In what can only be described as shocking, wide receiver Calvin Ridley has been suspended for "at least" the entire 2022 NFL season for allegedly gambling on NFL football games (including possibly on his own team) while he was away from the Atlanta Falcons for mental health reasons. The surprise suspension is going to have a serious ripple effect in dynasty leagues. Let's cover the players whose values have changed as long as this suspension is upheld, which is nearly certain as the NFL doesn't mess around with gambling and obviously has hard evidence linking Ridley to their accusations.
When he entered the league in 2018, Ridley immediately became one of the most dynamic receivers in the league. Over his four years in Atlanta, he posted 248 catches for 3,342 yards and 28 touchdowns in 49 career games, highlighted by a 90/1,374/9 season for the Falcons in 2020. In dynasty circles, Ridley quickly became one of the game's most coveted assets with an ADP that reached as high as 16 overall in October of 2021. In fact, in many dynasty leagues, he was considered to be a top three option at the position as late as early last year.
Then the 2021 season happened.
After just five games, Ridley suddenly left the team, citing his need to focus on his mental health. Ever since, there has been speculation he wanted to play elsewhere or even retire, though the nature of his absence has been largely a mystery. Last season was essentially a waste, but dynasty managers were clearly hopeful he would get a fresh start one way or another and recoup some of his lost value - that's obviously not going to happen now.
This suspension is indefinite and will last at least all of next season. To make things even more interesting, Ridley later tweeted out a tongue-in-cheek message saying, "I'll bet you 1500 I don't have a gambling problem." That may be the case, but it doesn't exactly show a ton of remorse from Ridley.
So, where to from here?
