Season 4 Episode 5
2026 NFL Predictions & Futures Episode | Guest: Jason Shulruff @_mickjason
The Screenplay Podcast — Week 1 Preview
Football is officially back, and The Screenplay Podcast kicked off its Week 1 show with a prediction-heavy episode featuring returning guest Jason Schulruf, a Chicago Bears content creator known online as @ickjason. Hosts Evan Grenus and Andrew Novak also ran their own top-10 NFL player rankings, power rankings, award picks, and Week 1 fantasy football and betting advice.
Chicago Bears Talk: Stadium Buzz, NFC North & Super Bowl Predictions
Returning guest Jason Schulruf opened the show with an update on his new puppy, Bruce, before diving into the biggest Chicago football story of the offseason: reports that the Bears may relocate to a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana, about 28 miles and 37 minutes from downtown Chicago. Schulruf said Soldier Field "needs a new stadium" regardless of location — the game-day experience there feels unfinished, and as long as the move improves transportation access, he's fully on board.
The conversation moved to Schulruf's NFC North predictions, following up on his correct call last season that the Bears would win the division. His order for this year: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings. He named the Vikings his surprise team to make the playoffs, pointing to a top-three defense and a full season from a former Offensive Rookie of the Year at quarterback. His surprise team to miss the playoffs was the Baltimore Ravens — not out of dislike, but as a hedge against a new coaching staff disrupting a team that came within one missed field goal of the postseason last year.
On individual predictions, Schulruf set his Caleb Williams passing-yards expectation around 4,200–4,300 yards and picked Williams as his MVP favorite, with Justin Herbert as a backup choice due to potential "voter fatigue" around repeat candidates like Mahomes, Allen, and Jackson. He also touched on the Bears' fantasy-football-driven fandom around rookie receiver Luther Burden III and closed with his Super Bowl prediction: the Bears representing the NFC against either the Buffalo Bills or New England Patriots.
Top 10 NFL Players: Evan vs. Andrew
After the interview, Evan and Andrew built their own top-10 NFL player rankings, comparing notes against the league's official NFL Top 100 list (led by Myles Garrett, Josh Allen, Bijan Robinson, and Matthew Stafford).
Andrew's Top 10
1. Myles Garrett — defensive end, Cleveland Browns
2. Josh Allen — quarterback, Buffalo Bills
3. Micah Parsons — edge/linebacker
4. Patrick Mahomes — quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs
5. Ja'Marr Chase — wide receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
6. Penei Sewell — offensive tackle, Detroit Lions
7. Patrick Surtain II — cornerback, Denver Broncos
8. Bijan Robinson — running back, Atlanta Falcons
9. Will Anderson Jr. — edge rusher, Houston Texans
10. Jaxon Smith-Njigba — wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks
Evan's Top 10
1. Myles Garrett — defensive end, Cleveland Browns
2. Patrick Mahomes — quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs
3. Josh Allen — quarterback, Buffalo Bills
4. Matthew Stafford — quarterback, Los Angeles Rams
5. Christian McCaffrey — running back, San Francisco 49ers
6. Joe Thuney — offensive guard
7. Bijan Robinson — running back, Atlanta Falcons
8. Penei Sewell — offensive tackle, Detroit Lions
9. Will Anderson Jr. — edge rusher, Houston Texans
10. Ja'Marr Chase — wide receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
Andrew's biggest outlier was ranking Micah Parsons at No. 3 despite injury concerns, calling him one of the few defensive players who can "win a game by himself." Evan pushed back, noting he wasn't nearly as high on Parsons — though both hosts agreed on Myles Garrett at No. 1 and saw Will Anderson Jr. and Joe Thuney as underrated top-10 caliber players.
The NFL Cap Hit Trivia Game
A recurring Screenplay Podcast segment tests Andrew's knowledge of 2026 NFL salary cap numbers:
Question
Answer
Highest cap hit among wide receivers
Chris Godwin — $33.6M
Chris Jones' overall cap hit rank
3rd overall — $44.8M
Highest overall cap hit in the NFL
Matthew Stafford — $48.2M
Tee Higgins vs. Ja'Marr Chase cap hit
Higgins higher — $26.5M vs. $26.1M
Christian McCaffrey's overall cap hit rank
175th overall — $10.8M
George Pickens vs. CeeDee Lamb cap hit
Pickens higher — $27.3M vs. $19.1M
Deshaun Watson's overall cap hit rank
7th overall — $40.2M
Screenplay Podcast Week 1 NFL Power Rankings
1. Los Angeles Rams
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Buffalo Bills
4. Los Angeles Chargers
5. New England Patriots
6. Denver Broncos
7. Philadelphia Eagles
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Houston Texans
10. Cincinnati Bengals
Andrew flagged the irony of the Bengals sitting at No. 10 the same week they open against his own Tampa Bay Buccaneers — a matchup that will immediately reshuffle next week's list.
2026 NFL Award Predictions
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Andrew — Jeremiah Love (RB, Detroit Lions); Evan — Fernando Mendoza (QB, Las Vegas Raiders)
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Both hosts — Ruben Bain Jr. (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Offensive Player of the Year: Andrew — Jahmyr Gibbs (RB, Detroit Lions); Evan — Ja'Marr Chase (WR, Cincinnati Bengals)
Defensive Player of the Year: Andrew — Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns); Evan — Will Anderson Jr. (Houston Texans)
Coach of the Year: Andrew — Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers); Evan — Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints)
NFL MVP: Andrew — Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers); Evan — Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
Final Playoff Picture & Super Bowl Predictions
Both hosts landed on a Los Angeles Rams appearance in the Super Bowl, splitting on the AFC representative. Andrew predicted an all-Los Angeles Super Bowl — Rams versus Chargers — and reluctantly picked the Chargers to win it. Evan went with the Buffalo Bills to finally break through and beat the Rams, comparing Buffalo's persistence to the New York Knicks' recent playoff runs.
Fantasy Football Week 1: Starts and Sits
Start 'Em
● Chris Godwin (WR, TB) vs. Bengals — Andrew's pick in a projected shootout
● Luther Burden III (WR, CHI) vs. Panthers
● Khalil Shakir (WR, BUF) vs. Texans — Evan's favorite start of the week
● JK Dobbins (RB, DEN) vs. Chiefs
Sit 'Em
● George Kittle (TE, SF) vs. Rams — expected to see heavy pass-blocking snaps
● Rashee Rice (WR, KC) vs. Broncos — a historically tough matchup
● Kyle Pitts (TE, ATL) vs. Panthers — low projected point total
● Terry McLaurin (WR, WAS) vs. Eagles — tough cornerback matchup
Week 1 NFL Betting Picks
The hosts track their against-the-spread record all season. Entering Week 1, Andrew sits at 56.3% career accuracy and Evan at 54.1%.
Andrew's Picks
Evan's Picks
Buccaneers +3.5 at Bengals
Ravens −3.5 vs. Colts
Ravens −3.5 vs. Colts
Steelers −3.5 vs. Falcons
Steelers −3.5 vs. Falcons
Broncos +2.5 at Chiefs (MNF)
Listen to the Full Episode
New episodes of The Screenplay Podcast drop every Wednesday at 8 a.m. wherever you stream podcasts, hosted by Wofford College golf teammates Evan Grenus and PGA Tour winner Andrew Novak. Catch the full conversation, join the free Screenplay Podcast Survivor Pool for a shot at $250 cash, and follow along all season for weekly NFL predictions, fantasy football advice, and betting picks.