Matt Ryan

Week 2 at Jacksonville Jaguars

Matt Ryan had a tough three quarters against the Texans, but turned it on in the fourth, scoring 17 points to force an opening week tie against their division rivals. It was a disappointing result for the heavily-favored Colts, but Ryan served up a decent enough 352 yards, a touchdown, and a pick on the day.

This week, Ryan gets a nice matchup against the Jaguars who just made Carson Wentz look like 2017 Carson Wentz. His lack of rushing production limits his potential, but if you need a streaming option or a solid QB2 in your lineup, Ryan is your guy.

Update: with Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce both set to miss Week 2, Ryan is a shaky starting option. Look elsewhere if you can, and expect a run-heavy approach from the Indianapolis offense.

2022 Fantasy Upside
Matt Ryan gets a fresh start in Indianapolis after 14 years in a Falcons uniform. Prior to last season, he had 10 straight seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards and he hasn’t thrown for fewer than 20 touchdowns since his rookie year. The former MVP will join an offense with emerging star wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and second-round rookie Alec Pierce. Most importantly for an immobile quarterback entering his 15th year, the Colts have a top-10 offensive line according to Justin Edwards.

2022 Fantasy Downside
Ryan had a down year in 2021, devoid of weapons and with struggles up front, passing for his lowest yards (3,968) since 2010 and tied for his second-fewest touchdowns (20) of his career. The Colts are built in a throw-back, grind-it-out and play good defense kind of way. They ranked 23rd in early-down neutral passing rate per rbsdm.com last year and boast arguably the best running back in football in Jonathan Taylor. Ryan is also 37 years old and while quarterbacks are playing later and later nowadays, it’s always a concern when they enter their late-30s.

2022 Bottom Line
Even though the Colts have been running the ball the past couple of seasons, Frank Reich uses talent as he has it. As such, expect him to unleash Ryan and his talented young duo at receiver with more confidence than he did with Carson Wentz last year. Ryan probably won’t be in his MVP-level form from 2017, but he’s likely to improve on his QB19 finish from 2021. We have him ranked as a QB2 option, but his 13th-round price tag makes him worth considering in deeper leagues and in 2QB formats.

Week15 vs 49ers /strong>

Is age finally catching up to Matt Ryan? Does Matt Ryan miss Calvin Ridley? Probably a mix of the two. Ryan now is on a stretch of having less than 200 yards in five of his last seven games and has just two touchdowns in his last five games. Yet somehow, Atlanta is in the playoff mix at 6-7. Ryan just isn't playoff-worthy this season in fantasy and that's a shame. He's a deep QB2 if you're in a multi-QB league or Superflex.