For You! The Pre-NFL Slate Release Primer

Good evening, football fans!

It’s Luke Hubbard, Daniel Rios and Tim Wood here with our second edition of Huddle Overtime, where we dive deeper into the NFL world than ever before.

Are you an NFL fanatic out there looking to scratch that itch the offseason brings? Look no further; we’ve got you covered.

We’re in a bit of a dead zone right now in terms of the NFL calendar. The schedule release is set for Thursday night, and OTAs begin next week, but that doesn’t mean there aren't a lot of intriguing topics to talk about this week.

Who’s that quarterback making an absurd throw in the back of the end zone to his receiver on 3rd-and-10? Well, new Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker, of course. 

Mestemaker is a name to watch in the 2027 NFL draft, and his story is crazy. Just three years ago, he was a backup quarterback for his high school football team, and now he’s projected to start in a Power 4 conference. Daniel Rios breaks down his background to get you familiarized before the college football season. 

While we’re on the topic of 2027 quarterbacks, Daniel Rios highlighted five quarterbacks you need to know not named Arch Manning. Just like last year, this class is supposed to be loaded…But we’ll see what happens in a year.

Let’s not get caught up in the future and forget to live in the now. There were 257 stud players drafted a few weeks ago, and quite a few of them are already in a battle for a starting role. See which top prospects have a long battle ahead of them this offseason.

The Chiefs had to replace multiple defensive starters in the draft, and on paper, they did a great job. But when you break down the Xs and Os, how well do these guys really fit into their system?

We’ve hinted at it throughout the newsletter, but the NFL schedule release is finally here! Almost…

The NFL revealed the nine-game international schedule this morning. Thursday night, they will unveil the full, 272-game regular season schedule live at 8 p.m. ET. And we’ll be live on the ES Twitter and YouTube breaking down the release live!

One of the biggest games fans are patiently awaiting to be announced is the season opener, when the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks begin their quest to defend their crown at Lumen Field on Wednesday, September 9th.

We’ve run a couple polls over the last week where we asked you who you would like to see the Seahawks open the season against, and the results were very split.

With 176 of the 515 votes, the fans want to see the Seahawks open the season against the New England Patriots, who they beat in Super Bowl LX. It would be a fascinating rematch, especially with everything going on outside the building in New England.

With the schedule releasing tomorrow, we know a lot of you may have some burning questions. I took a deep dive into the schedule release and tried to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

Even though the schedule hasn't been released yet, we do know who every team is going to play this season. There are a ton of great matchups on the schedule this year, so Luke went over the games that will define the NFC and AFC playoff races this season.

There are a ton of big games on this year’s schedule, and we want to hear from you!

Who do you think is going to come out on top of these two key matchups?

The NFL has expanded its international reach to seven different countries outside of the United States. They will make trips to England, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Brazil and Mexico this season, but they’re always looking to expand their reach even further.

The NFL is set to release its full 2️⃣7️⃣2️⃣ game schedule on Thursday night. We already know who every team will play, but we’ll learn dates and times and which teams will take part in the international slate in just a few days’ time.

The NFL has announced 9️⃣ international games in seven different countries this season, and even though the schedule doesn’t release until Thursday, we already know the matchups. Here they are, and Luke’s way-too-early predictions for the NFL’s nine international games.

We used to see just 3️⃣ games played every Thanksgiving Day, and while that tradition is still holding strong, we’re set to have a total of 6️⃣ games played during Thanksgiving week.

There will be a new Thanksgiving Eve game, three games on Thanksgiving day and (possibly) two Black Friday games this season. The latter isn’t confirmed yet, but where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire. That would mean there would be a maximum of 9️⃣ games on Sunday of Thanksgiving week, and that’s if there are no byes. Yikes…

• Post-draft and free agency, Luke looked at every team’s biggest strength and biggest weakness heading into the summer.

• A cameo from our boss, Tim Wood, who predicted how the NFL should schedule the 10 must-watch games for the 2026 season.

• Mr. Wood also dropped his 7 underrated teams that need more primetime attention.

• HOT READ: Shreyashi Bhattacharjee did a deep dive into why the NFL’s plan to grow the game worldwide is an uphill climb.

• Move aside, rookies. The NFL’s top stars are about to reset the market with new extensions.

• And there are plenty of talented players waiting to find their new home for the 2026 season.

• After game-changing Aprils, have the Cowboys and Bengals drafted their way into the Super Bowl?

• After a disappointing season, how have the Chiefs reloaded for 2026?

• Daniel keyed in on the AFC and NFC North and broke down their most-improved units and biggest weaknesses.

Dynasty football isn’t just a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. If you don’t live and breathe it every day of the year, are you really trying?

For those of you just getting into a dynasty league, be ready. Dynasty start-up drafts are a bit different than redrafts. It’s the same format, but ADPs vary greatly based on a player’s age and skill level.

Quarterback isn’t necessarily the most important position in fantasy, but if you can find a great one in your dynasty startup, you won’t even have to think about the position for 10+ years. Luke broke down the top dynasty quarterbacks into tiers, so you know who to target in your startup draft. 

There may seem to be an abundance of great wide receivers in the league right now, but there are a handful that stand out above the rest and could win you your league. Take a look at how Luke ranked them all before you hop into your dynasty draft.

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