Seattle Seahawks - Fantasy News

Who to Start: Matt Ryan or Russell Wilson?

by Mike Rose

11/17/17

NFL

Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson

A grudge match is set to occur at CenturyLink Field in Seattle on Monday Night Football when the Seahawks welcome the Atlanta Falcons for the first matchup between the teams since last season’s Divisional Round of the playoffs when the Falcons won in the Georgia Dome to advance to the NFC Championship Game.

In that Atlanta victory, Matt Ryan outplayed counterpart Russell Wilson, and he hopes to do the same this time around as both signal callers hope to take their respective teams one step closer to a repeat playoff berth.

Fantasy Matchup: Matt Ryan (16.0 PFP) vs. Russell Wilson (19.5 PFP)

Ryan has averaged 14.98 Dober Fantasy Points per game this season, which is less than Wilson, so it’s no surprise that he comes into this matchup as a 3.5-point dog. Additionally, the Boston College product has been unable to consistently play at his 2016 MVP level in 2017.

For the season, Ryan has thrown for 2,372 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions—far from MVP numbers. He’s managed to play to a quarterback rating of 100-plus four times and now gets to face the league’s No. 7 ranked pass defense that’s given up 256.8 yards and 15 fantasy points per game to opposing gunslingers.

Prior to Week 9, the opening game was the only other one in which he threw for over 300 yards. He just hasn’t been as consistent as he was a year ago, but it seems that he has started to turn things around. Good luck building upon that streak in front of “The 12th Man,” though.

Meanwhile, Wilson has thrown for 2,543 yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. He’s managed to earn a quarterback rating of 100-plus five times and now gets to face the No. 14 ranked pass defense that’s conceding 238.1 yards and 16.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. That same defense sacked Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott eight times last week. With that in mind, the Seahawks offensive line will have a tall task ahead of them to keep Wilson upright.

Despite his high yardage output in home games, he’s played better overall on the road as he’s only thrown one interception away from CenturyLink. He’s been consistent, though, so that’s a plus for those looking to add him to their Dober Play Cards this week. His No. 1 fantasy quarterback ranking is proof of his great numbers on the season thus far.

Another plus of having Wilson on your Dober Play Card is his mobility. He’s shown that he can be elusive in past seasons, but the way he evaded the Arizona defense and found receiver Doug Baldwin last week just may be one of the top three plays of his career.

With his accuracy in and out of the pocket along with his speed, Wilson will make it difficult for Atlanta’s defense to contain him. If his front wall allows him to stay upright with regularity, I like the prospect of adding Wilson to my Dober Play Card. So you, too, should book him.

Week 11 Fantasy Projection: Russell Wilson (-3.5) vs. Matt Ryan