Matthew Berry's Fantasy Football Rankings FAQ: Kyren Williams, Jonathon Brooks & More

“You should do something about fantasy football rankings.”

I am speaking with Peter Schoenke, CEO of Fantasy Life, about what today’s column should be about.

“It could be a way to let people know that your rankings are now exclusively on Fantasy Life”.

Say this for Peter; he doesn’t miss a trick. Ha!

Anyways, my rankings are now on Fantasy Life … and even better, you can get them fully customized to your specific league settings. It’s like having me in your pocket wherever you go. That seemed less creepy in my mind before I wrote it out loud. No matter. Promo code BERRY gets you 10% off if you’d like me around you at all times.

But back to my rankings and your questions. That’s right. I went to Twitter and Instagram to be “interactive” and “lazy” by asking people what the biggest questions they had about my rankings are.

Questions involving Ashton Jeanty, Kyren Williams, Cam Skattebo, Malik Nabers, Ladd McConkey, Emeka Egbuka, Jonathon Brooks, Luther Burden, Rome Odunze and many more followed. Here, now, are some of the questions that came in and my answers.

Also, a reminder that Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry starts up on Monday, August 3rd. Wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube.

Okay, here we go.

FAQs About Matthew Berry's Fantasy Football Rankings

Are You Too High On Kyren Williams?

Q: @JohnLaghezza on X—who also does some writing for us, but I promise this isn’t a plant question—had a bunch of questions for me, including “Kyren at 30 is scaring me with Corum nipping at his heels. Too high.”

TMR: Yeah, I hear you. Lotta Corum buzz. But this is really a bet on the Rams offense more than a bet on Kyren himself. I know everyone points to Blake Corum getting more work late last year—and he did—but from Weeks 7-18, Kyren still averaged 16.6 touches per game and was the RB11 in fantasy points per game. That’s not exactly “washed.”

He was also one of the league leaders in goal-to-go carries, and touchdowns still count the same in fantasy the last time I checked. Everyone loves talking about Corum’s upside if Kyren gets hurt. Fair. But football has a funny way of reminding us injuries work both ways. If Corum is the one who misses time, suddenly nobody is asking why I have Kyren ranked this high. And honestly, look at the players around him. I don’t have a strong case for moving Breece Hall, Josh Jacobs or Javonte Williams ahead of him, and the receivers in that range all come with their own question marks. Sometimes rankings are as much about who you don’t want to move ahead of a player as they are about the player himself.

How Are You Approaching A Crowded WR Tier?

Q: @RedditFFMod on X (who I’m sure wants to remind you I’m doing a Reddit AMA in the r/fantasyfootball subreddit on Monday, August 31st) asked me, “Assuming ADP holds, this range of wide receivers feels likely to have a league winner and a total dud ... and most managers will only get a crack at one of them in this tier. So which of this group has the biggest ceiling … and which has the biggest bust potential? (Egbuka, Nabers, Flowers, Adams, Burden, Waddle)

TMR: The funny thing is … Malik Nabers might be the answer to both.

When he’s healthy, he has legitimate top-five fantasy WR upside. We saw flashes of that already. The question is, simply, how quickly he’s back to being that guy. Health is really the only thing keeping me from planting my flag even harder. We’ve seen some encouraging news and camp film (look! He’s running! With OBJ! In shorts! For five seconds!) and I’ve moved up in my ranks, but until we get closer to August (and, candidly, see him in a game) we really won’t know if he’s 100% back to being THAT DUDE.

Davante Adams also carries more risk than people want to admit. He’s 33, missed time with a hamstring last year and leaned heavily on touchdowns. If a few of those one-yard scores turn into rushing touchdowns instead (maybe to KYREN!?!, John Laghezza?!?!), his fantasy line looks a lot less exciting.

As for upside, Luther Burden and Jaylen Waddle can both hit on fewer touches because they’re electric after the catch. Emeka Egbuka and Zay Flowers probably have the cleaner path to volume. Different roads to WR1 weeks—I just think the traffic is lighter for Egbuka and Flowers, and I feel less confident about either of their ability to have a large touchdown equity.

Why Are You Low On Rome Odunze?

Q: @Cjgravina on X: What is your reasoning to be so low on Rome Odunze this year?

TMR: First off … I’m really not.

I actually have Rome a few spots ahead of consensus fantasy football ADP, and among the Fantasy Life rankers I’m one of the highest on him. So I think this is more about expectations than rankings.

That said, I do think people are assuming all of Rome Odunze, Luther Burden and Colston Loveland are going to break out this year. Maybe they do. History says probably not. Rome has the toughest path because of how he’s used. His average target is farther downfield, and last season only 57% of his targets were even catchable, thanks in part to Caleb Williams’ accuracy issues. Add in the fact that he’s still dealing with the foot injury he suffered last year—and his offseason comments haven’t exactly screamed, “I’m 100 percent!”—and I think a little caution is warranted.

What Are Your Thoughts On Tyler Warren?

Q: @fixitfire on X (one of The Regulars!) asked, “I feel like you are a bit low on Tyler Warren. With Michael Pittman gone and Alec Pierce still not practicing, I think he is the number one target on that team.”

TMR: Ironically, I’m actually the highest on Tyler Warren among all the Fantasy Life rankers.

That said, I’m still below ADP, and I get why people ask. In full-PPR, his shorter-area role gives him a really nice floor, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I bump him up a couple of spots before draft season is over.

Part of this is just roster construction. I love the wide receivers available in Rounds 6-8 this year, but the running back pool dries up much faster. That’s why you’ll see me pushing that RB20-24 tier ahead of Warren. Most of the time, I want to leave Round 5 with at least two running backs, and my rankings reflect that strategy.

Do You Prefer Jonathon Brooks Over Chuba Hubbard?

Q: @m0ok1e on Instagram slid into my DM’s to ask … “I saw you’re lower on Hubbard than consensus. Would you prefer Jonathon Brooks at his ADP to Chuba Hubbard?

TMR: Yes on Brooks. Pretty easily, actually.

We’ve already seen Hubbard lose this job once. To Rico Dowdle no less. So if Jonathon Brooks is truly healthy—and that’s obviously the key, but obviously tons of encouraging reports so far—he was the much better prospect coming into the league and has a much higher ceiling.

I’m not saying Brooks is guaranteed to take over the backfield. But if you’re asking me which player is more likely to smash his ADP, it’s Brooks. Even if this ends up being something close to a 50/50 split, I think Brooks is the more explosive, more efficient player and the one I’d rather bet on, especially in the middle rounds where I’m swinging for upside.

Are You Lower On These Three Potential Breakout Candidates?

Q: @patty_cake2.0 on Instagram asks “Why are you so low on Ashton Jeanty, Ladd McConkey and Cam Skattebo?”

TMR: I’m actually not low on two of those guys, so I feel like you’re rage-baiting me, Patty Cake (if that is, in fact, your real name).

With Ashton Jeanty, I have him 12th overall as my RB6, which is basically right in line with where the market has him. In fact, among all the Fantasy Life rankers, I’m the highest on Jeanty. So if you think I’m fading him, you’re probably confusing me with someone else (it happens. My wife still thinks I ranked “that nice Travis Kelce fellow” too low three years ago). Current ADP has him right around the 1/2 turn as RB6, which is exactly where I have him.

As for Ladd McConkey, I’m definitely not low there either. I actually have him 39th overall as my WR17, while his consensus ADP is 44.8 overall as WR20. He’s a Ride or Die candidate, so obviously I like him a lot more than the market does, not less. The addition of Mike McDaniel, who is so good at creating space and utilizing WRs after the catch, plus less target competition … I think Ladd will be … wait for it … McConkulous this year. So yeah, if you’re looking for players I’m lower on than consensus, Jeanty and McConkey aren’t making that list.

And as for Cam Skattebo … yes, this is where I’m a little lower on him but maybe not in the way you think.

I have Skattebo 48th overall, while his ADP is around 42nd overall. But by position? I have him as RB19, and that’s where the market has him as well. So this isn’t me saying I don’t like the player. It’s more about roster construction and alternatives in that part of the draft.

Part of my hesitation is the injury. We’ve seen running backs coming off serious lower-leg injuries—think Tony Pollard after his broken leg and ankle—that sometimes need a little time before they look like themselves again. That doesn’t mean Skattebo won’t have a great season. It just means there’s a realistic chance he gets off to a slower start than fantasy managers are hoping for.

I also think Tyrone Tracy is a good player, and more importantly, I think the Giants do too. I don’t expect Skattebo to have the backfield all to himself. If Tracy is getting 8-10 touches a game, that’s enough to cap Skattebo’s ceiling, especially early in the season.

Finally, this is one of those cases where the overall rankings don’t tell the whole story. The players I have ahead of Skattebo aren’t a bunch of running backs. They’re mostly wide receivers, plus Colston Loveland—who I’m very high on this year—and Lamar Jackson. So it’s less about fading Skattebo and more about preferring the value at other positions in that section of the draft. That’s an important distinction.

Okay, we will see you on Monday for Fantasy Football Happy Hour. Go join a Guillotine League!