In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by New Era:

I don’t think anyone truly knows what is going to happen with Shedeur Sanders two weeks from now (yes, you read that correctly, Round 1 kicks off two weeks from tonight).

Everything is on the table.

I wouldn’t be shocked if he went No. 2 to the Browns, and I also wouldn’t be fazed if he plummeted Aaron Rodgers-style into the mid-20s.

Here’s what we know right now …

The Curious Case Of Shedeur Sanders

In a recent piece on ESPN, Jeremy Fowler reported that high-level personnel evaluators across the NFL are split on Sanders. Four didn’t have a first-round grade on him, while two others slotted him as a mid-to-late first-round talent.

Our very own Thor Nystrom couldn’t disagree more. He has Sanders as his No. 1 QB in this class—yes, even over Cam Ward.

That said, it’s impossible to ignore this steady drip of negative sentiment surrounding Sanders. Thor had him slipping to No. 15 (in a fun trade-up scenario) in his recent two-round mock draft.

From my perch, the best gauge of a player’s draft stock at any given moment is in the betting market, where people with skin in the game are voting with their wallet. On DraftKings, the Sanders draft position is currently set at 8.5 with heavy juice on the OVER (-200).

That line is an intriguing one with the Saints picking at 9.

I will say this … we do this song and dance every single year with the polarizing QB prospects.

Remember how many evaluators didn’t have a “Round 1 Grade” on Bo Nix last year? And then all it took was one team—the Denver Broncos—saying “screw your grade, we need a QB bad and like him enough to pull the trigger at No. 12.”

A rookie QB is a lifeline for a flailing organization. It gives the fanbase hope. It buys the GM and the coaching staff time. It resets the clock on the entire franchise. Those ingredients amount to a powerful elixir that is very hard to ignore.

Tape watchers can dump on Sanders’ flaws all they want, but when push comes to shove, teams routinely panic-click flawed QB prospects in Round 1—for better (Nix) or for worse (sup, Trey Lance?).

I’m still betting on Sanders coming off the board in the Top 10 …

AND MAYBE HE TEAMS UP WITH HIS WR1?

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Building A Contender

Chris Allen has a bone to pick with the people behind draft grades (except Thor, obviously).

When did they become the authority on what constitutes a championship team, all the way back in July or August? They should use their clairvoyance for something else. I hear sports betting is fun.

If you think dealing with fantasy rosters is tough, imagine the dilemma for real GMs. We criticize their moves all the time.

However, by looking at three hallmarks of solid team building, we can see which franchises constantly find themselves in a good position going into the summer:

1. Drafting players at premium positions
2. Retaining drafted players
3. Getting value out of rookies

Some teams have gotten this down. Others … have not. ⬇️

WHICH TEAMS HAVE WRITTEN THE BLUEPRINT?

Into the Travis Hunter Multiverse

Travis Hunter’s college football career was that of breaking barriers and raising the bar of what’s possible. Not too many players get the Shohei Ohtani comp after all. And with the NFL Draft just two weeks away, there are several teams that would love to see this two-way Heisman Trophy-winning unicorn on their teams in the fall.

Kendall Valenzuela looked at three teams picking toward the top of the draft—Browns, Giants, and Patriots—and projected how Hunter could perform if selected by each of those teams. It’s a multiverse of scenarios for a player who has tested both the limitations of imagination and what a football player can accomplish in such a specialized age in the game.👇🏼

WHERE IS HUNTER’S BEST LANDING SPOT?

The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:

🔮 Asthon Jeanty to the Dolphins at 13? We really can’t rule this out …

👀 Travis Hunter and Will Johnson aren’t the only cornerbacks to watch this fall.

👀 Why it might be time to sell Breece Hall in dynasty.

🔮 Would the Panthers add to their backfield? Dave Canales tips his hand here.

⚡️ This would be a sick thunder & lightning combo … although tricky for fantasy.

🤷 I’m not going to crush Justin Fields … for mixing up ‘rhetorical’ & ‘hypothetical’ but I had to share.

🤯 Could a pre-draft blockbuster trade be brewing for the 49ers?

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