KC Joyner's 2026 content schedule
It’s going to be a really busy season!!!
This is my 23rd season covering the NFL and fantasy football and I’m more fired up for it than maybe any other campaign in that span.
A prime reason for the enthusiasm is this is the first year that I am going full bore into the independent arena. I will still be writing for The Athletic and having a lot of fun chatting in the The Athletic’s Discord chat rooms during prime time games, but the overwhelming bulk of my content will be either on this Substack or produced for the Paydirt subscription service available at my fantasy football website, which is TheFootballScientist.com.
That means there are a lot of moving parts in this content world. To help readers navigate them, I’ve compiled this year’s schedule in the following chart. The elements are listed by day and color-coded by outlet. This chart can also be sorted and/or downloaded.
These items are up to date as of August 12, 2026. They could change between now and the beginning of the season, at which point the schedule will be adjusted and re-posted.
Here are more details for each item.
Monday
Monday Night Football chat at The Athletic Discord chat room. This is free to join and usually starts 2-3 hours before kickoff. You can join this chat room via this link: The Athletic Discord chat room.
Tuesday
Paydirt waiver rankings. These are comprehensive waiver rankings that include 1-5 priority grades for every waiver prospect. This priority system results in as many as 70-80 players being listed in each week’s chart, so it can provide roster help no matter how deep your league is. There is also a rankings write-up covering all of the prospects with a 5-priority grade.
This year’s waiver rankings will also highlight if the prospect in question is a single-week pickup, a short-term acquisition or a long-term investment. These rankings are available exclusively to all Paydirt subscribers and are sent out via email every Tuesday morning.
Paydirt waiver chat. This is available to Paydirt subscribers via the Paydirt Discord chat room (links to the chat room are emailed to Paydirt subscribers). The chat is typically scheduled for 3-4 PM ET, but that time may shift on occasion.
One Thought on Every Game weekly review. This is a comprehensive review article for every game in the previous week. It will cover a range of topics, including fantasy football, scout’s eye reviews and advanced stat insights. This is available exclusively for paid Substack subscribers and will be posted every Tuesday morning.
One Thought on Every Game radio interview on The Mike Gill Show on 97.3 ESPN in Atlantic City. The Tuesday edition of this hugely entertaining and informative segment begins with about 10 minutes of discussion about the Philadelphia Eagles (Atlantic City has a ton of Eagles fans) then spends another 10 minutes or so in the One Thought on Every Game review of the previous week’s contests. This usually starts in the 5 PM ET hour but that time may vary on occasion. You can hear this interview by going to the 97.3 ESPN Listen Live site.
Wednesday
The Plus/Minus Blocking Report. This is a new in-season element that I am incredibly excited about. I have carved out a significant amount of time in the Sunday-Tuesday schedule to do coach’s film breakdowns of every run play from the previous week. The resulting downloadable metrics will cover RB, offensive and defensive performance in the six plus/minus blocking categories detailed in my new Plus/Minus block grading system. In addition to the metrics, there will be a report detailing the most notable stat elements and scout’s eye insights.
The Plus/Minus Blocking Report will be available on Wednesday mornings for both paid Substack subscribers and Paydirt Silver and Gold subscribers.
Thursday
Paydirt weekly start-sit charts, version 1. These start-sit charts contain overall, upside and downside grades for every scoring format plus insanely detailed matchup charts. Those matchup charts were a go-to for Jerry and Phil Hooton when they won $500,000 in the 2020 FFPC Main Event. These charts are sent out via email every Thursday morning and are available exclusively for Paydirt Silver and Gold subscribers. You can find out more about the Paydirt subscription service at The Football Scientist website.
KC Joyner’s NFL picks article. Substack is the new home for my weekly picks article. Each edition of this series will provide a deep-dive review of the upcoming week’s contests. These reviews are based on matchup analysis in 10 different categories. The game overviews will include my straight up pick in that contest, as well as thoughts on various wager lines, players/matchups to target or avoid and tons of other actionable information. This will be posted on Thursday morning and is available exclusively for paid Substack subscribers.
Thursday Night Football chat at The Athletic Discord chat room. This is free to join and usually starts 2-3 hours before kickoff. You can join this chat room via this link: The Athletic Discord chat room.
One Thought on Every Game radio interview on The Mike Gill Show on 97.3 ESPN in Atlantic City. The Thursday edition of this hugely entertaining and informative segment begins with about 10 minutes of discussion about the Philadelphia Eagles (Atlantic City has a ton of Eagles fans) then spends another 10 minutes or so in the One Thought on Every Game preview of the upcoming week’s contests. This usually starts in the 5 PM ET hour but that time may vary on occasion. You can listen to this interview by going to the 97.3 ESPN Listen Live site.
Sunday
Paydirt start-sit charts, version 2. This is a fully updated version of the grades and matchup charts that were sent out on Thursday. This update includes alterations made for the injury/personnel changes that occurred after version 1’s release. These charts are sent via email on Sunday morning and are available exclusively for Paydirt Silver and Gold subscribers.
Paydirt Gold notes. These notes provide granular details regarding the potential fantasy football scoring impact from the latest injury updates. The key here is this review covers skill position players AND any injured players whose potential absence could impact player/team fantasy performance (e.g., offensive or defensive linemen, cornerbacks and safeties, etc.). This early Sunday early AM review is available exclusively via email for Paydirt Gold-level subscribers.
Updated NFL picks. This quick hitting post covers any notable changes that impact the NFL picks. The primary goal here is to highlight areas that could impact the way the game is likely to play out. This can be due to injuries, weather or various other areas. This early Sunday early AM review is available exclusively for paid Substack subscribers.
Paydirt early kickoff start-sit chat. This is available to Paydirt subscribers via the Paydirt Discord chat room. This is the place to discuss last minute start-sit decisions before the early kickoffs. This chat begins at 12 PM ET and goes right up until the 1 PM ET kickoff games start.
Sunday Night Football chat at The Athletic Discord chat room. This is free to join and starts at 7 PM ET. You can join this chat room via this link: The Athletic Discord chat room.
Dates/times TBD
There are also some 2026 season elements that are still in the TBD stage. This includes a weekly fantasy football article at The Athletic and various radio interviews, including sporadic appearances on Football Diehards. Announcements on those will be posted via email for Paydirt newsletter subscribers and on the schedule pages at KCJoyner.com and TheFootballScientist.com.
It’s possible there will be more even more than this, but this is already a jam-packed schedule that has me fired up for the 2026 season. LFG!