Week 17 vs. New Orleans
Matt Ryan completed 27-of-33 passes for 277 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Falcons' Week 16 win over the Panthers. While Ezekiel Elliott, Tom Brady and Derek Carr have put together excellent seasons as well, Ryan is making a strong case for league MVP. He's third behind Drew Brees and Kirk Cousins in yards, is third in completion percentage, third in touchdowns, first in yards per attempt and first in QB rating. He also spearheads an Atlanta offense that is drawing close to putting up the same amount of points that the St. Louis Rams did in 1999 when they were the "Greatest Show on Turf," which further solidifies Ryan's MVP candidacy. Ranked as our QB1 for Week 17, Ryan is a great option this Sunday when the Falcons host the Saints.
Week 16 at Carolina
Matt Ryan completed 17-of-23 passes for 286 yards with two touchdowns in the Falcons' Week 15 win over the 49ers. In two games without No. 1 receiver Julio Jones (toe), Ryan completed 35-of-51 passes for 523 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. He posted those numbers despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter against the Rams in Week 14 and despite playing just one fourth-quarter series against the 49ers. Now, with Jones expected to return this week, Ryan will face a Carolina defense that he shredded for 503 passing yards and four touchdowns in Week 4. The MVP candidate ranks as our QB5 for Week 16.
Week 15 vs. San Francisco
Matt Ryan completed 24-of-41 passes for 237 yards with three touchdowns in the Falcons' Week 14 win over the Rams. Ryan hasn't broken the 300-yard mark since Week 9, but fantasy owners who had him starting in their playoff games last week can't be disappointed by the outcome. He looked sharp against a Los Angeles defense that checked out after the first half, with his biggest play coming on a 64-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Taylor Gabriel early in the third quarter. Even if Jones misses the Falcons' game on Sunday against the 49ers, Ryan is a must-start against one of the league's worst defenses. In fact, Ryan is our No. 1 ranked quarterback in Week 15.
Week 14 at Los Angeles
Matt Ryan completed 22-of-34 passes for 297 yards, with one touchdown and an interception in the Falcons' Week 13 loss to the Chiefs. Safety Eric Berry made Ryan's day miserable, intercepting a pass late in the second quarter and returning it for a touchdown, then picking off a pass in the end zone and returning it for a game-winning two-point play after Atlanta had taken a brief lead in the fourth quarter.
After scoring 19-plus fantasy points in seven of his first nine games, Ryan has failed to reach that threshold in each of his last three games. Making matters worse, he might be without Julio Jones (turf toe), Mohamed Sanu (groin) and left tackle Jake Matthews (knee) for the Falcons' matchup with the Rams on Sunday. Ranked as our QB10 for Week 14, Ryan is low-end QB1 for this weekend.
Week 13 vs. Kansas City
Matt Ryan completed 26-of-34 passes for 269 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Falcons' Week 12 win over the Cardinals. The interception wasn't Ryan's fault, as Julio Jones tipped a short pass into the air and into the waiting arms of D.J. Swearinger for an easy pick. The two touchdown passes were also gifts, as Taylor Gabriel used his speed and elusiveness to score on two screen passes. The Falcons will host a good Chiefs team on Sunday, but one that ranks 27th against fantasy quarterbacks this season. Justin Houston will be a handful for Atlanta's offensive line, but Ryan ranks as our QB5 for Week 13 and is a must-start unless you also have Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Big Ben on you roster. (Those are the four QBs listed ahead of Ryan in our rankings this week.)
Week 12 vs. Arizona
Matt Ryan completed 18-of-33 pass attempts for 267 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Falcons' Week 10 loss to the Eagles. Philadelphia did an excellent job of dominating time of possession and keeping Ryan and Co. on the sidelines. Fresh off the team's bye, Ryan will look to rebound on Sunday when the Falcons host the Cardinals but this is a tough matchup for Atlanta's offense. Arizona ranks No. 4 against fantasy quarterbacks this season and because of that, owners should view Ryan as a low-end QB1 for Sunday. He ranks as our QB12 for Week 12.
Week 10 at Philadelphia
Matt Ryan was 25-of-34 for 344 yards with four touchdowns and a fumble lost in the Falcons’ Week 9 victory over the Buccaneers. He shredded a fatigued Tampa Bay defense that was playing on short rest after played essentially an extra quarter the Sunday prior versus the Raiders. Ryan only threw for 171 yards with one touchdown in the first half but he came out of halftime scorching, finding Julio Jones repeatedly on one drive in the third quarter. Ryan has now thrown for 22 touchdowns this season and is firmly in the MVP discussion.
Ryan and the Falcons travel to Philadelphia on Sunday to visit an Eagles team that ranks sixth in the league versus fantasy defenses. Despite the challenging matchup, Ryan has proven to be an elite fantasy quarterback this season and ranks as our QB3 for Week 10. He’s emerged as a weekly must start.
Week 9 at Tampa Bay
Matt Ryan threw for 288 yards on 28-of-35 passing, with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Falcons Week 8 win over the Packers. Ryan was excellent on Atlanta's final offensive possession, consistently finding Mohamed Sanu in open space and then hitting the receiver in the back of the end zone for the game-winning score. The MVP candidate also threw a perfectly-placed deep ball to Taylor Gabriel for a long touchdown in the first quarter to open the scoring for the Falcons.
Ryan took advantage of a depleted Green Bay secondary last week and should do the same on Thursday night when the Falcons visit the Bucs. It's a great matchup for Ryan this week, as he will face the No. 26-ranked fantasy defense against quarterbacks this season. Even if Julio Jones is hobbled like he was last week, Ryan has proven that he can distribute the ball evenly and produce good fantasy numbers on a consistent basis. He ranks as our QB2 for Week 9 and needs to be in your lineup. Only Aaron Rodgers (vs. Colts) is a better fantasy option at quarterback this week.
Week 8 vs. Green Bay
Matt Ryan completed 22-of-34 passes for 273 passes for one touchdown and an interception in the Falcons Week 7 overtime loss to the Chargers. His lone interception came at a horrible time, as it set up San Diego to march into field goal range for the game-tying score late in the fourth quarter. After scoring 27 points in the first half (seven of which came off a defensive touchdown), Atlanta was held to just a field goal in the final two quarters. It wasn’t the best performance by Ryan, but he remains a legitimate QB1 that is almost matchup-proof at this point.
Ryan is our top-ranked quarterback for Week 8. He has an excellent matchup against a Green Bay defense that will be without Sam Shields (concussion) and Damarious Randall (groin), and could be without Quinten Rollins (groin). Ryan and Julio Jones should have a field day at the Georgia Dome on Sunday.
Week 7 vs. San Diego
Matt Ryan completed 27-of-42 passes for 335 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the Falcons 26-24 loss to the Seahawks. Ryan had only 83 yards passing at halftime and lost a fumble that led to a Seahawks' touchdown, but he and the Falcons came out of the locker room running up-tempo in the second half and rolled. Ryan found Julio Jones and tight end Levine Toilolo for touchdowns after the Seahawks suffered coverage breakdowns in the second half. He also threw a back-breaking interception late in the game when Atlanta was up by one, but that was more on Jones, who had a perfectly-placed ball ricochet off his hands and into the arms of safety Earl Thomas.
Considering he threw for over 600 combined yards against Denver and Seattle's defense, it's time to start viewing Ryan as a must-start every week. He has a great matchup on Sunday when the Falcons host the Chargers, who are allowing 25.8 points per game this season defensively. Ryan is our QB2 for Week 7 and is a must-start in all formats.
