Matt Ryan or Marcus Mariota: Who is a better fantasy pick?

Matt Ryan is the Atlanta Falcons' greatest quarterback ever. So it was with immense surprise that he was traded away right before the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Boston College alum broke just about every Atlanta record. He led the team to the playoffs six times before being shipped off to the Indianapolis Colts.

Marcus Mariota, on the other hand, is a different system QB entirely. The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner never did live up to the expectations that Tennessee Titans fans had when he was drafted second overall by them in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Rather, he had a couple of decent seasons with the Titans before being replaced at QB1 with Ryan Tannehill, and he hasn't been the same ever since. Since then, Mariota has been a backup QB in NFL franchises, the Tennessee Titans and the Las Vegas Raiders.

The 2022 NFL season signaled a change for both quarterbacks. Ryan played on a different team for the first time since joining the league in 2008, while Marcus Mariota resumes as a starter for the first season since he left the Titans in 2019.

However, it's important to note that the quarterback position is one of the most unpredictable in football. The slightest loss of form can cause a coach to bench a starting quarterback for an upcoming one.

This came as no surprise when on October 24, 2022, Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich said that Ryan had been ousted from the starting role and is dealing with a shoulder injury. Thus, Matt Ryan's time as QB1 has ended, and Marcus Mariota's is resuming.

Verdict: Marcus Mariota is a better fantasy pick thanks to his availability and newfound starting role in the Falcons' depth chart.

Previous season statistics of Matt Ryan and Marcus Mariota

Matt Ryan has been in the NFL for 14-and-a-half seasons, and he had started every game except when he was injured or just recovering from injury.

Ryan was a member of the Atlanta Falcons last season. He stacked up a stat line of 3,968 passing yards, 20 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions, and a QBR rating of 52.2.

Marcus Mariota, on the other hand, has been in the league for seven-and-a-half years, where he has played for three franchises, namely the Tennessee Titans, the Las Vegas Raiders, and now the Atlanta Falcons.

Last season, he was a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, where he played as a backup to Derek Carr. As such, he didn't take too many snaps, contributing to a stat line of four yards passed, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a QBR rating of 46.2.

Who will score more fantasy football points in 2022, Matt Ryan or Marcus Mariota?

In a perfect world, Ryan will score more fantasy points than Mariota, as the two players couldn't be more different regarding a franchise quarterback. However, the NFL is not a perfect world, and many things can go amiss with the snap of a finger.

This morning, Matt Ryan was demoted to the bench, and his starting role was given to his backup, Sam Ehlinger. Marcus Mariota, on the other hand, is the undisputed starter for Matt Ryan's former team, the Falcons. That's got to hurt.

Currently, Marcus Mariota leads the much more experienced Ryan, in the official NFL fantasy quarterback rankings, with the Falcon having 110.86 points. In contrast, the newly minted Colts' No. 2 option has 102.42 of its own.

Verdict: Marcus Mariota will finish with more points than Matt Ryan because of his improved performances and his status as the starting quarterback of a playoff contender, which Matt Ryan, unfortunately, cannot relate to.