Week 6 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Calvin Ridley broke out of his mini-slump against the Bills in Week 5, going over 100 receiving yards for the first time since the opening week of the season. Ridley caught seven of his eight targets for 122 yards, adding another 14 on two rushing attempts. Ridley racked up 17.1 Half-PPR points, finishing as WR9 in Week 5, and after five weeks he is the WR23 in points per game.
Ridley fantasy managers should be able to count on another decent outing from him this week as the Jaguars take on the Colts. The Colts rank 22nd in aFPA allowed to wide receivers this season. Ridley's volatility is evident after his recent dry spell, but he should be viewed as a low-end WR1 option in Week 6.
Week 5 vs. Buffalo Bills (London)
It was another quiet week for Calvin Ridley, who at least found the end zone against his former team in Week 4. Ridley's 30-yard touchdown catch was joined by just one other catch for eight yards as Ridley finished as the WR27 last week. Ridley is the WR34 in Half-PPR points per game.
Ridley and the Jaguars wide receivers face an awful matchup in their second London game this week. The Bills rank second in aFPA allowed to wide receivers. With Ridley seemingly now behind Christian Kirk (and probably Evan Engram) on the target totem pole, it's hard to imagine him producing at more than a mid-tier WR2 level this week.
Week 4 vs. Atlanta Falcons (London)
Week 1 is starting to feel like a very long time ago for the Jaguars, and Calvin Ridley in particular. Ridley commanded seven targets against the Texans, but could only manage 40 scoreless yards on three grabs. Ridley earned 5.5 Half PPR points, "good" for WR66 in Week 3. After three games, Ridley is the WR41 in fantasy points per game.
Ridley faces his old team, the Atlanta Falcons, at Wembley on Sunday. It's not exactly the cake matchup Ridley or his fantasy managers would like, as the Falcons currently rank third in aFPA to wide receivers in 2023. Ridley is seeing work though, and his opportunity share hints that a return to his Week 1 form is not far away. Still, a high-end WR2 seems to be his ceiling this week.
Week 3 vs Houston Texans
The Kansas City Chiefs were able to keep Calvin Ridley quiet a week ago, holding him to just two catches from eight targets and 32 receiving yards. Ridley only managed 4.2 Half PPR points, a tally exceeded by 75 wide receivers last week.
The redemption of Ridley should come quickly against the Texans. Still, some concern from last week must be baked into any Ridley projection this week, so a low-end WR1 week seems a safe bet.
Week 2 vs Kansas City Chiefs
Safe to say the Jaguars wanted to feature Calvin Ridley in his first outing with the team. Ridley commanded a 34% target share against the Colts, catching eight of his 11 targets for 101 yards and a touchdown. Ridley amassed 20.1 Half-PPR points and finished as the WR6 in Week 1.
The Chiefs secondary shouldn't hold too many fears for wide receivers this week, and assuming he continues to dominate the targets the sky really is the limit for Ridley this week. He is back in the weekly WR1 conversation, and you really do love to see it.
Week 1 at Indianapolis Colts
It's been a minute since we last saw Calvin Ridley fit and firing on a football field. Back in 2020, Ridley finished as the WR4 in Half-PPR scoring on the back of his 90 receptions, 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns for the Falcons. Ridley has only played five games since then, and after missing all of the 2022 season he is in a prime spot to bounce back as a member of the Jaguars.
On paper, Ridley doesn't have a cake matchup to start his Jaguars tenure. Last season, the Colts were 10th in aFPA to wide receivers. There is also a serious question regarding how fast Ridley can knock the rust off after such a long layoff, but he should still be viewed as a WR2 option this week.
Fantasy Upside
Former Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was reinstated to the Jaguars' active roster earlier this year. Ridley, who was previously on indefinite suspension for gambling on NFL games, should add significant firepower to an already ascendant offense. Despite a year-plus away from the game, reports out of Jacksonville have been extremely positive and Ridley has looked dominant in early training camp workouts. The Jaguars finished 10th in the NFL in scoring (23.8 points per game), passing (232.9 yards) and total offense (357.4 yards) in 2022.
Fantasy Downside
Ridley hasn't played in an NFL game since Oct. 24, 2021. He will join a Jaguars pass-catching unit already features receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones as well as tight end Evan Engram after all three set career highs in receptions and receiving yards in 2022.
2023 Bottom Line
Downtime aside, Ridley, who is just 28, had 248 catches for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns in 49 games with the Falcons, including 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. If he's able to play at a similar level this year, the Jaguars could have one of the best offenses in the NFL and fantasy managers will have landed a value with a player currently ranked as our WR19 and going off at the end of the fourth round.
Week 8 vs Panthers
Calvin Ridley had an interesting outing in Week 7. He once again led the way with 10 targets, but only hauled in four of those targets for just 26 yards. He did score his second touchdown of the season. He has double-digit targets in four straight games. But the arrival of Kyle Pitts may soon start to limit the fantasy ceiling of Ridley, especially as Atlanta starts using Pitts more on the outside. Fortunately for Ridley, Carolina is one of his favorite teams to play. He's had at least 130 yards receiving in two of his last four outings against the Panthers. He's a WR2 with WR1 upside.
Week 7 at Dolphins
Calvin Ridley is set to return this week after taking off Week 5 due to personal issues. He should have no trouble getting right back on track against a poor Dolphins defense, including Byron Jones and Xavien Howard being banged up. Ridley is our No. 10 half-PPR WR for the week and continues to be a strong start.
Week 5 vs Jets
Ho-hum, another solid day for Calvin Ridley. Now if only he can score some touchdowns, as he still has just one through four games. But Matt Ryan is feeding him the ball. 13 targets against Washington led the way again. Maybe a trip across the pond will change Ridley's fortunes in regards to touchdowns. Regardless, he's always a strong play each week. This week is no exception.
*UPDATE: Calvin Ridley is out in Week 5
