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.
