Generally speaking, throughout the course of their respective careers, Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan have easily been viewed as solid fantasy quarterbacks. That said, a number of Week 14 factors make it seem as though the two veteran quarterbacks would be better left on the bench.
For starters, at least in Rivers’ case, he’s playing behind one of the sorriest excuses for an offensive line the NFL currently has to offer. Additionally, injuries to Steve Johnson, Dontrelle Inman and Keenan Allen leave Rivers all but abandoned out on the field. Seriously, he might as well be throwing to trash cans out there.
“Sure,” you might be thinking, “but Rivers still has Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green at tight end.” While true, statistically speaking, the Kansas City Chiefs have been fantastic against tight ends this season. With Rivers having been held to 17 fantasy points or less in three of the Chargers’ past four games, needless to say, it would be best to find quarterback value elsewhere this Sunday.
Honestly, it doesn’t really get much better for Ryan. What’s just plain sad about Ryan is that, unlike Rivers, he doesn’t actually have any good excuses for his poor play. Yup, he’s just not very good right now. While there’s a chance that Kyle Shanahan’s offense simply doesn’t work well for him, it’s not likely.
Ryan’s to blame for the mess he’s caused—especially as of late. In his past four outings, Ryan has only one measly game with more than 18 fantasy points. And during that span, he’s thrown for both six interceptions and six touchdowns. Seeing as how the Carolina Panthers’ defense has only allowed three quarterbacks all year to score at least 20 fantasy points, it’s hard to believe that Ryan will have much success.
Also, the game is being played outside, and Ryan has managed to score more than 20 points for his fantasy fans only once this year when outdoors. Things don’t look too bright for Ryan and the Falcons, unfortunately. Whether it be Rivers or Ryan, this weekend, even in two-quarterback leagues, these quarterbacks simply can’t be trusted.