Skip to main content

Matt Ryan Fantasy Football Outlook (2022)

By Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros), Thu, Sep 1st 2022, 10:27am EDT

After spending his entire 14-year NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, Matt Ryan will be the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts in his 15th season. Atlanta traded Matt Ryan to the Colts for a 2022 third-round pick.
It's a major upgrade for Ryan's fantasy appeal that he was able to get out of Atlanta - a franchise that looks to be in a massive rebuild. Last season, Ryan lacked a strong supporting cast which contributed to his lackluster numbers.
Calvin Ridley played five games, and the Falcons owned the league's second-worst blocking offensive line per PFF. Ryan faced pressure at the sixth-highest rate (40%).
That won't be the case in Indianapolis with a better offensive line in place, a stable running game, and playmakers like Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor to boot.
Ryan was also vastly underrated as a passer despite the ongoing turmoil ranking above average in many of PFF's sticky efficiency metrics in 2021: 12th in PFF passing grade from a clean pocket, second throwing at the intermediate level, and ninth throwing on early downs.
Entering a Frank Reich system that prides itself on churning out play-action (5th) and screen passes (10th) will make Ryan's life a helluva lot easier than it was in Atlanta.
Ryan ranked 33rd in screen throw rate and 12th in play-action rate in 2021. The new Colts quarterback is back on the fantasy QB2 radar for 2022.

More Matt RyanNews  |  Articles  |  Rankings |  Projections |  Stats