Sam Wallace planted his flag on Christian McCaffrey as the player he most wants when drafting from the 1.06 slot. Fantasy Life’s 2025 projections slot CMC as the RB4 in PPR—only three points shy of RB2—despite last year’s disappointment. Wallace argued the 49ers quietly cleared the deck for a massive workload: Jordan Mason signed with Minnesota, leaving only Isaac Guerendo and Jordan James behind McCaffrey, while Deebo Samuel’s departure and Brandon Aiyuk’s uncertain timeline strip the offense of proven target earners. With Brock Purdy likely leaning on check-downs to McCaffrey and George Kittle, Wallace believes the touch ceiling that once made CMC a league-winner is back in play and the middle of round one is the cheapest exposure drafters will get all summer.

Sam Wallace called Carolina the prime buy-low dynasty offense. Bryce Young, currently QB20 in consensus dynasty ranks, finished strong over his final 10 games after a rocky rookie year and now pairs with HC Dave Canales. The Panthers invested the No. 8 pick in WR Tetairoa McMillan (valued as WR16 on KeepTradeCut), signaling full commitment to Young’s development. Wallace sees minimal acquisition cost for core pieces yet a realistic path to long-term value growth.

Sam Wallace pegged Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR15 ADP) as the best bet to finish top-five at the position. The rookie combines a strong offensive environment—Kyler Murray is "more than capable" of sustaining a high-end fantasy WR—with a narrow target tree where only TE Trey McBride threatens significant volume. Wallace anticipates a 50%+ target share split between Harrison and McBride and trusts Harrison’s generational prospect profile to command the chunk of that pie.

Sam Wallace likes J.J. McCarthy at his Underdog QB16 tag, arguing that Kevin O’Connell’s Vikings provide a "ready-made" offense. He cited Sam Darnold’s competent fill-in work as evidence the scheme is plug-and-play. McCarthy inherits Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and newly-signed Aaron Jones plus at least nine dome games, giving him a realistic path to fringe QB1 numbers even if he is not asked to carry the offense the way he was not asked at Michigan.

Sam Wallace pushed Josh Downs all the way down to WR52 despite the sophomore’s 2024 breakout (100-plus targets, 800-plus yards). He argued that the looming Richardson-versus-Jones battle and the quarterbacks’ run-first tendencies make it improbable for Indianapolis to sustain two fantasy-viable receivers. With Pittman already penciled in for the lion’s share of targets, Wallace sees Downs as an inconsistent WR5/bench option whose weekly value will hinge on big plays or injuries elsewhere in the offense.

Sam Wallace advised drafting Michael Pittman as only a low-end WR3 (he slotted him at WR32) because the Colts’ passing outlook is murky. The team still hasn’t decided whether Anthony Richardson or newly acquired Daniel Jones will start, and neither quarterback has shown consistent downfield accuracy. Both signal-callers are quick to tuck and run, further limiting available targets. While Pittman has topped 800 receiving yards in four straight seasons—twice clearing 1,000—Wallace doubts the offense can produce top-20 receiver volume this year. He urged drafters to fade Pittman at his current price unless training-camp reps reveal a dramatically improved passing attack.