Is Desmond Ridder Starting for the Falcons? Where Should I Draft Him in Fantasy Football

The Atlanta Falcons selected former Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder with the 74th pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Atlanta chose him over Malik Willis and Matt Corral as the second quarterback off the board behind Kenny Pickett.

We can assume the Falcons' front office believes Ridder has real upside, but it’s tough to know exactly when he’ll get the chance to play.

Let's take a look at his 2022 fantasy football outlook.

Is Desmond Ridder Starting for the Falcons?

Just a month before Ridder was taken by Atlanta, the Falcons signed former Tennessee and Las Vegas quarterback, Marcus Mariota. The former second overall pick posted 90 total touchdowns to 45 interceptions in 74 games played during his first seven years as a pro.

Mariota showed flashes of excellence that came along with some terrible performances during his time as the Titans' franchise QB. All that said, he’s not going to roll over and hand the job to Ridder, who put up 115 total touchdowns in his four years as a Bearcat.

This feels like a legitimate battle for the QB1 spot, but Mariota likely has a leg up as a seasoned veteran. Additionally, Mariota worked with Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith in Tennessee, so he has some familiarity with the system in place.

Desmond Ridder 2022 Fantasy Football Outlook

The worst thing Atlanta could do is throw Ridder to the wolves behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines and set him up for failure. Ultimately, this is likely Mariota’s job to lose. If the team gets out to a slow start (which is likely will), we can expect his leash to be short, though.

In a season where Atlanta won’t be competitive, the fanbase and front office will be anxious to see Ridder on the field. With a loaded 2023 quarterback class featuring CJ Stroud and Bryce Young coming up, it would be smart to see what Ridder can do, so it won’t be surprising if Ridder is named the starter at some point in the season.

Should I Draft Marcus Mariota or Demond Ridder for Fantasy Football?

In traditional single-quarterback leagues, neither Mariota nor Ridder are attractive at this point. RotoBaller experts rank Mariota as the QB29 for 2022. Kyle Pitts and Drake London will be fun weapons, but this offense and roster have a lot of work to do in order to produce fantasy juggernauts.

In deep superflex leagues, stashing Ridder is probably a smart idea for later down the road.

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