Welcome to a brand new series I’m rolling out this offseason, titled Welcome to Underdog Best Ball Drafts. The goal of this series is to dig into the new faces in the P4 that we’ll need to educate ourselves on as the best ball season draws nearer. The transfer portal has given us a plethora of options, some good, some bad. Let’s look at which is which here with our first group of players new to the P4 in 2026.
Danny Scudero, WR, Colorado
For CFF fans, Scudero was one of the scariest transfer portal entries. We knew what he was at San Jose State (a legitimate WR1 overall type player), but where would he land, and what would his value be? His landing spot in Colorado gives some people hope with the Underdog community, at least getting to draft his talents.
Scudero is 5’9″, 174lbs., and overall a pretty solid athlete. Looking at the prospect athletic comp tool, his speed score is 89.9, while his acceleration is 77.6. And many in the fantasy community believe he’s not just a guy who thrived due to the system. The route-running has been praised, which wouldn’t be super surprising given how often he won last season. There seem to be some skills here, but what about the Colorado offense he chose?
Brennan Marion is the new offensive coordinator for the Buffs, which has typically meant great offensive output. There is the potential for a top 25 P4 WR in this offense, no doubt about it. Is that guy Scudero, though? In 2023 and 2024, Marion produced two stellar seasons out of Ricky White, an outside receiver at UNLV. Scudero played 89.5% of his snaps in the slot. Don’t love that! And one interesting thing to consider is not only did Ricky White thrive out wide, but Jacob de Jesus, the guy that just caught 107 passes on 155 targets for Cal last season, was pretty average for that same UNLV Marion-led offense in 2024. That tidbit is pretty damning in my eyes.
Can this offense support two fantasy-relevant receivers if Scudero doesn’t lock in that WR1 role in 2026? As we’ve seen in years past, having two receivers in the top 25 from the same team isn’t all that common. The only teams to do it last season were Ohio State and Indiana.
While Julian Lewis, the true sophomore quarterback for Colorado, looked pretty solid all things considered last season, the likelihood of him supporting two top 25 receivers is quite low. So, if you’re banking on Scudero to finish top 25, then you must believe that Marion is going to shift the high WR1 target share towards the slot in 2026, something he hasn’t done during his limited time in the FBS.
Jackson Harris, WR, LSU
Harris is another guy who was a G5 star, this time at Hawai’i. He heads over to LSU, where he’s in battle for relevance with multiple relevant transfer names like Jayce Brown and Eugene Wilson III. What’s really appealing here to start is Lane Kiffin. Looking at his offenses, they typically thrive, and he recruited Sam Leavitt over to Baton Rouge to lead his team. Does the shine of the Kiffin name really matter, though? Would it shock you to hear that Harrison Wallace was the top target in the 2025 Ole Miss offense and that he ended the year in the mid-60s? I was also surprised, don’t worry.
This offense utilized the outside receiver plenty, with the top three performers in yards per game all coming outside. In total, they really rotated up to five receivers at a time every game. This doesn’t bode well for anyone, especially a G5 transfer into the SEC. Harris (6’3″, 205lbs) did play the heavy majority of his snaps outside for Hawai’i, so we can assume that his role will continue for the Tigers.
Factoring in the different names added into the receiver mix, it’s hard to really feel great about Harris’ potential in 2026. Any ADP earlier than the teens means it’s likely a no from me.
Chase Hendricks, WR, Cal
Hendricks is a former MAC slot receiver who is headed out west to play in 2026. He’s 5’10.5″ and 203lbs. and not all that athletic with a 32.0 star index score. To make matters worse, Hendricks is one of many quality players this Bears offense has added for the 2026 season. Ian Strong (Rutgers), Dorian Thomas (New Mexico) are both additions to go along with Trond Grizzell who returns for another year. There’s also a chance that by the time you’re reading this, Jacob de Jesus (last year’s slot receiver) has earned another year of eligibility. This room is deep, with plenty of options.
This system is in flux with Jordan Somerville as the offensive coordinator this season. He was hired by Tosh Lupoi, another new name to Cal in 2026. If we look at how de Jesus did in 2025, his 98 receptions still ranked him only 22nd among receivers on Underdog. We’re not even sure whether there will be any carryover from last year to this year in terms of target share and passing-game focus. The good news is by the time we’re drafting, we’ll know who is and isn’t eligible for Cal. The bad news is that we’re not likely to know who the main target will be under Somerville.
It’s really hard to be interested in Hendricks this season due to the above. Maybe we’ll hear glaring reviews of the offense and Hendricks specifically this spring. Otherwise, he’s a really easy fade for those playing on Underdog this season.
