Is Sam Ehlinger Or Matt Ryan The Colts' QB? Should I Pickup Matt Ryan in Fantasy Football?

The Indianapolis Colts have undergone plenty of changes over the past few weeks.

They started by benching veteran quarterback Matt Ryan in favor of Sam Ehlinger ahead of Week 8. The Colts then went on to fire head coach Frank Reich after a Week 9 loss.

The upheaval in Indy opened up the possibility that Ryan could be reinstalled as the team's starting quarterback, although interim head coach Jeff Saturday has said he will stick with Ehlinger. Should fantasy gamers be looking to add Ryan or Ehlinger off of waivers ahead of Week 10? Let's take a look.

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What Is Going On In Indianapolis?

The Colts have been in quarterback limbo ever since Andrew Luck abruptly retired ahead of the 2019 season. They have cycled through several signal-callers, including Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan.

Rivers, Wentz, and Ryan have all experienced success over their NFL careers but none of them was the answer to the Colts' quarterback problems.

Indianapolis moved on from Wentz in the offseason, shipping him off to Washington before moving to acquire Ryan. The Colts then surprisingly made the decision to bench Ryan after a Week 7 loss to the Titans. They decided to bypass No. 2 QB Nick Foles and tab second-year signal-caller Sam Ehlinger as their starting quarterback moving forward. There are reportedly some within the organization who have been impressed with Ehlinger's work and want to see what he can do.

There have also been accusations that the Colts are benching Ryan because it will save them some money due to incentives in his contract. The team has denied these accusations.

Last month, former Colts coach Frank Reich said QB Sam Ehlinger will start for the rest of the season. Jim Irsay now insists that was never the case, while also arguing there's no financial incentive to keep Matt Ryan in bubble wrap. (There absolutely is.) https://t.co/FI6h3hnt3u

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 9, 2022

Should I Add Sam Ehlinger or Matt Ryan Off the Waiver Wire in Fantasy Football Ahead of Week 10?

Ryan's nine interceptions at the time of his benching led the NFL. The Colts did him no favors with a poor offensive line in front of him, but it is fair to wonder whether Ryan is washed at age 37. The Colts cited his turnovers and lack of mobility as reasons that they chose to bench him. Ryan isn't a great bet for your fantasy squad whether he regains his starting job or not.

Ehlinger hasn't been all that impressive in relief of Ryan, throwing for 304 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception while adding 54 rushing yards on 11 carries. In the case of Ehlinger, it depends on what type of league you are in. Ehlinger does not need to be rostered in single-quarterback leagues but he should be added in all two-quarterback formats. He showed some rushing prowess in college at Texas and has also shown the willingness to use his legs so far in the NFL.

That being said, he is best viewed as a reserve option in fantasy as he doesn't have a whole lot of positives going for him currently.

Just a terrible situation for Sam Ehlinger

-named stater by Owner
-few healthy weapons & bad oline
-OC fired after 1st start
-Head Coach after 2nd
-HC replaced by TV personality w no coaching experience
-OC is now a 30 yr old w no play calling experience

Brutal https://t.co/0gJndZeYTa

— Erin Hogan (@ErinHogan) November 8, 2022

Fantasy gamers in two-QB leagues can certainly kick the tires on Ehlinger but don't spend more than a minimum bid in FAAB leagues.

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