Calvin Ridley signs with Tennessee: The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact
Free agency was hot and heavy for running backs early on but the attention moved quickly to the wide receiver group. One of the premier receivers, Calvin Ridley, was reportedly being pursued by Jacksonville and New England but ended up signing with the Tennessee Titans. It’s a surprise move for Ridley and the Titans both and has some far-reaching dynasty consequences. Let’s re-assess some player values after the surprise signing.
Calvin Ridley, WR TEN
Alabama has had a knack for churning out great NFL wide receivers. Players like Jaylen Waddle, Julio Jones, Jerry Jeudy, Amari Cooper and DeVonta Smith are all receivers in the league who once called Tuscaloosa their home. Ridley was another former Crimson Tide great who entered the league with high hopes and he delivered on them early for the Atlanta Falcons (and dynasty managers alike). Unfortunately, his career took some very strange turns. After a solid rookie season where he posted a 64/821/10, he followed it up with a 63/866/7 season in 2019. While that was great, things really took off in 2020 when Ridley posted a monster year with 90 catches for 1,374 and nine touchdowns. That top-5 season vaulted him into the elite level of fantasy receivers and sent his dynasty stock soaring.
Then it got weird.
Ridley stepped away from the game in 2021 for mental health reasons. He inexplicably finished the season with just 31 receptions for 281 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in five games played. Many people just believed he was fed up playing for the Falcons but that was never really revealed.
It gets worse.
The NFL announced in March of 2022 that Ridley would be suspended indefinitely through at least the conclusion of the 2022 season for betting on games in the previous season, including on his own team. He forfeited his base salary of $11.1 million for 2022 and was largely forgotten.
Ridley made his long-awaited return to the field last season for the Jacksonville Jaguars and produced some mixed results.His line of 76/1,016/8 was solid but he had only three games all season with at least 100 receiving yards. In short, we still really don’t know what we have here. Questions remain about just how close he can get to his prime form of 2020 and they’ll need to be answered soon.
In Tennessee, Ridley will not be on a depth chart where he’s the clear WR1 – that distinction is going to go to DeAndre Hopkins. He’s also banking on Will Levis making a huge Sophomore leap. Regardless, we need to see a lot more from him to feel confident with him as a weekly staple in our lineups. He’s also 29 already, so his days of being a true WR1 in dynasty leagues are likely over. In the end, it’s going to be tough to predict a similar season for Ridley with the Titans as their second option and he’s going to be best served as a WR2 going into the season. While his landing spot could have been worse, it could have been better as well.
Will Levis, QB TEN
The Titans are reportedly “all-in” with Levis and he’ll now have an offense with DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, Treylon Burks and Chig Okonkwo to play with. If Levis fails this year, it’s likely going to be a short run as the starter for him. After his four-touchdown performance in his debut, he threw for only four more scores the rest of the year and that’s just not going to cut it. Regardless, his ADP is going to rise should the Titans not bring anyone else into the fold other than Mason Rudolph. Tennessee has surrounded him with great players so it’s now or never for Levis.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR TEN
The addition of Ridley doesn’t really affect Hopkins that much. He’s been one of the best receivers in the league but 11 years is a long time to be in the NFL and he’s already 31 years old somehow. His ADP is likely going to start looking flat and he remains a solid target for a contending team (you can likely fetch him for a second rounder in most leagues) but the days of him being a dominant force are likely over. He should remain the Titans best offensive weapon but the wear and tear of a long career is bound to catch up with him at some point.
Treylon Burks, WR TEN
If there’s a loser in this deal, it’s Burks. The Titans traded AJ Brown to the Eagles for the draft choice they used on Burks and so far it’s been a disaster. While the cap space they received in the trade is important to note, Burks just hasn’t looked like a first round draft pick. Through his first 22 games, he has just 49 catches for 665 yards and one touchdown. He’s also battled various injuries and simply hasn’t looked the part since entering the league. His ADP was dipping towards the 150 mark and with Ridley and Hopkins both now ahead of him on the depth chart, it could drop closer to 175 or even 200. Burks still has time to show us more but he’s looking a little like a rookie draft bust at the moment.
Jaguars Receivers
This group now consists of Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, and Zay Jones among others. The Jaguars really wanted to keep Ridley but they ended up losing him to Tennessee when they offered him more money. At this point, each player in this group moves up a spot in terms of targets. However, Jacksonville has also become a very likely landing spot for a rookie receiver. Stay tuned as the value of this group is truly in flux.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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