Atlanta Falcons fantasy football value entering Week 3
By Adnan Ikic
Sep 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) drops back to pass against the New York Giants during second half at MetLife Stadium. The Atlanta Falcons defeated the New York Giants 24-20.
Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
What could have been: Matt Ryan (363 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions: 18.42 points)
The yards were there for Matt Ryan, and it’s a very good sign that he didn’t throw a single interception on Sunday, but the fact that he was limited to just one touchdown hurt him from a fantasy prospective. Ryan added yet another fourth quarter comeback to his resume, that’s now 29 for his career: the most in the NFL since 2008 (the year he came into the league).
Matt Ryan deserved better than the 18.42 points he got, however. Leonard Hankerson and Julio Jones were brought down at or inside the 1-yard line, and that ended up costing Ryan 12 extra fantasy points, which would have brought him to over 30.
At the end of the day, Ryan once again got less than 20 points, which is not enough for someone taken as a top-5 quarterback in fantasy drafts. But one could hardly blame Ryan for that. He did everything he could, but the wide receiver’s knee just went down a little too soon… twice.
Analysis: Despite the fact than he got less than 20 once again, this game should inspire some confidence in Ryan owners. There is no way he’ll be this unlucky in the future. Ryan showed that he can throw for 350+ yards, and it’s only a matter of time before he matches that with multiple touchdowns.
Next up is the Dallas Cowboys. Although they have done a great job shutting down NFC East foes in Sam Bradford and Eli Manning, feel free to start Matt Ryan as a QB1 next week. Dallas will still be without Greg Hardy or Randy Gregory, and they won’t have an answer for Atlanta’s passing game.
Next: Things got ugly