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Matthew Berry Names His No. 1 Fantasy Football Player For 2025

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 10:34 AM ET

This year's Pro Football Hall of Fame Game has finally arrived, which means the NFL regular season is just around the corner. That also means it's time for fantasy football owners to dust off their big boards.

There'll be plenty of running backs selected in the first round of fantasy football drafts, such as Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. If we had to guess, a lot of winners last year had Barkley on their roster. The All-Pro had 2,005 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

On the flip side, there are a few players that fantasy football owners will need to gamble on, like Christian McCaffrey and Ashton Jeanty. No one knows how McCaffrey will perform after dealing with bilateral Achilles tendonitis for a year. As for Jeanty, fans are just wondering how the Las Vegas Raiders will utilize him during his rookie season.

If fans are hoping for a safe bet, they'll have to hope they land the No. 1 pick in their upcoming draft.

Ja'Marr Chase #1 of the Cincinnati Bengals scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

As of July 31, fantasy football expert Matthew Berry has Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase as the top option on his big board. That's not a huge surprise considering how well he performed last season.

Chase finished the 2024 season with 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was undoubtedly the best wide receiver in the NFL.

Berry isn't the only person who has Chase ranked as the No. 1 fantasy player. ESPN also has the former Offensive Rookie of the Year in that spot.

The Bengals gave Chase a four-year, $161 million contract extension this past offseason. They'd love to see him put up similar numbers this fall.

We're pretty sure fantasy football owners would love to see Chase go for 1,700 yards as well.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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