Calvin Ridley

Week 2 vs Cowboys

Ridley's breakout season started off on quite the high note with 130 yards on nine catches and two touchdowns. Atlanta actually had three receivers go for over 100 yards in Week 1 as Russell Gage also reached that mark. Atlanta may not be that explosive every week, but Ridley proved he will be a viable fantasy option this season and we have him in WR1 lineup territory this week as our 11th-ranked receiver.

Fantasy Upside

Calvin Ridley is one of the top breakout candidates for 2020. He'll now have a full season as the WR2 in Atlanta, after getting some work during the second half of 2019 after the Falcons traded Mohamed Sanu to the Patriots. His usage went up during the backstretch of the season, though three of those games Atlanta was also without tight end Austin Hooper. As John Paulsen notes: "Ridley has averaged 4.4 receptions for 58 yards and 0.59 touchdowns on 6.3 targets through his first two seasons. Those are midrange WR2 numbers, and that’s where he’s going in early best ball drafts. However, that might be his floor if he plays a full season since his numbers spiked (to 5.7-82-0.50 on 8.2 targets per game) once Mohamed Snau was traded in the middle of the season, though Austin Hooper was out for three of those games. (Ridley averaged 5.7 targets in the three games that Hooper played.) "

Fantasy Downside

Ridley's ceiling is obviously capped with Julio Jones on the other side, but we are still projecting him with over 1,000 yards and seven to eight touchdowns.

2020 Bottom Line

Ridley is brimming with upside in 2020 as the full-time WR2 in Atlanta and can easily be drafted as a fantasy WR2 in your drafts. Ridley is currently our WR16 in 0.5PPR formats. It might not be the worst idea in the world to stack Ridley, Ryan and Jones. Just a thought,

Week 13 vs. New Orleans Saints
In Week 12, Ridley finished with six receptions on 14 targets for 85 yards, one touchdown, 189 air yards, 25% of the team targets, 36% of the team air yards and finished as the half PPR WR9. Ridley salvaged a WR1 performance with a touchdown from Matt Schaub in garbage time against Tampa Bay.

The Falcons are seven-point underdogs at home against the Saints with an over/under of 48.5 points. The Saints are third-best against wide receivers, per our signature schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed metric. Ridley could be used heavily if Julio Jones misses the game with a shoulder injury and Austin Hooper remains sidelined with a knee injury. Monitor Julio's injury closely as game time approaches. 4for4’s rankings expert, John Paulsen, has Ridley ranked as a low-end WR1.