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.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith says WR Calvin Ridley is returning to practice this week, according to multiple reports. Ridley missed the Week 5 game in London for personal reasons but appears ready to play coming off the Week 6 bye. An active Ridley belongs in most fantasy football lineups.
Falcons WR Calvin Ridley did not travel with the team to London and is out for Sunday's game vs. the Jets due to a personal matter, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. We'll look for more info on the situation and whether Ridley will be out beyond Week 5. WR Russell Gage (ankle) is also out for Sunday's game, leaving Atlanta with WRs Olamide Zaccheaus, Tajae Sharpe and Christian Blake. We wouldn't mess with them in fantasy lineups. RB Cordarrelle Patterson will continue to play a big role in this passing game. And TE Kyle Pitts should see more volume with Ridley out.
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