Matthew Berry, Fantasy Football Sage, Has Some Early NFL Season Thoughts

Matthew Berry is participating in 32 different fantasy leagues this NFL season. The number is terrifying without context, but it’s a little less daunting when you consider his status as a pioneer of fantasy media. 

Berry’s in several leagues with his NBC Sports colleagues. Another with ESPN pals. Multiple with investors in Fantasy Life, his sports gaming platform, and one with its advertisers. Then there’s his kids. His neighbors. His college friends. If you know Berry and you aren’t playing him in fantasy, perhaps it’s time to reassess your relationship.

“There may not be that many people in my life that aren’t in a league with me,” Berry tells The Hollywood Reporter. “They really add up.”

For the NBC Sports analyst, fantasy is life — hence the name of his booming side hustle, which counts Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, LeBron James, Maverick Carter and Gerry Cardinale among its investors. (The latest round of fundraising earlier this year topped $7 million.) “There are a lot of companies that do certain things well, and we just thought we would be able to do everything,” says Berry, whose three-year-old company combines content, tools and gaming. “We just wanted it to be a one-stop shop.”

Talking on the phone during his commute from NBCUniversal’s Stamford, Connecticut, studio to his home in the suburbs, the father-of-five offered up some week one reactions, thoughts on one day returning to his screenwriting roots and, true to form, personalized fantasy advice — it might already be time to trade Christian McCaffrey — that he’s happy to dole out just about anywhere. Almost.

“This last year, my wife and I were at a funeral, standing in the receiving line,” says Berry, who also hosts the Fantasy Football Happy Hour podcast. “A guy behind me taps it on the shoulder and he says, ‘Hey, what do you think about [LA Chargers wide receiver Ladd] McConkey?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, we’re at a funeral.’ He goes, ‘Yeah, but he’ll still be dead on Tuesday, and I have a draft. So, what do you think about McConkey?’”

Alright, not a simple request, but give me some takeaways from week one.

How long do you have? (Laughs.) Let’s talk about what I think is legit. Tyler Warren is legit. He’s going to be a top-five fantasy tight end. He’s going to flirt with the top three numbers. Daniel Jones is kind of the perfect quarterback for Tyler Warren. He’s just going to get peppered with targets. Hollywood Brown is going to be an important part of the Chiefs’ offense. He needs to be rostered in 100 percent of leagues and he’s going to be a big part of what the Chiefs do for the next month and a half.

And in less auspicious news?

If you have Ken Walker on your team, you should be very worried. I thought Zach Charbonnet looked better, and then he got more work. So Ken Walker is in a timeshare with Zach. What happens in drafts a lot of times is like you’re trying to read the tea leaves and you’re like, “We think this guy’s going to get an opportunity… We think this guy isn’t.” We got clarity on some backfield in week one. Meanwhile, couple of running backs that people sort of ignored in drafts because of the uncertainty of their backfield, Javonte Williams and Travis Etienne, clearly established themselves as the guy in their backfields, especially in Jacksonville. Etienne looked explosive.

Are you still bullish on Omarion Hampton? The Chargers rookie running back was your “ride or die” pick this season.

I feel pretty good about Omarion Hampton. I think the Chargers are going to be more pass heavy than we expected, based on that first game. He was used a lot, even though with Najee Harris active, they used him in tough situations at the end of the game. I thought this was the most telling thing at the end of the game, when the Chargers were trying to ice the clock, they had the rookie am Omarion Hampton out there. Not Najee Harris. The touchdowns will come. I’m not worried about that.

What are some of the biggest overreactions people might be having right now?

I’m not going to panic on elite players that have proven production that just had slow starts. I’m not worried about Joe Burrow. I’m not worried about Ja’marr Chase. I’m not worried about Nico Collins. I’m not worried about Dak Prescott. And I don’t think Aaron Rogers is suddenly back. That was a really weird game. Obviously, Rogers is a big name. So he got a lot of headlines in publicity. He tossed four touchdown passes: one was a broken coverage, one was just basically a handoff. That was just a weird game. I am not buying that Aaron Rogers is suddenly back and a viable fantasy option. I’d much prefer Justin Fields going forward,

What about my Lions? Give it to me straight.

I’ll say that I am not worried about Amon-Ra St. Brown. I’m not worried about Jahmyr Gibbs. I’m a little nervous about Jared Goff, though. And I’m a little nervous about this offense without Ben Johnson.

Moving on! How many times during an average week is a complete stranger asking you for fantasy advice?

Every day in my life. Every hour. I’ve been like people in a public restroom, out on the street when I’m with my kids. It’s every day of my life. As long as they’re polite about it, and 95 percent of the people are, I’m more than happy to do that. I’m flattered! It’s when they stop asking that I’m screwed. right? (Laughs.)

What’s a common mistake people make, strategy-wise, in drafting and managing a fantasy team?

At the end of the day, this is supposed to be fun. You want players you want to root for. If you were like, “Listen, I’m a Lions fan. I don’t care if DJ Moore is a steal this year. I’m not drafting a Bear.” I get that. By the way, I’m not convinced DJ Moore is to steal this year. But I don’t mind playing with emotions because it’s ultimately a game we do for fun. It’s a hobby. But if your entire goal is just to win, then yes, I think too many people bring emotion into it and they don’t bring logic or data into it. Fantasy success comes from two very simple things: talent and opportunity.

To pivot for a moment, you were a successful screenwriter for years before you changed careers and moved into fantasy and broadcasting. Writer is a hard identity to shake. Do you have any more scripts in you?

Yes, I do. Over the years, I’ve had one or two producers that I’ve worked with before in my former Hollywood career reach out with an idea or a book. I always think about it, but I’m so busy with what I’m doing now. What I truly miss is being in a sitcom writer’s room and pitching jokes and making each other laugh. But, yes, at some point, maybe I’ll look back at that. In the meantime, I have some reality show ideas that we’ve been pitching around town. We’ll see what happens there.

OK, week two kicks off Thursday night with Washington and Green Bay. You’re a Commanders guy. Any thoughts?

I’m a diehard Commanders fan. I want to see how we hold up against this Green Bay defense. It’s one thing to beat up the Giants, although the Giants have a good defense. The Commanders legitimately have Super Bowl aspirations. And the Packers, especially with the acquisition of Micah Parsons, they’re right there. So this is a real test — especially for the Commanders to have to do it on a short week on the road. Green Bay, by the way, is getting back-to-back home games. Feels a little suspect. But what are you going to do?