The Tennessee Titans have been incredibly active this offseason. One of their biggest moves was signing wide receiver Calvin Ridley to a four-year contract. While many thought he would return to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ridley decided to leave. What does this move mean for his fantasy football value?
Calvin Ridley Fantasy Football Past
People forget about how good Calvin Ridley was. Recency bias has people remembering him for his year-long suspension for gambling on the game. He came into the league in 2018, and for his first two years, he was a quality piece but never anything special. Ridley ended as the WR17 in 2018 and the WR27 in 2019. His 2020 season was special.
Calvin Ridley caught 90 passes for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. This performance earned him second-team All-Pro honors, and he ended as the WR4 in fantasy football. Expectations were sky-high for the young wide receiver, but he was suspended for gambling violations. He was traded to the Jaguars and had a good year in 2023.
Calvin Ridley 2023 Fantasy Football
Calvin Ridley didn’t have an otherworldly season. The Jaguars offense, in general, looked disjointed at times, which suppressed the stats of many of their players. Still, Ridley was able to get over 1,000 yards receiving and catch eight touchdowns. These numbers put him as the WR17 for the year.
While some may see this as disappointing, it all depends on where you drafted him. Fantasy football managers who took him thinking he would carry their wide receiver room were disappointed. If you grabbed him as your WR2, you were likely happy with his production. He now goes to the Tennessee Titans, who have many questions about their offense.
Tennessee Titans Offense
There will be decent pieces around Calvin Ridley in Tennessee. They signed Tony Pollard to a deal. DeAndre Hopkins is still on this team (something that is easy to forget). The offensive line is looking solid, as this team seems to be in line to get one of the top tackles in this draft. However, the fantasy football production of all these players rests on quarterback Will Levis.
Levis showed flashes last year. In his nine starts, he threw for 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions. The Titans are making sure he has the weapons to succeed. If there is a concern with Levis, it is that he only completed 58.4% of his passes in 2023. If he cannot deliver an accurate ball, Calvin Ridley will struggle. However, Levis will be given every opportunity to succeed, and this team could find themselves behind a lot, leaving plenty of opportunities for Calvin Ridley.
Prediction
Calvin Ridley will be a high-end WR2 in fantasy football. He will get plenty of targets and opportunities. Hopkins is a great receiver but has a lot of miles on him. Ridley should see plenty of targets from Levis in this offense. Again, the team could find themselves behind, and the team will want to give Levis plenty of snaps to show what he has got.
The good news about Calvin Ridley is he comes with an upside. There is potential that Levis will make a second-year jump with the new coaching staff. Ridley could easily be considered one of the top ten wide receivers in fantasy football in the right environment. He is a safe mid-round pick, but with so much uncertainty, I would be cautious about drafting him too high.
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Matt Brown has been following sports since he was a kid. While football is his primary focus, Matt can talk about any sport anytime. He is a banker in Wisconsin and hosts two podcasts, Beers and Ears & Discontinued on Display.
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