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 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.
The Falcons released RB D'Onta Foreman. Atlanta is down to Mike Davis, Qadree Ollison and Cordarrelle Patterson at RB. We'll see if they add to the backfield over the next few days. But Davis is looking safer and safer as the team's clear lead back.
Cordarrelle Patterson is expected to provide "depth at RB" for the Falcons, according to insider Orlando Ledbetter. Patterson played 70% of his offensive snaps for the Bears last year at RB, finishing with 64 carries and 21 catches. Atlanta is weak at both RB and WR, so Patterson might end up contributing a bit at both spots this season. He's an intriguing late-round pick in best-ball drafts.
The Dolphins on Friday traded WR Mike Wallace and a 7th-round pick to the Vikings for a 5th-round pick. The low-cost for a talented wideout heading into just his age-29 season shows just how much Miami wanted to get rid of him, and perhaps how wary other teams remain of the big contract he signed. Regardless, Wallace brings deep speed to a Minnesota team suddenly deep at wideout. The Vikings boast 2014's emergent Charles Johnson, Cordarrelle Patterson -- who's heading into just his 3rd year -- and veteran Greg Jennings. (We'll see if Wallace's arrival threatens Jennings' status.) For now, it's tough to find Wallace enough volume to climb beyond WR3 territory in fantasy football, but there's no clear #1 in Minnesota's WR pecking order. QB Teddy Bridgewater can only gain value from adding Wallace's big-play speed. The 2nd-year mean looks like a solid pick near the bottom of the top 12 at QB. We'll be very interested to watch this offense through the summer.
The Vikings have hired Norv Turner as their new OC. He'll run the offense under defensive-minded HC Mike Zimmer. Turner has had mixed results as a HC but is highly-regarded as a play-caller. He helped Browns WR Josh Gordon and TE Jordan Cameron to breakout seasons this past year. Turner favors a run-first attack and a vertical passing game. He also likes to get his TEs involved in the aerial attack. His arrival is good news for RB Adrian Peterson, WR Cordarrelle Patterson and TE Kyle Rudolph. Of course, Minnesota still needs to find an answer at TE.
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