How high should you draft Ryan Mathews?
Rizzla: I believe Ryan Mathews should still be one of the first 15 running backs off the board. He should not be drafted as a RB1 but as an RB2 he has the potential to carry you to a fantasy championship and most certainly the playoffs. Like Mathews remarked, there is nothing wrong with his legs and he is chomping at the bit to play in week one. He will likely have a reduced workload when he initially comes back but should still find a way to rack up 100 yards from scrimmage per game.
Zach: I would still draft Matthews fairly high, probably in late second or early third round. Matthews himself that he has no doubt he’ll be ready to go by Week 1, and I’m taking his word for it. Matthews was a top five running back before breaking his clavicle. If other owners are too skeptical about Matthews, he could be a steal in your draft.
J-Has: Before Matthews’ preseason injury, I would have never considered drafting him because I would have had to use a first round pick. Now with the uncertainty on whether he will be active for the season opener, his ADP has become much more reasonable as he is being drafted 37th on average in ESPN leagues. At this point, I envision that I would already have my RB1 and QB1, making Matthews my RB2, with the potential to be a top 10 fantasy running back. So, to answer the question, I would not reach for Matthews in the second round, but would be ecstatic to land him in the third round.
