X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

How Matt Ryan's Benching Impacts The Colts In Fantasy Football

Matt Ryan - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Justin Carter breaks down the fantasy football effects of Indianapolis Colts QB Matt Ryan being benched in favor of Sam Ehlinger.

On Monday, the Indianapolis Colts announced that the team was benching quarterback Matt Ryan and would be replacing him with former Texas Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

Ryan's benching continues a trend with the Colts swinging and missing on older quarterbacks. In their efforts to replace Andrew Luck, the team has put Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and now Matt Ryan out on the field. Like the other two, it appears Ryan will be one-and-done in Indianapolis.

So, how does this move impact the rest of the Colts' offense? Let's dig into how this offense might look now.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Does Sam Ehlinger Have Fantasy Football Value?

One thing I liked about Matt Ryan from a fantasy perspective is that the Colts were letting him throw a ton lately. He led the entire league in passing yards in Week 6, for instance. Literally less than two weeks ago, Ryan was throwing 58 pass attempts and finishing as a top-five fantasy quarterback. He's had four weeks finishing as the QB14 or higher.

Ryan was a boring fantasy QB with a low floor, but he was still a viable streaming play. I've been rolling with him as my QB2 in some Superflex leagues, and I was feeling good about it.

And now, he'll be replaced by someone who has never thrown a pass in an NFL game.

I think there's a pretty clear loss of fantasy football value coming up from the quarterback position in Indianapolis, largely because I just can't imagine Frank Reich trusting Ehlinger to throw the ball as much as Ryan has been.

In his final season at Texas, Ehlinger completed 60.2% of his passes for 2,566 yards and 26 touchdowns, while also adding 377 rushing yards and eight scores.

If Ehlinger is going to have fantasy value, it's likely going to come from his legs. The only times that Ehlinger has touched the ball during his NFL career have been run plays: he's got three carries for nine yards, all of which came last year. He took 18 total snaps on offense last season.

Fantasy managers in a two-quarterback league should pick Ehlinger up because he's a starting NFL quarterback with some good legs on him, but he's unlikely to have the same kind of value as Ryan does, so I'll leave him on the wire in one-QB leagues. Ehlinger might have more success than Ryan on a per-play basis, but I'm just thinking about volume. Ehlinger isn't a huge upgrade in terms of his arm strength and accuracy, so the game plan will likely be to have him throw less.

 

Jonathan Taylor RB1 SZN?

Last season, Jonathan Taylor led the NFL in carries, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and rushing yards per game. This year, he's been a little banged-up, so the raw numbers have obviously dipped since he's missed time, but the big mark of how his usage has changed is his yards per game: he's down from 106.5 last year to 77.2 this year, putting him more in line with his numbers from 2020, not his RB1 season last year.

After adding Matt Ryan this offseason, the Colts have been a more pass-heavy team. The Colts rank second in the NFL this year in pass rate, throwing on 66.74% of their plays. Last season, they ranked 28th, throwing on 52.57% of plays.

But with the Colts sitting at 3-3-1 on the season and ranking third in the AFC South in points scored, it was time for a change, and that change extends beyond who is taking snaps—it's also about what kind of snaps he takes.

The Colts have one of the best runners in the NFL, and with this move, I expect there to be a drastic shift in how plays are called. Taylor might not wind up with the same kind of volume he had last season, but he's definitely about to see an increase in his usage.

And once we have that increase, we should get back to seeing Taylor perform as a fantasy RB1.

In full PPR, Taylor was the overall RB2 in Week 1, and he's had just one top-20 finish since which came this week when he was the RB20.

Part of Taylor's issue this year is volume, while another part is a loss of efficiency. Last season, he was third among running backs in yards per touch and yards created per touch. This year, he ranks 50th and 46th in those stats, respectively.

All that is to say that Taylor will get an increase in workload, but some of his per-play numbers this year suggest that more volume won't necessarily put Taylor back into the overall RB1 conversation, but he should be considered a rock-solid top-10 back going forward.

 

Fantasy Football Impact To The Pass Catchers

Perhaps the biggest question mark here is what this means for the players who catch passes in Indianapolis. If we assume the team will throw the ball at a lower rate than before, then where does that leave the team's receivers and tight ends?

The tight end part is easy for fantasy managers: you could largely ignore the Colts' TE position before this news and you can largely ignore it now. In full PPR, the Colts have had two players have top-five weeks this year at the position, but the rest of their numbers highlight how tough it's been to predict this position. Jelani Woods was the overall TE5 in Week 3, but he has just one other finish as a top-35 tight end. Mo Alie-Cox was TE2 in Week 4, which was his only finish as a top-30 tight end. And Kylen Granson was TE13 in Week 4, his only top-20 finish.

Essentially, the tight end lottery in Indianapolis wasn't worth paying attention to in season-long leagues before, and it still isn't now.

As for the wide receivers, there are going to be some losses here.

The Colts average 42.4 pass attempts per game. I think we see this team look closer to last year's team now when they averaged 30.6 pass attempts per game. That's a drop of 12 available targets per game. Maybe we give this passing game the benefit of the doubt a little more and assume we're looking at something like 34 pass attempts per game with Ehlinger, but even that would be a drop of around eight attempts per game.

And because we don't have any track record of Ehlinger playing in real NFL games, it's hard to really get a read on where those missing targets will come from.

Parris Campbell feels relatively safe to me because of his slot role.

This offensive line is still bad, even though the QB taking snaps behind it will have some legs on him to buy more time. Ehlinger might have more time to throw, but it will only be because he's capable of buying himself time to throw. We're still going to see the Colts game planning to get the ball out quickly most of the time. The slot guy is the best bet to benefit from that. Still, Campbell has just a two-week sample of being a good fantasy player, and he'll still likely lose a target or two. He's a WR4 option, with more upside in full PPR leagues than anywhere else.

Michael Pittman Jr. might benefit from having a quarterback who can buy time for something to materialize deep, but I would guess that he's also the guy who loses the most volume of any receiver on this team. Pittman is still a fantasy WR2, but his floor is lower now.

Alec Pierce has looked good as a rookie and the Colts seem committed to getting him on the field, as they've narrowed the receiver depth chart down:

Having Pierce on the field a lot gives him fantasy upside, but it also kind of feels like he's going to be the third option on an offense that will throw fewer passes. When the Colts hit their high point for pass attempts this season with 58 against the Jaguars, Pierce was fourth on the team in targets that game, behind Pittman, Campbell, and running back Deon Jackson. That might change with Ehlinger because you never really know what kind of chemistry exists between players, but I think it's safe to assume that Pierce is downgraded to a WR4 play with a low floor.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Eugenio Suárez3 hours ago

Eugenio Suarez Hits Go-Ahead Grand Slam Tuesday
A.J. Puk3 hours ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Michael King3 hours ago

Fans 11 In Five Shutout Innings Tuesday
Christian Yelich4 hours ago

Hits First Homer Of Season, Steals Base Tuesday
Evan Engram4 hours ago

Sean Payton Excited About Evan Engram In Joker Role
Anthony Bender4 hours ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Robert Hassell III4 hours ago

Has Three-Hit Day At Triple-A
Thomas Harrington4 hours ago

Hit Hard In MLB Debut Tuesday
Gunnar Henderson4 hours ago

Hits Solo Homer In Triple-A Rehab Game Tuesday
Marcelo Mayer4 hours ago

Hits First Home Run At Triple-A
Caleb Williams4 hours ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge5 hours ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Zebby Matthews5 hours ago

Twirls Five Shutout Innings At Triple-A
Daniel Jones5 hours ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin5 hours ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice5 hours ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Hurston Waldrep5 hours ago

Fans Seven In Win At Triple-A
Garrett Wilson5 hours ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell5 hours ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Angel Genao5 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Injury
Derrick Henry5 hours ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey5 hours ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt6 hours ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz6 hours ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman6 hours ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford7 hours ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi7 hours ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen7 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick7 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners7 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay8 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López8 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland8 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia8 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti8 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL8 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette8 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus8 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants8 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears8 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Sam Ehlinger9 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Guerschon Yabusele9 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns9 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals9 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Jevon Carter9 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry9 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips9 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Jalen Smith9 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Lonzo Ball9 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Huerter10 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey10 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton10 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale10 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant10 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal10 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II10 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons10 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young10 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser10 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo10 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud10 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Isaiah Stewart10 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba10 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga11 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry11 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jaylen Brown11 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault11 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere11 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn11 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro11 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions13 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans14 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders14 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear14 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins14 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL14 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä14 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway14 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys14 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal14 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy14 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Josh Norris15 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk15 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth16 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp17 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim17 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood17 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau17 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole17 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith21 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment21 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka21 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov21 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov21 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes22 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg1 day ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober1 day ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall1 day ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara1 day ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez2 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales2 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.2 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira2 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez2 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas2 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez2 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman2 days ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres5 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer5 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]