty column urges you to go a little harder on RJ Harvey

📉 We’ve been very positive lately. Now, here are some regression candidates.

🏈 Monitoring Matthew Stafford’s back situation.

🚑 Joe Mixon could be out a while. Nick Chubb and Woody Marks anyone?