ESPN's "fantasy expert" Matthew Berry... (1 Viewer)

[HoTnickZ]

I'm a Berry fan, but I'm pretty he has revealed all these gems to the non-fantasy obsessed world.

 

[The Man with the Plan]

I'm a Berry fan, but I'm pretty he has revealed all these gems to the non-fantasy obsessed world.

Gems? Good one. For a second there you had me convinced that you thought this was actual useful information. All I see is a bunch of last year this, last year that crap. Last season does not equal this season.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

QUOTE (...By Matthew BerryESPN.com)44. The all-time worst episode of "Beverly Hills, 90210" is when Brenda finds an old diary in her room from a teenage girl who used to live there in the '60's. She starts reading and flashes back, with her and the rest of the cast in the roles of the diary girl's story. At the end of it, she utters the worst line in the history of 90210. She's crying; Brandon comes into her room to ask what's wrong. She turns to him, tears on her face, and wails, "I still love Dylan." Now, that might seem like an opinion, but trust me. I've seen every episode of that stupid show. Love that show. It's terrible, make no mistake, but I absolutely love it. Nate and I will do a special 90210-only podcast very soon. Seriously. I could talk about that show all day.

 

[-JAP-]

Couple things. What about ADP's schedule this year is so brutal? Is it Detroit in weeks 6 and 14, or Arizona in week 15, or maybe New Orleans in week 5. Maybe Chicago, who he ran over for more than 300 yards in their two games last year. His schedule doesn't look particularly hard to run against.

Also, while it's probably expecting much to see Jackson improve significantly this year, he did get better in the second half of the year, so he could do a better job of keeping defenses honest. You really think Peterson is going to see more 8 man fronts than he saw last year? Hard to imagine.

And despite taking out his two best games (ridiculous in itself) he still had another 4 games over 100 yards rushing, and another game over 100 yards combined. His knee seemed to bother his stats and opportunities late in the year, so if you want to predict further injury that may be reasonable.

I realize Taylor is still there to take away touches, but Peterson's touches can only go up from last year, barring injury.

 

[corpcow]

I'm down on Frank Gore as a 1st-round pick. Hear me out, okay? Over the last five years, the lead back in a Mike Martz offense has averaged just over 1,100 yards. That would have been good for 60th overall last year in terms of combined yards. And by the way, Gore has never scored double-digit touchdowns in a season. Never.

The bolded part is where he lost me. He never had Frank Gore over the last five years. He had an injured Marshall Faulk at the end of his career, he had S-Jax at the beginning of his career, and he had mediocre RBs along with a terrible offensive line in Detroit..

It's also like saying to downgrade Vernon Davis because a TE never fared well in Martz' system. Martz also never had a back like

 

[HoTnickZ]

I'm a Berry fan, but I'm pretty he has revealed all these gems to the non-fantasy obsessed world.

Gems? Good one. For a second there you had me convinced that you thought this was actual useful information. All I see is a bunch of last year this, last year that crap. Last season does not equal this season.

We'll see, I'll bump this later on in the year.

 

[benbadman]

Speaking of ADP & Gore haters....I can only pray that Frank Gore falls to me at 1.07 in my Keep1 league (ADP as my keeper).... i'll take that RB duo all the way to the championship when Vikings are rolling the Falcons, and the 49ers are @StLoser

 

[One More Rep]

Wow I cant believe what I am reading, first of all Berry is a tool and if you listen to him please join my leagues. Second of all Frank Gore is an elite talent who will find a way to produce no matter what the situation. He will have plenty of yards rushing as well as receiving, and there is no way I would even consider taking Jamal Lewis before Gore. I personally have Gore in my top five with the potential of top 3. I am telling you guys take Gore he is a great player and will get it done.

 

[Raider Nation]

Wow I cant believe what I am reading, first of all Berry is a tool and if you listen to him please join my leagues.

Tired.

 

[JamesTheScot]

Frank Gore will not be his old self because of the acquisition of Mike Martz and his pass happy offense. Be aware of this addition as you will see less and less carries for Gore.

Take a stab who 80 or so of those catches will go to in that "pass happy" offense.He was on Sirius with Tim and Pat today, and they were talking Roger Craig territory... 100 receptions.

So many of you forget how often Martz abandoned the run while in SL with Faulk in the backfield. What gets forgotten is that Faulk was very special in terms of his receiving ability. That ability existed outside of Martz's offense. Martz was a benficiary of it. It's been speculated that Faulk could have started at WR in the NFL had he not been as good a RB as he was. Had Faulk not been as good a receiver as he was, he would not have been the fantasy star he was.Is Gore > Jones? Maybe.

Is Faulk > Gore? Yes...and by a wider margin than Gore is better than Jones.

You also can't underestimate how much Martz's offense depends on timing and accuracy. It also depends on the OL's ability to protect the QB.

Which SF QB is going to get that timing and accuracy down for Martz's system to run smoothly?

Who's going to keep the D off of <insert which SF QB sucks least> long enough for him to make the throws to begin with?

Who's going to spend time behind the line of scrimmage blocking if the OL can't keep the playcaller on his feet?

Is Gore a good enough WR to regularly get open against DB's when Martz has quit running the ball?

I'm a nobody, but my opinion on Martz's offense is that QB play is the lynchpin, not the RB. Not that you have to have an uber-talented QB to run it, but you have to have a QB mentally capable of running it. I just don't see that QB on that SF roster. Which of those guys has the mental focus to make his reads and throws knowing that some blitzing LB or S is about to smash his facemask in because Martz's offense left him unaccounted for?

As for Nolin taming Martz...I don't see it. Martz is his own kool-aid drinker. He's not going to let someone else tell him how to run his offense. He'll resign or get fired before that happens. If Nolin is a domineering as you suggest, it'll happen mid season. If he isn't, it'll happen in the offseason.

I won't say I wouldn't take Gore late in the first, but I'd be more than a little nervous about it.

 

[JamesTheScot]

I'm down on Frank Gore as a 1st-round pick. Hear me out, okay? Over the last five years, the lead back in a Mike Martz offense has averaged just over 1,100 yards. That would have been good for 60th overall last year in terms of combined yards. And by the way, Gore has never scored double-digit touchdowns in a season. Never.

The bolded part is where he lost me. He never had Frank Gore over the last five years. He had an injured Marshall Faulk at the end of his career, he had S-Jax at the beginning of his career, and he had mediocre RBs along with a terrible offensive line in Detroit..

It's also like saying to downgrade Vernon Davis because a TE never fared well in Martz' system. Martz also never had a back like

It's significant that Shaun McDonald and Mike Furrey can combine for 140 catches and 1600 yards in Martz's system while all TE's on the roster combined for a measley 19 catches and 260 yards.Maybe Martz tweaked his system to route the ball to those mega-talents known as McDonald and Furrey and away from the TE's.

When you throw that much and only 19 catches got to the TE position over the course of a season, I'd say the system has something to do with it. In my neck of the woods we call that a clue.

 

[JamesTheScot]

All good points, but the bottom line for me is that Gore had no business at all putting up the stats he did in that horrid offense. The fact that he did tells me he's the real deal. I'll also add again that people who don't think that Martz is a huge upgrade for this offense simply didn't watch many 49er games last year (can't blame anyone for that though ).

The problem was you were watching 49er games instead of Detroit games. If you had, you'd see how he forgets he has an RB on the field. Ask SL fans if they think Martz forgot that Faulk was on his roster during his tenure there.

 

[Grahamburn]

All good points, but the bottom line for me is that Gore had no business at all putting up the stats he did in that horrid offense. The fact that he did tells me he's the real deal. I'll also add again that people who don't think that Martz is a huge upgrade for this offense simply didn't watch many 49er games last year (can't blame anyone for that though ).

The problem was you were watching 49er games instead of Detroit games. If you had, you'd see how he forgets he has an RB on the field. Ask SL fans if they think Martz forgot that Faulk was on his roster during his tenure there.

When you say that he "forgets he has an RB on the field" are you simply suggesting that he isn't interested in handing the ball off? That may be true, but I don't really care how Frank Gore gets the ball, as long as he gets it. I'm expecting somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 catches this season for Frank Gore. He has had 61 and 53 catches in the last two season respectively. Gore should get around 260 carries at a minimum as he has no competition in that area, and he's the best player on that offense. Even at a conservative average of 4.2, his average last season, he's looking at a minimum of 1092 yards rushing. With those 70 catches at his career average of 8.4 yards a catch you have an additional 488 yards. Those totals are a pretty conservative floor. All of the talk out of SF is that this offense is going to be centered around Gore's talents and they're going to try to get him the ball 25 times a game. Sprinkle in a few TD's with those touches and Gore has solid potential for a huge season.http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nineri...;entry_id=27783

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nineri...;entry_id=28845

He is also only two years removed from a season in which he had 2180 total yards. Which players that you would advocate over Gore can make that claim? Marion Barber, Joseph Addai, Clinton Portis, Marshawn Lynch? None of those players have managed that kind of season.

If Steven Jackson isn't signed this week I'm taking Gore at 1.4 in my .5 PPR league and not thinking twice about it.

 

[Otis]

He is going to be an absolute beast this year. Pass at your own risk.

You actually think you know something about football? I thought you spent your time focusing on how to gain attention in the FFA.

Guy, I was contributing here the Shark Pool when you were in your iDiapers. Who do you think pimped Frank Gore in the first place??

 

[Otis]

Is Faulk > Gore? Yes...and by a wider margin than Gore is better than Jones.

Why do people do this?You can't say "yes" to this. We don't know yet. Faulk was on a fantastic offense -- a luxury Gore hasn't yet had in his career. I don't think we can definitely say Faulk is "better" -- and certainly not better by a large margin.How many times did Faulk rush for almost 1700 yards in his career? Zero.Heck, how many times did Faulk break even 1400 yards rushing in his career? Still zero. And yed Gore rushed for 1695 yards -- and added in 60+ catches -- on a bad, bad team and offense. How can you definitely say Faulk is better by any margin at this point?I know that Faulk also had tremendous recieving yards during his big four years -- but part of that obviously had to do with the fact that that was how he was used. Faulk totalling over 2200 and 2400 yards from scrimmage in two of those years is pretty tremendous. But don't forget that in Gore's big season he totalled over 2100 yards -- again, on an offense that cannot possible be compared to the greatest show on turf.If Martz improves the offense and there is a legitimate passing threat for defenses to contend with, I don't see any reason Gore in an improved situation and with a bit more NFL experience under his belt can't improve on his 2100+ yard season -- to match Faulk's 2200-2400 yard seasons. Also note that Faulk didn't have those tremendous seasons until his 5th year in the league. This will be Gore's 4th. Give the kid a chance. In Faulk's first three years in the league he did not have a season that came close to Gore's 2006 season.My problem here is that you people make these baseless statements like they're gospel. Let's see what Gore can do when he's healthy and is on a Mike Martz offense that is supposedly improved from what he played on last year.

 

[BusterTBronco]

If you like Berry, he has a daily ESPN Pod Cast called "Fantasy Focus Football". Berry is pretty much into himself and you get about 15 minutes of FF in a 35 minute Pod Cast.

Well, he is The Talented Mr. Roto.

 

[bcr8f]

He finished as the 8th rb last season. This year they actually have an offensive coordinator. Kevin Jones was on pace to have a very good season when he had Martz but Mertz gave him only 8 touches in the game after he has 97 and 2 touchdowns

Fixed.Do not trust Martz with running backs.

 

[moose162]

man this is killing me. if lynch and portis are gone at 1.11 i don't know if i have the stones to take gore.

 

[Bl Deep]

annoying that discussion is devoid of scoring rulles.... Gore is a great receiver, ppr monster...can put up top 10 #s even with 8-10 tds given his receptions/total yardage...

agree he is risky... and people are too entrenched believing what happened last year will repeat... so just because Gore proved he can put up stats by himself, that he can't falter...

Look at Wille Parker, things can change very fast.

 

[Otis]

man this is killing me. if lynch and portis are gone at 1.11 i don't know if i have the stones to take gore.

Gore at 1.11 is a ridiculous steal. Ridiculous.

 

[thehornet]

man this is killing me. if lynch and portis are gone at 1.11 i don't know if i have the stones to take gore.

Gore at 1.11 is a ridiculous steal. Ridiculous.

in any type of league. ppr or non.

 

[corpcow]

You also can't underestimate how much Martz's offense depends on timing and accuracy. It also depends on the OL's ability to protect the QB.Which SF QB is going to get that timing and accuracy down for Martz's system to run smoothly? Who's going to keep the D off of <insert which SF QB sucks least> long enough for him to make the throws to begin with?Who's going to spend time behind the line of scrimmage blocking if the OL can't keep the playcaller on his feet?

O'Sullivan has experience in the Martz offense, and one of the real (and perhaps few) positives about Alex Smith is that he's a very intelligent QB. The other thing to point out is that the Martz offense is COMPLICATED in terms of routes , but it's also quick-hitting and doesn't necessarily require you to sit back there and need 10 seconds of protection either.

 

[TheLastDispatch]

Surprised I haven't seen this point hit more over the last 3 pages- Gore is the unquestioned starter in SF with no real threat to steal carries from him. That is a rare and valuable thing in today's fantasy world, and I tend to think that that alone makes him no worse than RB #10 on any list.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

I remember Berry trashing Steven Jackson in the preseason and early in the year on that ESPN fantasy show that lasted half a season 2 years ago. Every week they ripped on him for it.

What was so special about the Niners offense 2 years ago that Gore ran for 1600 yds. Why can't this years offense be better then that. The receivers are better. Gore is one of few RBs that is THE man on his team. I am loving him for ppr this year

 

[Raider Nation]

He's at it again with some DOOZIES!

http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football...?page=tmr080821

1. Anquan Boldin will shut up and have a better fantasy season than Larry Fitzgerald. I say 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns.

2. Leonard Pope will catch seven touchdowns.

3. Michael Turner will finish with fewer than 1,000 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.

4. Willis McGahee will play every game this year and finish as a top-10 fantasy running back.

5. Troy Smith will net 24 total touchdowns.

6. Marshawn Lynch will earn more than 1,700 total yards and score double-digit touchdowns.

7. Steve Smith will not reach 1,000 yards or eight touchdowns. He'll play in only 12 games.

8. Devin Hester will finish the year as a top-25 fantasy wide receiver and score a total of 10 touchdowns.

9. Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry. Blah blah blah. Kenny Watson will finish as the leading rusher on the Bengals and will have at least 1,000 total yards. You heard me.

10. Brady Quinn will start for the Browns by Week 9.

11. Marion Barber will finish the year as a top-five fantasy running back.

12. Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson will break up. And Romo will have his best game of the season the week after. And then Joe Simpson will say something creepy about his daughter.

13. Tony Scheffler will finish the year as a top-5 fantasy tight end.

14. Calvin Johnson will be a top-10 wide receiver. And Jon Kitna will throw for more than 4,000 yards, even without Mike Martz.

15. Even more people will realize that because its leagues are 100 percent free and offer free live scoring, fully customizable options (including keeper league and fractional scoring) and an auction draft room, ESPN is the place to host your Fantasy Football League. Sign up now! (As you know, I'm a company man.)

16. James Jones will have 800 yards and seven touchdowns.

17. I'll make good on my baseball prediction of dating a totally sane woman.

18. Matt Schaub will throw for 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns.

19. Dallas Clark will finish the year as the No. 1 fantasy tight end. You heard me.

20. David Garrard will be a top-10 fantasy quarterback this season and throw no more than six interceptions all season.

21. Reggie Williams will catch double-digit touchdowns again.

22. I'll beat Nate Ravitz in a footrace and win more of the board bets. We'll have a listener dress up as a monkey and be our slave for a day. (I'm telling you, you have to listen to our daily Fantasy Focus Football podcast.)

23. Kolby Smith will end the year as the leading rusher for the Chiefs.

24. Ted Ginn Jr. will reach 1,000 yards and score seven touchdowns.

25. Adrian Peterson (the Viking) will play fewer than 13 games this year and finish outside of the top five of fantasy running backs.

26. The new "90210" show will be terrible. Yet I'll still watch every episode. Tori Spelling will end up showing up, eventually.

27. The year after he threw 48 touchdowns, Dan Marino threw 30. The year after Peyton Manning threw 49 touchdowns, he threw 28. Tom Brady will throw 40 this year.

28. No Saints running back will have more than 600 yards rushing or 1,000 total yards.

29. Eli Manning will have another disappointing second half, play poorly at home and finish with no more than 25 touchdowns.

30. Amani Toomer will catch seven touchdowns. You heard me.

31. Thomas Jones will be a top-10 fantasy running back.

32. Jerricho Cotchery will be a top-20 wide receiver.

33. Brett Favre's consecutive game streak will end this season. And Brett will get involved in a scandal before he realizes the New York media is very different than the Green Bay media.

34. Brett Favre will retire at the end of the season and do a long, tearful farewell at various stadiums. There'll be magazine covers and retrospectives.

35. Brett Favre will suit up for the Buccaneers next season.

36. Darren McFadden will have more than 1,600 total yards and score double-digit touchdowns.

37. Ronald Curry will have at least 1,000 yards receiving, and JaMarcus Russell will score 25 touchdowns.

38. Donovan McNabb will play all 16 games.

39. Santonio Holmes will finish the year as a top-12 fantasy wide receiver.

40. Marc Bulger and Torry Holt will return to fantasy prominence. Specifically, Bulger will throw 3,500 yards and at least 24 touchdowns. Holt will get 10 scores.

41. At least eight other tight ends will have a better fantasy season than Antonio Gates. You heard me.

42. Michael Phelps will "date" Lindsay Lohan and find himself in a weird love triangle with Samantha Ronson. For no apparent reason, a picture of the three of them with Wilmer Valderrama, David Spade and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog will show up on TMZ.

43. Frank Gore won't be a top-15 fantasy player this year. Specifically, he won't get 1,300 total yards or double-digit touchdowns.

44. Ben Obomanu will reach 800 yards and six touchdowns.

45. Tampa Bay's defense will return to being a top-five fantasy defense.

46. Chris Johnson will be the leading rusher for the Tennessee Titans.

47. Justin Gage will have more than 1,000 yards receiving. And Alge Crumpler will get eight scores.

48. Both Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El will have more than 1,000 yards receiving. Jason Campbell will throw for more than 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns.

49. There will be at least 100 comments on this article on ESPN Conversation (beta!). At least 10 of them are positive.

50. My Redskins will win the Super Bowl, and Jim Zorn will be named coach of the year. Hey, it's my list. Make your own.

 

[Max Power]

Berry must be starving for attention with some of these

 

[LHUCKS]

If OSullivan can keep defenses honest and move the ball, Gore could finish #1 in FF scoring this year.

 

[money.never.sleeps]

Berry is same guy who was saying Steven Jackson wouldnt get over like 1200 yards 2 years ago.

Just that there's a thread here prob. makes his head bigger.. for reasons im not sure of.

He's a ##### trapped in a dingle berries body.. I dont know what to tell anyone that they dont already know.

 

[Bills_Fan11]

I like prognosticators like him, guys that don't take the cookie-cutter approach to rankings...seemingly every magazine has the exact same top 10 RB list...

I'll really have to look over his stuff again, because ESPN always seems real basic/middle of the road/well no kidding in their rankings.I'll have to look again, but also keep in mind, different just to be different isn't always valuable.

edited to add:

These are his RB rankings. Nothing earth shattering here, save maybe where Gore/Grant end up and ADP at 4. Of course, in fairness, there is so much confusion in the latter half of the top 10 rbs this year, in part because of the injuries last year that it's anyone's guess who will go where or end up where. It would be hard to come up with a completely unusual top ten this year unless you just want to be wierd for weirdness sake.

1 LaDainian Tomlinson

2 Brian Westbrook

3 Joseph Addai

4 Adrian Peterson

5 Steven Jackson

6 Clinton Portis

7 Marshawn Lynch

8 Marion Barber

9 Ryan Grant

10 Frank Gore

Really? I wouldn't say earth shattering, but an earth shattering top 10 list would be way off. This is good. Addai ahead of Jackson. Portis at 6. Lynch ahead of Barber. And of course Peterson. Those are nice, out of the box somewhat predictions.

I agree that his lists are somewhat different but not crazy out of the norm - which is probably true for most successful players.I think the point is that he's not in the minority as much as he thinks he is in ranking Lynch/Portis/Barber ahead of Gore....so why is it inconceivable that he wouldn't be on his team?

I hear the same type of stuff in relation to LJ all the time - "Oh I'm not touching that guy" - as if anybody is ahead of the curve in not liking a guy like that after a disastrous season the year before....does anyone outside of Missouri not hate him this year?

 

[Raider Nation]

WHOOPS!

 

[Otis]

WHOOPS!

My god this guy is AWFUL.

 

[[scooter]]

He's at it again with some DOOZIES!

http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football...?page=tmr080821

1. Anquan Boldin will shut up and have a better fantasy season than Larry Fitzgerald. I say 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns.

2. Leonard Pope will catch seven touchdowns.

3. Michael Turner will finish with fewer than 1,000 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.

4. Willis McGahee will play every game this year and finish as a top-10 fantasy running back.

5. Troy Smith will net 24 total touchdowns.

6. Marshawn Lynch will earn more than 1,700 total yards and score double-digit touchdowns.

7. Steve Smith will not reach 1,000 yards or eight touchdowns. He'll play in only 12 games.

8. Devin Hester will finish the year as a top-25 fantasy wide receiver and score a total of 10 touchdowns.

9. Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry. Blah blah blah. Kenny Watson will finish as the leading rusher on the Bengals and will have at least 1,000 total yards. You heard me.

10. Brady Quinn will start for the Browns by Week 9.

11. Marion Barber will finish the year as a top-five fantasy running back.

12. Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson will break up. And Romo will have his best game of the season the week after. And then Joe Simpson will say something creepy about his daughter.

13. Tony Scheffler will finish the year as a top-5 fantasy tight end.

14. Calvin Johnson will be a top-10 wide receiver. And Jon Kitna will throw for more than 4,000 yards, even without Mike Martz.

15. Even more people will realize that because its leagues are 100 percent free and offer free live scoring, fully customizable options (including keeper league and fractional scoring) and an auction draft room, ESPN is the place to host your Fantasy Football League. Sign up now! (As you know, I'm a company man.)

16. James Jones will have 800 yards and seven touchdowns.

17. I'll make good on my baseball prediction of dating a totally sane woman.

18. Matt Schaub will throw for 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns.

19. Dallas Clark will finish the year as the No. 1 fantasy tight end. You heard me.

20. David Garrard will be a top-10 fantasy quarterback this season and throw no more than six interceptions all season.

21. Reggie Williams will catch double-digit touchdowns again.

22. I'll beat Nate Ravitz in a footrace and win more of the board bets. We'll have a listener dress up as a monkey and be our slave for a day. (I'm telling you, you have to listen to our daily Fantasy Focus Football podcast.)

23. Kolby Smith will end the year as the leading rusher for the Chiefs.

24. Ted Ginn Jr. will reach 1,000 yards and score seven touchdowns.

25. Adrian Peterson (the Viking) will play fewer than 13 games this year and finish outside of the top five of fantasy running backs.

26. The new "90210" show will be terrible. Yet I'll still watch every episode. Tori Spelling will end up showing up, eventually.

27. The year after he threw 48 touchdowns, Dan Marino threw 30. The year after Peyton Manning threw 49 touchdowns, he threw 28. Tom Brady will throw 40 this year.

28. No Saints running back will have more than 600 yards rushing or 1,000 total yards.

29. Eli Manning will have another disappointing second half, play poorly at home and finish with no more than 25 touchdowns.

30. Amani Toomer will catch seven touchdowns. You heard me.

31. Thomas Jones will be a top-10 fantasy running back.

32. Jerricho Cotchery will be a top-20 wide receiver.

33. Brett Favre's consecutive game streak will end this season. And Brett will get involved in a scandal before he realizes the New York media is very different than the Green Bay media.

34. Brett Favre will retire at the end of the season and do a long, tearful farewell at various stadiums. There'll be magazine covers and retrospectives.

35. Brett Favre will suit up for the Buccaneers next season.

36. Darren McFadden will have more than 1,600 total yards and score double-digit touchdowns.

37. Ronald Curry will have at least 1,000 yards receiving, and JaMarcus Russell will score 25 touchdowns.

38. Donovan McNabb will play all 16 games.

39. Santonio Holmes will finish the year as a top-12 fantasy wide receiver.

40. Marc Bulger and Torry Holt will return to fantasy prominence. Specifically, Bulger will throw 3,500 yards and at least 24 touchdowns. Holt will get 10 scores.

41. At least eight other tight ends will have a better fantasy season than Antonio Gates. You heard me.

42. Michael Phelps will "date" Lindsay Lohan and find himself in a weird love triangle with Samantha Ronson. For no apparent reason, a picture of the three of them with Wilmer Valderrama, David Spade and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog will show up on TMZ.

43. Frank Gore won't be a top-15 fantasy player this year. Specifically, he won't get 1,300 total yards or double-digit touchdowns.

44. Ben Obomanu will reach 800 yards and six touchdowns.

45. Tampa Bay's defense will return to being a top-five fantasy defense.

46. Chris Johnson will be the leading rusher for the Tennessee Titans.

47. Justin Gage will have more than 1,000 yards receiving. And Alge Crumpler will get eight scores.

48. Both Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El will have more than 1,000 yards receiving. Jason Campbell will throw for more than 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns.

49. There will be at least 100 comments on this article on ESPN Conversation (beta!). At least 10 of them are positive.

50. My Redskins will win the Super Bowl, and Jim Zorn will be named coach of the year. Hey, it's my list. Make your own.

Haven't seen that many whiffs since Yankee stadium closed.

 

[Max Power]

Just so others can reflect on Berry's crazy predictions....

1. Anquan Boldin will shut up and have a better fantasy season than Larry Fitzgerald. I say 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns. 2. Leonard Pope will catch seven touchdowns.3. Michael Turner will finish with fewer than 1,000 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. 4. Willis McGahee will play every game this year and finish as a top-10 fantasy running back.5. Troy Smith will net 24 total touchdowns.6. Marshawn Lynch will earn more than 1,700 total yards and score double-digit touchdowns.7. Steve Smith will not reach 1,000 yards or eight touchdowns. He'll play in only 12 games.8. Devin Hester will finish the year as a top-25 fantasy wide receiver and score a total of 10 touchdowns.9. Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry. Blah blah blah. Kenny Watson will finish as the leading rusher on the Bengals and will have at least 1,000 total yards. You heard me. 10. Brady Quinn will start for the Browns by Week 9. 11. Marion Barber will finish the year as a top-five fantasy running back.12. Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson will break up. And Romo will have his best game of the season the week after. And then Joe Simpson will say something creepy about his daughter.13. Tony Scheffler will finish the year as a top-5 fantasy tight end.14. Calvin Johnson will be a top-10 wide receiver. And Jon Kitna will throw for more than 4,000 yards, even without Mike Martz.15. Even more people will realize that because its leagues are 100 percent free and offer free live scoring, fully customizable options (including keeper league and fractional scoring) and an auction draft room, ESPN is the place to host your Fantasy Football League. Sign up now! (As you know, I'm a company man.)16. James Jones will have 800 yards and seven touchdowns.17. I'll make good on my baseball prediction of dating a totally sane woman.18. Matt Schaub will throw for 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns.19. Dallas Clark will finish the year as the No. 1 fantasy tight end. You heard me.20. David Garrard will be a top-10 fantasy quarterback this season and throw no more than six interceptions all season.21. Reggie Williams will catch double-digit touchdowns again.22. I'll beat Nate Ravitz in a footrace and win more of the board bets. We'll have a listener dress up as a monkey and be our slave for a day. (I'm telling you, you have to listen to our daily Fantasy Focus Football podcast.)23. Kolby Smith will end the year as the leading rusher for the Chiefs.24. Ted Ginn Jr. will reach 1,000 yards and score seven touchdowns.25. Adrian Peterson (the Viking) will play fewer than 13 games this year and finish outside of the top five of fantasy running backs.26. The new "90210" show will be terrible. Yet I'll still watch every episode. Tori Spelling will end up showing up, eventually.27. The year after he threw 48 touchdowns, Dan Marino threw 30. The year after Peyton Manning threw 49 touchdowns, he threw 28. Tom Brady will throw 40 this year.28. No Saints running back will have more than 600 yards rushing or 1,000 total yards.29. Eli Manning will have another disappointing second half, play poorly at home and finish with no more than 25 touchdowns.30. Amani Toomer will catch seven touchdowns. You heard me. 31. Thomas Jones will be a top-10 fantasy running back.32. Jerricho Cotchery will be a top-20 wide receiver. 33. Brett Favre's consecutive game streak will end this season. And Brett will get involved in a scandal before he realizes the New York media is very different than the Green Bay media.34. Brett Favre will retire at the end of the season and do a long, tearful farewell at various stadiums. There'll be magazine covers and retrospectives.35. Brett Favre will suit up for the Buccaneers next season.36. Darren McFadden will have more than 1,600 total yards and score double-digit touchdowns.37. Ronald Curry will have at least 1,000 yards receiving, and JaMarcus Russell will score 25 touchdowns.38. Donovan McNabb will play all 16 games.39. Santonio Holmes will finish the year as a top-12 fantasy wide receiver.40. Marc Bulger and Torry Holt will return to fantasy prominence. Specifically, Bulger will throw 3,500 yards and at least 24 touchdowns. Holt will get 10 scores.41. At least eight other tight ends will have a better fantasy season than Antonio Gates. You heard me. 42. Michael Phelps will "date" Lindsay Lohan and find himself in a weird love triangle with Samantha Ronson. For no apparent reason, a picture of the three of them with Wilmer Valderrama, David Spade and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog will show up on TMZ.43. Frank Gore won't be a top-15 fantasy player this year. Specifically, he won't get 1,300 total yards or double-digit touchdowns.44. Ben Obomanu will reach 800 yards and six touchdowns.45. Tampa Bay's defense will return to being a top-five fantasy defense. 46. Chris Johnson will be the leading rusher for the Tennessee Titans.47. Justin Gage will have more than 1,000 yards receiving. And Alge Crumpler will get eight scores.48. Both Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El will have more than 1,000 yards receiving. Jason Campbell will throw for more than 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns.49. There will be at least 100 comments on this article on ESPN Conversation (beta!). At least 10 of them are positive. 50. My Redskins will win the Super Bowl, and Jim Zorn will be named coach of the year. Hey, it's my list. Make your own.

 

[valhallan]

Wow, just going with the opposite of his suggestions would have been very succesful.

 

[dbc925]

Wow, just going with the opposite of his suggestions would have been very succesful.

He's always been a schmuck online. Then someone must have told him that he needs a schtick to be on TV. So his schtick is obviously schmuck.

 

[Itchy Amos]

This just goes to show that he has zero feel for the NFL and ESPN has no idea what to do with fantasy sports. Most of the ones that he could be right about were fairly safe "predictions". Anybody can hit a few of those. The only really important predictions are the ones that go against the grain and I think he was wrong on almost all of them. ESPN would be better served putting the sports guy in charge of their fantasy football coverage.

Also, someone needs to stop ESPN from running their projected stats along the ticker at the bottom of the screen.

Maybe he is better at fantasy baseball.

 

[KellysHeroes]

This is a good thread...

I can't get on Berry to much for this, a lot of people felt Gore was going to be another 1st round bust; including me.

I did a 16 team dynasty start up this season and Gore fell to #14, so many people had Gore on the do not draft list.

And that ESPN draft was a joke.. 8 teams???? come on. The Fantasy Focus is a joke to, the guys aren't update w/ info when the callers call in...

 

[PlasmaDogPlasma]

He's still better than the guy they used to have, Brandon Funston.

 

[Oof!]

Just so others can reflect on Berry's crazy predictions....

1. Anquan Boldin will shut up and have a better fantasy season than Larry Fitzgerald. I say 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns.

2. Leonard Pope will catch seven touchdowns.

3. Michael Turner will finish with fewer than 1,000 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.

4. Willis McGahee will play every game this year and finish as a top-10 fantasy running back.

5. Troy Smith will net 24 total touchdowns.

6. Marshawn Lynch will earn more than 1,700 total yards and score double-digit touchdowns.

7. Steve Smith will not reach 1,000 yards or eight touchdowns. He'll play in only 12 games.

8. Devin Hester will finish the year as a top-25 fantasy wide receiver and score a total of 10 touchdowns.

9. Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry. Blah blah blah. Kenny Watson will finish as the leading rusher on the Bengals and will have at least 1,000 total yards. You heard me.

10. Brady Quinn will start for the Browns by Week 9.

11. Marion Barber will finish the year as a top-five fantasy running back.

12. Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson will break up. And Romo will have his best game of the season the week after. And then Joe Simpson will say something creepy about his daughter.

13. Tony Scheffler will finish the year as a top-5 fantasy tight end.

14. Calvin Johnson will be a top-10 wide receiver. And Jon Kitna will throw for more than 4,000 yards, even without Mike Martz.

15. Even more people will realize that because its leagues are 100 percent free and offer free live scoring, fully customizable options (including keeper league and fractional scoring) and an auction draft room, ESPN is the place to host your Fantasy Football League. Sign up now! (As you know, I'm a company man.)

16. James Jones will have 800 yards and seven touchdowns.

17. I'll make good on my baseball prediction of dating a totally sane woman.

18. Matt Schaub will throw for 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns.

19. Dallas Clark will finish the year as the No. 1 fantasy tight end. You heard me.

20. David Garrard will be a top-10 fantasy quarterback this season and throw no more than six interceptions all season.

21. Reggie Williams will catch double-digit touchdowns again.

22. I'll beat Nate Ravitz in a footrace and win more of the board bets. We'll have a listener dress up as a monkey and be our slave for a day. (I'm telling you, you have to listen to our daily Fantasy Focus Football podcast.)

23. Kolby Smith will end the year as the leading rusher for the Chiefs.

24. Ted Ginn Jr. will reach 1,000 yards and score seven touchdowns.

25. Adrian Peterson (the Viking) will play fewer than 13 games this year and finish outside of the top five of fantasy running backs.

26. The new "90210" show will be terrible. Yet I'll still watch every episode. Tori Spelling will end up showing up, eventually.

27. The year after he threw 48 touchdowns, Dan Marino threw 30. The year after Peyton Manning threw 49 touchdowns, he threw 28. Tom Brady will throw 40 this year.

28. No Saints running back will have more than 600 yards rushing or 1,000 total yards.

29. Eli Manning will have another disappointing second half, play poorly at home and finish with no more than 25 touchdowns.

30. Amani Toomer will catch seven touchdowns. You heard me.

31. Thomas Jones will be a top-10 fantasy running back.

32. Jerricho Cotchery will be a top-20 wide receiver.

33. Brett Favre's consecutive game streak will end this season. And Brett will get involved in a scandal before he realizes the New York media is very different than the Green Bay media.

34. Brett Favre will retire at the end of the season and do a long, tearful farewell at various stadiums. There'll be magazine covers and retrospectives.

35. Brett Favre will suit up for the Buccaneers next season.

36. Darren McFadden will have more than 1,600 total yards and score double-digit touchdowns.

37. Ronald Curry will have at least 1,000 yards receiving, and JaMarcus Russell will score 25 touchdowns.

38. Donovan McNabb will play all 16 games.

39. Santonio Holmes will finish the year as a top-12 fantasy wide receiver.

40. Marc Bulger and Torry Holt will return to fantasy prominence. Specifically, Bulger will throw 3,500 yards and at least 24 touchdowns. Holt will get 10 scores.

41. At least eight other tight ends will have a better fantasy season than Antonio Gates. You heard me.

42. Michael Phelps will "date" Lindsay Lohan and find himself in a weird love triangle with Samantha Ronson. For no apparent reason, a picture of the three of them with Wilmer Valderrama, David Spade and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog will show up on TMZ.

43. Frank Gore won't be a top-15 fantasy player this year. Specifically, he won't get 1,300 total yards or double-digit touchdowns.

44. Ben Obomanu will reach 800 yards and six touchdowns.

45. Tampa Bay's defense will return to being a top-five fantasy defense.

46. Chris Johnson will be the leading rusher for the Tennessee Titans.

47. Justin Gage will have more than 1,000 yards receiving. And Alge Crumpler will get eight scores.

48. Both Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El will have more than 1,000 yards receiving. Jason Campbell will throw for more than 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns.

49. There will be at least 100 comments on this article on ESPN Conversation (beta!). At least 10 of them are positive.

50. My Redskins will win the Super Bowl, and Jim Zorn will be named coach of the year. Hey, it's my list. Make your own.

God, this is horrible.

 

[AnonymousBob]

He's no LHUCKS.

 

[NoFBinLA]

He also seems to need Merrill Hodge there so someone can explain WHY some of these calls are made. Because he has no clue what he's talking about when it comes to football.

 

[moose162]

TMR: I had Adrian Peterson ranked fourth-best coming into the season. Overall, he's eighth and currently second among running backs, only four points ahead of fourth. So I wouldn't say I was wrong about him just yet. He's about where I predicted he'd be. Now, Frank Gore -- him I was wrong on. He's been very consistent and my thoughts that he was a second-round guy were clearly off. Speaking of the 49ers, Shaun Hill was my video pickup of the week two weeks ago, and I bring him up here for a few reasons.

http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football...=tmrpickupswk12

 

[Ilov80s]

TMR: I had Adrian Peterson ranked fourth-best coming into the season. Overall, he's eighth and currently second among running backs, only four points ahead of fourth. So I wouldn't say I was wrong about him just yet. He's about where I predicted he'd be. Now, Frank Gore -- him I was wrong on. He's been very consistent and my thoughts that he was a second-round guy were clearly off. Speaking of the 49ers, Shaun Hill was my video pickup of the week two weeks ago, and I bring him up here for a few reasons.

http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football...=tmrpickupswk12

Even when he is right he is wrong. Gore was 14th among RBs in fantasy points per game in standard scoring in 08. Also, Gore wasn't very good in the final 4 games of the year when it matters most.