Calvin Ridley Jacksonville Jaguars

Calvin Ridley joins the revamped Titans offense

The Titans add Calvin Ridley for their new commitment to the pass

The Tennessee Titans signed Calvin Ridley to a four-year, $92 million contract that includes $50 million in guarantees. The Jaguars added Gabe Davis to cushion the blow but the Titans acquired another wideout that has an elite ceiling. Derrick Henry just moved on to the Ravens, and the Titans offense will be all new this season under head coach Brian Callahan.

The Titans have long been a run-heavy offense and the rookie Will Levis took over midway through the season. They ranked No. 32 in pass attempts (490) and completions (302) and only No. 31 in pass touchdowns (12) last season. That’s sure to change with the addition of Ridley who joins DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks in the new offensive scheme that Callahan is importing from his years as the Bengals offensive coordinator.

YEAR	TM	GMS	RUNS	YARDS	PASS	COMP	YARDS	TDS	PPR PTS	RANK PPR
2018	ATL	16	6	27	92	64	821	10	208.8	19
2019	ATL	13	2	34	93	63	866	7	195.0	27
2020	ATL	15	5	1	143	90	1374	9	281.5	5
2021	ATL	5	0	0	52	31	281	2	71.1	100
2023	JAC	17	9	23	136	76	1016	8	227.9	19

Ridley had a breakout 2020 season when he caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns to end as the No. 5 fantasy wideout that year. He would step away from football in 2021 due to mental health reasons and then was suspended for the 2022 season, due to betting on NFL games.

Ridley reclaimed his career in 2023 when he led the Jaguars with 76 catches for 1,106 yards and eight scores – double that of any other team mate. He has a chance to supply the No. 1 role in Tennessee with the 31-year-old Hopkins on the downside of his career.

The Titans also added Mason Rudolph to back-up Levis, and the passing scheme will not be the league’s worst again this year. With the backfield no longer the center of the offense, Ridley has a chance to keep his career on track.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) receives a pass to bring in a touchdown past Tennessee Titans cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (0) during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.

Fantasy football: Where to draft Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley

Analyzing Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley’s 2023 fantasy football ADP and where to target him in fantasy drafts.

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Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley is back in the NFL after a lengthy suspension. He was with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, and in November of that season, he stepped away from football due to mental health reasons. It turned out the then 26-year-old had larger problems, as it was learned he gambled on NFL games while injured, and he was suspended indefinitely.

The Falcons elected to part ways with the former Alabama star, dealing him to the Jaguars in November 2022 despite the suspension. He was officially reinstated in March, and now begins his career working with QB Trevor Lawrence, who is obviously glad to have another playmaker in the receivers stable.

It is to be expected that we’ll see some rust from Ridley, at least early on. However, all indications are that Ridley will rise again to become the top target, ahead of WR Christian Kirk and TE Evan Engram. He is also a top boom or bust target, although it might take a month or 2 before we know his true trajectory.

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Calvin Ridley’s ADP: 31.45

(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)

Fantasy managers sure aren’t worried about rust, and consider Ridley to be close to low-end WR1 status. Pun totally not intended, but it’s quite a gamble, considering it’s been nearly 2 full calendar years since we’ve seen the star wideout in an NFL game.

In leagues of 12 teams, Ridley has been going off the board in the neighborhood of late Round 3 or early Round 4. The best strategy would be to have a bona fida WR1 already rostered, then dip your toe into the Ridley waters to guard against potential early rust.

Ridley has always been tremendously quick, and he is a great route runner. He certainly has WR1 upside, and if you can get him as your WR2, you’ll be doing yourself a tremendous service. There seems to be little doubt in training camp that Ridley has ascended the depth chart past Kirk already, and it appears he’ll be the apple of Lawrence’s eye early on.

Among wide receivers, Ridley’s ADP in redraft leagues is 11th, just behind the New Orleans Saints’ Chris Olave (29.34) and the Philadelphia Eagles’ DeVonta Smith (30.67). Ridley’s ADP puts him ahead of Seattle Seahawks’ DK Metcalf (31.88), Cincinnati Bengals’ Tee Higgins (33.93), San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel (35.93) and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Keenan Allen (37.55).

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Calvin Ridley’s 2021 stats (Falcons)

Games: 5

Receptions | targets: 31 | 52

Receiving yards: 281

Receiving touchdowns: 2

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Where should you draft Ridley?

Call me crazy, but I was burned last season stashing away Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson after a lengthy suspension. While it’s a little different, as Ridley has been participating in training camp and the preseason games, and will immediately return in Week 1, I still expect some rust during the early going as he gets back into meaningful NFL games after a nearly 2-year absence.

The 2 long-term suspension situations aren’t parallels. They have different circumstances, they’re players in different positions, etc. But I can’t help but feel that it would be better to draft a young up-and-comer like Olave or Smith, or grab a tried-and-true veteran like Allen, Metcalf or Samuel, rather than roll the dice on Ridley.

Again, if I were to grab a stud WR1 in the 1st or 2nd round, that would mitigate any potential risk with Ridley. There isn’t even the rust factor to worry about. There is also the potential groin or hamstring injury risk, going from sidelined to 110 percent in real NFL games. I worry about that. Perhaps I worry too much. But the injury risk is a little higher for a guy who has been away from the game for a while.

That being said, I’d glad take Ridley on my fantasy roster as a WR2, especially if he were still on the board in Round 4. Any earlier, I’d probably shy away. But if he is sitting there in Round 4, and you have 3 studs already dotting your fantasy roster, go for it. He is a high-risk, high-reward player who just might win you a championship.

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Is Calvin Ridley ready to return to form in fantasy football?

After missing most of the last two years, is Ridley really back?

Following the 2020 season, it appeared as if wide receiver Calvin Ridley was going to one of the NFL’s biggest stars. After two seasons paired with future Hall of Famer Julio Jones in Atlanta, Ridley stepped forward as the main man in the offense in 2020. Coming off a season with 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns, Ridley’s name was included among the elite fantasy wide receivers.

Unfortunately, Ridley’s career – and his life – took a sharp turn five weeks into the 2021 season when he stepped away from the Falcons to deal with mental health issues. During that time it was learned he had played much of the 2020 season with a broken bone in his foot and part of his troubles were depression and a growing dependence on painkillers. His career took another downward turn when it was learned he was gambling on football while he was out and received a one-year suspension that cost him the 2021 season.

Now healthy both physically and mentally, Ridley is getting a fresh start with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He fills a void in the Jaguars offense as a downfield threat who can beat press coverage and blow the top off of defenses.

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In just two years, the Jaguars have completely revamped their offense. They used the first pick of the 2021 draft to select Trevor Lawrence and doubled down by drafting RB Travis Etienne, a teammate of Lawrence’s at Clemson, as the primary rushing threat. The organization used free agency to provide Lawrence with weapons – bringing in tight end Evan Engram and wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones last year.

While all of them were significant contributors last year – Etienne ran for 1,125 yards and all three receivers caught more than 70 passes. Missing was a physical wide receiver who could either command double-teams or take a corner one-on-one downfield and consistently win contested deep throws. Head coach Doug Pederson has said the team is bringing Ridley along slowly to ease him back into playing shape, but all signs point to him being on the field Week 1 and reclaiming his career after 23 months away.

Fantasy football outlook

Talented wide receivers have become subject to the trade market in recent years, including stars like Stefon Diggs, A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams and Amari Cooper. One thing all those players have in common is that their production didn’t take a step backward. All five of them had among the most prolific seasons of their careers in 2022 with the teams that traded for them.

The same should be true with Ridley. His ADP currently has him coming off draft boards as a late WR2 or a WR3, which provides huge fantasy value given the offense he’s joining. The other star receivers who were traded came to organizations with distinct plans for them that were executed to perfection.

In Jacksonville, Ridley is likely going to be the designated deep threat, which always registers fantasy points, albeit sometimes with inconsistent results. He has a high ceiling and, just as importantly, a high floor. If he lasts to the WR3 level, Ridley could be one of the biggest steals in fantasy drafts this year. Get him if you can if he drops that far.