Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley says he’s not worried about learning a new playbook. “I take this stuff very seriously,” Ridley said. “I’m learning it pretty fast, I think. It’s not that hard. Just got to really study it, work hard, put in the extra hours, and it’ll be all right. I’ve played football all my life. This is normal.” The former Falcon added that he feels “100% healthy" after a year-long ban. The early returns have been promising, and there's major rebound potential alongside QB Trevor Lawrence.
Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley has played just five NFL games since 2020. But he delivered WR1 production the last time he reached double digits. That 2020 campaign found him ranking fourth among WRs in PPR points per game. Ridley also checked in 11th among WRs in target share that season, fourth in receiving yards, eighth in TD catches and seventh in yards per route. It marked a third-year breakout for Ridley, in a season that saw then-teammate Julio Jones miss seven games with injury. Ridley is now 28, coming off a full missed season and a five-game 2021 with a new team. He joins a Jacksonville offense that supported WR Christian Kirk ranking 23rd at his position in target share, WR Zay Jones at WR33, and Evan Engram at TE14. Ridley hits 2023 as an enigma, with questions none of us can answer before the season starts. But he sits significantly lower in our WR rankings than he does in early ADP.
Jaguars WR Zay Jones set a career high in target share in his first Jacksonville season, ranking 33rd among WRs in that category. But his average target depth decreased by nearly 5 yards vs. his final season with the Raiders. That came despite Jones remaining primarily an outside WR. He has spent more than 65% of his pass snaps outside each of the past four years, according to Pro Football Focus. Calvin Ridley leads Jones by 1.0 in career aDOT and seems the more likely downfield threat for 2023. Jones, of course, is coming off the best fantasy season of his career. So this aspect might not matter too much. But the shorter aDOT could hurt further if Ridley's arrival cuts way into Jones' target share. All that said, we have Jones a little ahead of ADP in our 2023 WR rankings.
Jaguars OC Press Taylor gave his early impressions of WR Calvin Ridley at OTAs. "I've been really impressed with Calvin,” Taylor said. “I've watched every snap Calvin's played in the NFL, just like a lot of our guys have. So we're very confident in the player we're getting.” Taylor also praised Ridley’s preparation and work ethic. Meanwhile, beat writer John Shipley wrote Monday that Ridley’s off to a great start in Jacksonville. “Ridley simply moves differently than any other wide receiver on the field,” Shipley observed. “The pacing and tempo in his routes, the quickness of his feet, and his ability change up his approach to routes even when he isn't getting the ball all stand out.” Fantasy drafters certainly expect Ridley to rebound quickly, as his current Underdog Fantasy ADP stands at WR17. See where he slots in our 2023 WR rankings.
The NFL announced Monday that it has reinstated Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley. The 28-year-old hasn't played since Week 7 of 2021. Ridley initially left the team for personal reasons. The league then suspended him for all of 2022 after revealing that Ridley had placed football bets while he was away from the Falcons. Jacksonville acquired the wideout last November for a fifth-round 2023 NFL Draft pick and a conditional fourth-rounder for 2024. (That can become a third- or second-round pick.) The Jaguars now add Ridley to an offense that got quality fantasy football output from WR Christian Kirk, WR Zay Jones, and TE Evan Engram in 2022. Projecting the 2023 target shares will be a challenge, but each remains an upside player. Ridley's best ball ADP has been all over the place this early draft season. He has climbed as high as WR16 in Underdog drafts and currently sits 20th there, four WR spots ahead of Kirk. FFPC drafters, meanwhile, have Ridley 29th among WRs -- two spots behind Kirk. The two also sit close together on other draft sites. Keep the ADP variations in mind as you decide both whether and where to draft each Jaguars wideout. The collective talent can only help QB Trevor Lawrence, who's going eighth at the position in FFPC drafts right now.
Jags WR Christian Kirk snagged 7 balls for 52 yards and 1 score in the Divisional Round loss to Kansas City. He tied a season-high (and matched last week’s number) with 14 targets. He nearly cracked 100 yards in this one, but a well-thrown deep ball from Trevor Lawrence bounced off Kirk’s hands. The former Cardinal exited the regular season with 84-1,108-8 on 133 targets, enough to make him WR11 in PPR. He’ll enter year 2 in Jacksonville alongside newly acquired WR Calvin Ridley. We’ll see where their ADPs shake out in early drafting.
The Falcons are trading WR Calvin Ridley to the Jaguars in exchange for what NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls a "complex draft compensation that can be worth at maximum a 2023 5th rounder and a 2024 2nd rounder." We'll pass along further details on the return when we have them. Ridley, of course, is suspended for at least the rest of the 2022 season for gambling on NFL games. He'll be able to apply for reinstatement in February. Assuming that gets granted, he'll join Jacksonville as a 28-year-old with a 1,374-yard 2020 season under his belt. It's a risky move for the Jaguars, but one that could pay off big time. Ridley and Christian Kirk have the potential to be a strong duo for QB Trevor Lawrence, who's had an up-and-down start to his NFL career.
Update: Per Rapoport, the 2024 draft pick starts as a 4th-rounder. It becomes a 3rd if Ridley hits a play-time milestone and a 2nd if Ridley agrees to a long-term deal with Jacksonville.
The NFL has suspended Falcons WR Calvin Ridley for at least the 2022 season for gambling on NFL games while he was away from the team last year, according to multiple reports. The league says Ridley placed bets during a 5-day window in November. He will not be allowed to apply for reinstatement until February 2023. Atlanta now has a large hole to fill at wideout without the benefit of whatever the team might have gotten back in a potential Ridley trade. With Russell Gage headed for free agency, the Falcons' passing game has significant questions to answer.
Scott Bair of the Falcons’ official site writes that “there isn’t a lot to go on at this point” regarding a possible Calvin Ridley trade. Ridley’s last game came in Week 7. Then he missed the remainder of the season for mental health reasons, and no substantial updates have surfaced since. Bair surmises that a Round 2 pick would be “fair” compensation — and it seems reasonable. Ridley, 27, is slated to enter a contract year in the fall. Teammate Russell Gage is set to enter free agency next month, so it's quite possible this Atlanta WR corps undergoes major change.
Falcons WR Calvin Ridley is eligible to come off the non-football injury list this week, but HC Arthur Smith had no update on his status on Monday. We'll continue to monitor the situation, but fantasy owners shouldn't be planning on having Ridley in Week 12 lineups.
The Falcons placed WR Calvin Ridley on the non-football injury list. That requires him to miss at least the next 3 weeks, making Week 12 his earliest potential return. We'd still try to keep Ridley stashed on fantasy benches for now.
In a statement posted on social media, Falcons WR Calvin Ridley wrote, "I need to step away from football at this time and focus on my mental wellbeing." Ridley has been scratched in 2 of Atlanta's last 3 games. It's unclear when he'll return to the game. We'd recommend keeping him stashed on fantasy benches for now.
Falcons WR Calvin Ridley is INACTIVE for today's game vs. the Panthers due to a personal matter. He also missed Week 5 for the same reason. Ridley's absence leaves Atlanta with WRs Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus and Tajae Sharpe atop the depth chart. TE Kyle Pitts and RB Cordarrelle Patterson should also play even bigger roles in the passing game.
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