Matt Ryan Snubbed in Latest PFF Fantasy Rankings
New Indianapolis Colts quarterback is 37-years old heading into his 15th season in the NFL. He has a chance to crack the top five in all-time passing leaders this season, but it seems the NFL media has written him off as he tries to take the Colts back to the playoffs.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) released a new Top 200 Fantasy Football Players list on Monday, and Ryan was nowhere to be found.
OK, so Ryan is coming off statistically one of his worst seasons, the Colts wide receiver room is considered average at best, and running back Jonathan Taylor tops the same list as the No. 1 fantasy player overall.
But there are 24 quarterbacks on the list including the likes of Zach Wilson (19), Jameis Winston (17), and Deshaun Watson (18).
With a worse offensive line, worse running game, and worse group of receivers, Ryan still managed to rank 11th in the NFL with 3,987 yards while getting it done with smoke and mirrors in Atlanta.
It was the first time Ryan failed to break the 4,000-yard mark since 2010, when he helped lead the Falcons to their best record in his tenure (13-3). Getting back over 4,000 yards seems almost a given for one of the game's most prolific passers.
Ryan has been universally praised as an upgrade over outgoing Carson Wentz and is a primary reason for a lot of optimism in Indianapolis this year.
Wentz threw for 27 touchdowns in 2021, good for 10th in the NFL.
The Colts receiver room has arguably improved as well. Michael Pittman remains while there is a lot of optimism around rookies Alec Pierce and Jelani Woods. Pierce has even been tagged as an early rookie of the year candidate.
If Ryan matches the touchdown numbers put up by Wentz and his own passing numbers in 2021 with a much better supporting cast, he's a top-10 fantasy football quarterback.
Hindsight will tell us that leaving him out of the top 24 was a big mistake.