Can Matt Ryan establish himself as an elite fantasy quarterback in 2010?
From running back Michael Turner's bum ankle to Matt Ryan's turf toe to Jason Elam's erratic kicking (he's since retired), the 2009 season was a nightmare for fantasy owners of the Falcons' players. It wasn't exactly a dream year for head coach Mike Smith or Atlanta fans, either, who expected their team to be a Super Bowl contender but instead were on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Things are looking up for 2010, however, with Turner and Ryan reportedly back to 100 percent health and the Falcons primed to return to the playoffs. That figures to mean good news for Ryan's fantasy value.
With Turner in and out of the lineup in 2009, the Falcons' rushing offense slumped from second in the league to No. 15 overall. Atlanta was forced to air it out more often, but the passing game stayed right where it was without the running game to relieve some of the pressure.
In fact, the pass offense finished at 14th in the league for the second consecutive season.
And despite passing for six more touchdowns in 2009 than in his impressive rookie season, Ryan's fantasy value was a wash at best because his yardage decreased from 3,440 to 2,916, and his interceptions rose from 11 to 14.
That's a lot of numbers to digest, but the key thing is that the Falcons need the running game to click before the rest of the dominos fall into place. And for Atlanta, there are a lot of quality dominos.
With Roddy White coming off his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, tight end Tony Gonzalez still among the elite players at his position, and Harry Douglas ready to push Michael Jenkins as the No. 2 wideout, Ryan has plenty of options in the passing game.
The team's commitment to Turner and the running game does put a ceiling on Ryan's fantasy value, but it's still a pretty high ceiling.
Bottom line: Ryan's fantasy value will trend upward in 2010, just don't expect top-tier numbers.
