QB Matt Ryan - Atlanta Falcons

6-4, 228

Born: 5-17-1985

College: Boston College

Drafted: Round 1, pick 2008

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Week 7: vs Los Angeles Rams

All QB vs LAR

FBG says: Neutral matchup. The Atlanta Falcons' offense is the NFL's highest-volume passing-attack, in large part thanks to the team's struggling defense. Consistently playing from behind during a 1-5 start, the Falcons have found themselves playing catch-up in almost every game this season. Quarterback Matt Ryan leads the NFL in pass attempts and touchdowns while ranking second in passing yards. Julio Jones' absurd talent as a pass-catcher keeps him firmly atop the Falcons' wide receiver depth chart and leaderboards with 34 receptions on 53 targets for 467 yards and 4 touchdowns so far this season. Mohamed Sanu and Calvin Ridley have proven to be interchangeable as Atlanta's number-two wide receiver this season. Ridley and Sanu have near-identical target, reception, and yardage totals through six games, but Ridley holds a significant edge in the touchdown column. Touchdown totals give little insight regarding future production, and the difference here does not signal much of a gap between the two wide receivers. At tight end, Austin Hooper has enjoyed a breakout 2019 campaign. Hooper leads the Falcons in receptions and receiving yards while finishing second in targets and touchdowns. Last week, Hooper made the most of a juicy matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, but the Rams allow nearly 10 fewer fantasy points per game to tight ends than the Cardinals. The Falcons offensive line has been a below-average unit to start the season. Rookie Kaleb McGarry has struggled at right tackle, while the revolving door at the guard positions has yet to produce a reliable pass-blocker. In spite of the struggles up front, Matt Ryan has posted impressive passing numbers, both with regards to volume and efficiency, so far in 2019. Atlanta's matchup with the Rams' new-look secondary will prove to be one of the league's most entertaining matchups in week seven. The Los Angeles Rams field a very respectable pass-defense in 2019, and entering week seven, there will be some drastic changes to their secondary. On Tuesday afternoon, the Rams traded away cornerback Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens and acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Jacksonville Jaguars in two separate transactions. Trading away Peters was a prerequisite for acquiring Ramsey for salary cap purposes. If Ramsey's apparent back injury, which kept him out of action last week, clears up, he will pair with Eric Weddle to make up one of the NFL's best cornerback-safety duos. Ramsey is widely regarded as one of the NFL's best cornerbacks, and Eric Weddle continues to impress in coverage in his 13th NFL season. Next, Cory Littleton is undoubtedly the Los Angeles Rams' best linebacker. Littleton excels in coverage duties, with a team-leading six pass-breakups so far this season. In the trenches, Aaron Donald is likely the NFL's most-talented pass-rusher. Donald disrupts the pocket at a higher rate than any defender in the NFL, and his value to this defense cannot be overstated. The Rams will be without their sack leader in Clay Matthews this week who suffered a jaw injury, but stil will have plenty to rush the quarterback in Aaron Donald and Donte Fowler. In summary, the Rams field one of the NFL's best pass-rushes with above-average players in coverage at both linebacker and in the secondary. If Jalen Ramsey is able to play, this matchup with Atlanta's high-volume passing attack will be one of the most intriguing in week seven.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	CMP	ATT	YD	TD	INT	RSH	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
3	at IND		61	29	34	304	3	1	2	3	0	0	26.5
4	vs TEN		80	35	53	397	0	0	2	18	0	1	20.65
5	at HOU		74	32	46	330	3	1	3	7	1	0	34.2
6	at ARI		69	30	36	356	4	0	2	7	0	0	33.5
7	vs LAR	PROJ-Dodds	*	27	40	*	*	*	2	*	*	*	*
7	vs LAR	PROJ-Tremblay	*	26	40	*	*	*	2	*	*	*	*
7	vs LAR	PROJ-Bloom	*	25	37	*	*	*	2	*	*	*	*

Weekly Performance vs QB 1, QB 12, QB 24

Percentile ranks

Matt Ryan's percentile rank in each category, among QB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2019 Week 6 vs ARI (30 / 36 / 356 / 4 / 0 pass, 2 / 7 / 0 rush)

How the Falcons offense handles defensive pressure continues to be a key issue for the unit. Ryan flushed left on the first play of the game and found Julio Jones for a first down on a comeback route. He also hit Austin Hooper on the backside of the formation that led to a strong gain after the catch to get Atlanta across midfield. A pair of offside penalties put Atlanta into scoring position and Ryan finished drive with a flat route to Calvin Ridley dressed up with pre- and post-snap motion towards the quarterback before reversing field back to the flat. Ridley committed a pass interference penalty to end the second drive of the first quarter, but it was a designed clear-out play for Julio Jones that Ryan was late to throw the ball and it contributed to Ridley's block being illegal. Rodney Gunter sacked Ryan on third down during Altanta's third drive, forcing a punt after a good first-down run by Devonta Freeman. Ryan found Jones up the seam a couple of times midway through the second quarter to mount a drive past midfield. He then hit third tight end Jaden Graham on a flea-flicker for 21 yards up the left sideline. Down 27-10, Atlanta began the third quarter in hurry-up mode. Ryan completed passes to Jones and Hooper before overthrowing a third-down target to a wide-open Ridley on and out. This led a 44-yard field goal. Ryan and the Falcons picked on Cardinals' linebacker Hassan Reddick with passes to Austin Hooper than and a Hooper-Freeman route combination on the back side of a trips formation to find Freeman underneath for the score that cut the game to a 20-27 deficit. Ryan continued picking on Reddick and the linebackers with play-action passes to Hooper, including a deep seam route and a short cross for the subsequent touchdown that tied the game 27-27. After the defense stopped Arizona's offense in the middle of the fourth quarter, Ryan could not get Atlanta past its 30 and took a sack on third down that forced a punt. Ryan found Freeman against a cross blitz of linebackers, which left the flat open for the runner to walk the ball in for Ryan's third score and another potential tie--until Matt Bryant missed a rare PAT.

2019 Week 5 vs HOU (32 / 46 / 330 / 3 / 1 pass, 3 / 7 / 1 rush)

Ryan found Julio Jones twice during the Falcons' second possession, including a third-down crossing route where J.J. Watt's late hit on the quarterback put the ball inside the Texans' 15. Ryan found Mohamed Sanu two plays later on a crossing route and San dove across the goal line for Atlanta's first score. Ryan got bailed out by Mohamed Sanu on a third-down throw while on the run from pressure that was intended for Calvin Ridley but Ridley fell down and the Texans were in position to intercept it until Sanu cut off the pass. Ryan later found Ridley for a 22-yard out to reach the Texans' red zone. Watt foiled a touchdown drive on 3rd and 4 by running through the rookie tackle Kaleb McGary and hitting Ryan during his release on a pass intended for Austin Hooper. This forced a field goal. Ryan escaped a Watt sack attempt on 3rd and 5 but D.J. Reader chased Ryan down when he tried to extend the play late in the third quarter. Ryan took a third-and-inches sneak for a touchdown to cut the lead to 10 points. He cut the lead to 8 with a scramble and throw to Austin Hooper. Ryan worked free on a roll to the right and found Ridley for a 28-yard score at the right boundary of the end zone and Ridley worked free of Jonathan Joseph, who thought he pushed the receiver out of bounds. Ryan threw his seventh interception of the year--a pick-six on a final drive when he threw the ball behind Austin Hooper with less than a minute left.

2019 Week 4 vs TEN (35 / 53 / 397 / 0 / 0 pass, 2 / 18 / 0 rush)

After moving Atlanta past midfield on a pair of drives, Ryan lost the ball while trying to avoid interior pressure during the Falcons' third series. Starting right guard Jamon Brown suffered a concussion early in the second quarter and the line was forced to go with third-string guard Wes Schweitzer. He moved Atlanta up and down the field but all but one drive stalled out in Titans terriotyr in the first half. He dealt with consistent pressure early in the third quarter but a screen pass to Devonta Freeman and an over route to Mohamed Sanu got Atlanta into the red zone. Calvin Ridley and Sanu dropped red zone passes and forced another field goal attempt. Ryan was sacked for the third time on a 4th and 1 play-action pass late in the third quarter.

2019 Week 3 vs IND (29 / 34 / 304 / 3 / 1 pass, 2 / 3 / 0 rush)

He completed a pair of short passes to his tight ends during the first series but he and Julio Jones were not on the same page with the depth of his break on a corner route on 3rd and 15. Ryan started the next drive with two play-action passes up the middle. As the drive reached Colts' territory, Ryan overshot Luke Stocker by a large margin and Clayton Geathers intercepted the target inside the Colts' 10. This was Ryan's sixth interception in the first 10 quarters of the football season. He also overshot Austin Hooper late in the half in the end zone. This led to a 3rd and 11 throwaway while under heavy pressure and forced a field goal attempt just before the two-minute warning. Ryan got hot in the third quarter. He found Julio Jones for 34 yards on an out-and-up and Matt Ryan underthrew it to guarantee a catch when the cornerback fell down. This got Atlanta inside the 12 of the Colts where Ryan found Hooper in the middle of the field on a play-action pass and Hooper took it to the end zone. On the next drive, Ryan found Jones on a stop route on third down to extend the series. Ryan was 10-for-10 to begin the third quarter and found Jones and Sanu for third-down conversions to drive Atlanta inside the Colts' 30 on the series after its first touchdown in the second half. He found Julio Jones for his third touchdown on a corner fade between two defenders.

2019 Week 2 vs PHI (27 / 43 / 320 / 3 / 3 pass, 2 / 3 / 0 rush)

Ryan faced pressure throughout the first quarter but it wasn't as intense as the Vikings game. He managed to move Atlanta downfield with throws to Austin Hooper, Calvin Ridley, and Mohamed Sanu that led to a field goal early. Fletcher Cox nearly intercepted Ryan in the middle of the second quarter on a zone blitz. Ryan followed up with a deep fade to Julio Jones for 27 yards. Soon after, Ryan lost starting right tackle Caleb McGary in the middle of the second quarter to a knee injury but Ty Sambrallo held up in relief. Ryan overthrew two receivers in a row on targets in the endzone to Ridley and then Justin Gage on a post route. This led to a 50-yard field goal attempt that Matt Bryant missed. Still, Ryan showed emotional resilience. He delivered a good pump fake to set up a completion Ridley for the second of two passes to the receiver to get across midfield. A few plays later, Ryan found Ridley for a deep post for a 34-yard score. With 0:41 left in the half, Ryan threw the ball behind Sanu and Sidney Jones intercepted the pass. However, Ryan found Jones for the score on the third play of the third quarter on a designed roll and scramble drill in the back of the end zone. Ryan underthrew a deep go route up the right sideline while under pressure against an all-out blitz, leading to his second interception and a return into Atlanta territory. Ryan threw an interception in the end zone on a red zone play at the end of the third quarter when he tried to fit the ball into coverage he didn't see because he was throwing over a line that had compressed Ryan's pocket and a defender hit his arm during the release. Ryan threw off his back foot to Freeman on a third and three late in the game while fading away from pressure. Late in the game, Ryan connected with Jones on a screen pass for a game-winning, 54-yard play.

2019 Week 1 vs MIN (33 / 46 / 304 / 2 / 2 pass, 2 / 24 / 0 rush)

Minnesota's blitz packages wreaked havoc on Atlanta offensive line and when Ryan wasn't sacked or forced to throw the ball away, he made a pair of throws with pressure in this face that led to interceptions. The first was a crossing route intended for Julio Jones that Anthony Harris pulled away from Jones for an interception. The second was a route to the back pylon in the end zone that Luke Stocker did not continue and it gave Harris a chance to run down the ball. The Vikings gave up flat routes to Austin Hooper when the game was still a contest. By the fourth quarter, the game was out of reach and Ryan was able to find Calvin Ridley on two big-play throws--including a touchdown thrown to the front pylon and a crossing route where Ridley made multiple defenders miss until he reached the Vikings' two. Middle pressure or pressure in Ryan's face has always been the best way to break-down Ryan's game and the Vikings succeeded this week.

Latest News

Falcons | Matt Ryan shreds Arizona (Sun Oct 13, 10:38 PM) - Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan completed 30 of his 36 passes for 356 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-33 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6. He added seven rushing yards on two carries.

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Schedule

7	vs Los Angeles Rams
8	vs Seattle Seahawks
9	--- BYE WEEK ---
10	@ New Orleans Saints
11	@ Carolina Panthers
12	vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13	vs New Orleans Saints
14	vs Carolina Panthers
15	@ San Francisco 49ers
16	vs Jacksonville Jaguars
17	@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers