Matthew Berry Talks 2026 NFL Season Fantasy Draft Strategies

Matthew Berry has been doing fantasy football rankings for almost three decades, and the single best piece of advice he gave the show was to stop treating them like scripture.

"Even I don't follow my rankings to a T," Berry said. "Rankings are a guideline."

That idea ran underneath the entire conversation. Berry's core draft philosophy is to let the draft come to him and take the best player available, regardless of what his roster says he needs. If he stacks two wide receivers and the tight ends in front of him are all bad, he is taking a third wide receiver.

"I would much rather just get the best player and then I've got depth to trade rather than reaching for a tight end or a running back just because I need someone," Berry explained.

Format changes everything, though. In a 16-team league, every pick has to count because the waiver wire is thin. In a 10-team league where rosters are stacked, Berry is willing to take more chances because he can fix mistakes in season.

The fool's gold question got two names. Berry is nervous about Chuba Hubbard in Carolina, where the Jonathan Brooks drumbeat "is getting louder every single second" and Hubbard already lost his job for a stretch to Rico Dowdle last season. Anyone drafting Hubbard expecting last year's full workload might be disappointed.

The second name was harder for him to say. Berry called Davante Adams one of the best receivers in the NFL and a Hall of Famer, but pointed out that his production last year leaned heavily on touchdowns, with Matthew Stafford hunting him every time the Rams got close. If Puka Nacua stays healthy and Sean McVay goes back to running the ball near the goal line, the math gets shakier.

"I'm always nervous about players that are super touchdown-reliant for their fantasy production," Berry said.

He is much more comfortable with Luther Burden, whom he called a trendy sleeper and then endorsed anyway. With DJ Moore now in Buffalo, there are targets available, and Berry believes Caleb Williams takes a step. He also praised Ben Johnson's play calling and said flatly that you want as many pieces of the Bears offense as you can get. The right price on Burden, he said, is around the third or fourth round depending on league size.

For rookies, Berry likes Jordan Addison landing in the Saints offense alongside Chris Olave, with Tyler Shough coming off a second half that put him top 10 in passing yards. He is excited about Carnell Tate in Tennessee under Brian Daboll's play calling, with Cam Ward, Wan'Dale Robinson and tight end Gunnar Helm around him. And he likes Jadarian Price in Seattle while Zach Charbonnet works back from a severe late-season knee injury.

His deep stash is Jaleel McLaughlin in Denver, based on the idea that re-signing J.K. Dobbins and drafting McLaughlin told you what the Broncos really think of R.J. Harvey.

Auction leagues got their own strategy. Berry has Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs one and two at running back, but the bigger point was process: throw the guy you actually want out early, so you either get him at your number or you find out fast and pivot.

The one thing Berry will not do is reach for a defense. He waits until the last round, with a single exception. In a 16-team league, where defenses are a starting spot and the waiver wire is barren, he has gone as early as the 12th round.