Ridley brought in four of six targets for 77 yards and a touchdown and rushed once for 10 yards and another score in the Titans' 24-17 loss to the Jets on Sunday.
The highlight of Ridley's afternoon came on a late third-quarter touchdown grab down the right sideline, when the veteran wideout somehow came down with a Will Levis pass in traffic at the two-yard line and found his way into the end zone. Ridley was solely responsible for Tennessee's other end-zone visit as well, scoring on a 10-yard end around late in the first quarter. Despite Levis' average play thus far, Ridley has drawn 13 targets and parlayed them into a 7-127-1 line, in addition to the rushing TD. Ridley will aim to keep up the strong start in a Week 3 home matchup against the Packers.
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Titans' Calvin Ridley: WRs to Sit
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Ridley struggled in Week 1 at Chicago with three catches for 50 yards on seven targets, and it will be hard to trust him in most formats in Week 2 against the Jets. Sauce Gardner and the Jets defense kept the 49ers passing game in check for most of Week 1, and the Jets have now allowed just five passing touchdowns to receivers in their past 23 games going back to 2022. Ridley should be used as a low-end starter in three-receiver leagues in Week 2.
Ridley recorded three receptions on seven targets for 50 yards in Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Bears.
Ridley made his Titans debut and led the team with seven targets and 50 yards. However, he and Will Levis still struggled to connect on several deep targets, which led to an inefficient performance overall. It's also unclear if he will be able to keep his target advantage over the rest of the wide receiver corps, as DeAndre Hopkins played only 24.6 percent of offensive snaps in Sunday's contest, per Turron Davenport of ESPN.com.
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Titans' Calvin Ridley: WRs to Sit
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DeAndre Hopkins (knee) is hopeful of playing in Week 1 at the Bears, but no matter what happens with him, I'd still only start Ridley in three-receiver leagues this week. The matchup against Chicago's secondary, which is led by standout cornerback Jaylon Johnson, will be tough, and the Bears pass rush should be improved now that Montez Sweat had a full offseason with the team. There's a lot to like about Ridley's outlook for the season, but he shouldn't be considered a must-start Fantasy receiver in Week 1.
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Titans' Calvin Ridley: Two catches in preseason finale
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Ridley caught two of three targets for 39 yards in Sunday's 30-27 preseason win over the Saints.
Ridley and the rest of Tennessee's first-team offense played the first two drives. After signing a four-year, $92 million contract with the Titans in March, Ridley's expected to work as the top target for second-year quarterback Will Levis in the regular season. Ridley's healthy heading into the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the Bears, but it remains to be seen if fellow starting wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (knee) will recover in time to suit up Week 1.
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Titans' Calvin Ridley: Makes splash play in TEN debut
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Ridley had one reception off of two targets for 22 yards in Saturday's 17-13 preseason win over the 49ers.
Ridley was able to rip off a big gain with his new club when he took a short pass and made a couple of defenders miss in the open field. The 30-year-old wound up seeing two of starting quarterback Will Levis' five targets in the exhibition win. The Titans were without the services of DeAndre Hopkins (knee) on Saturday, and Hopkins is expected to miss at least a few more weeks with a knee injury. Ridley handled the No. 1 wideout role in the veteran's stead, but he figures to start alongside Nuk once the latter is cleared to return.
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Titans' Calvin Ridley: Working on rapport with Levis
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Titans head coach Brian Callahan said Wednesday that the deep-ball relationship between Ridley and quarterback Will Levis needs improvement, John Glennon of NashvillePost.com reports.
It's not time to panic this early in camp, as Levis has had relatively few reps as a pro and Ridley is new to Tennessee. However, the report still raises some concern, because Ridley was among the league leaders in deep targets and air yards last season. Meanwhile, Levis led the league in air yards per attempt. That combination suggests that the duo should be productive on deep shots down the field. Callahan noted that the two are working hard to get on the same page, including watching game film of other quarterbacks and wide receivers around the league.
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Titans' Calvin Ridley: May be used like Ja'Marr Chase
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Titans coach Brian Callahan told ESPN's Kevin Clark that he envisions Ridley's role as being "very similar" to what Ja'Marr Chase did for the Bengals.
Chase is bigger, stronger and probably also faster, not to mention he has Joe Burrow throwing him the ball rather than Will Levis. Still, it's promising that Callahan -- the former offensive coordinator in Cincinnati -- hopes to have Ridley mimic Chase's usage, as the 2021 fifth overall pick got a lot of easy receptions the past two years, including 35 targets behind the line of scrimmage in 2023 (tied for second most among WRs). Ridley saw eight passes behind the line last season in Jacksonville and got only 22 percent of his targets between the numbers, whereas Chase drew 44 percent of his looks in the middle part of the field. The Titans do have other solid options for screens and quick passes, however, with Ridley joined by DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks at wide receiver, tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo and running backs Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard.
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Titans' Calvin Ridley: Lands in Tennessee
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Ridley agreed to terms Wednesday with the Titans on a four-year, $92 million contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Ridley was initially reported to be choosing between New England and Jacksonville as potential landing spots in free agency, but he now becomes the new No. 1 wideout for second-year quarterback Will Levis (foot) in Tennessee. His deal reportedly includes $50 million guaranteed, a notable sign of long-term confidence. While seeing his NFL action since 2021 last season in Jacksonville, Ridley put together a 76-1,016-8 receiving line while playing in all 17 regular-season games. His speed and route-running prowess will nicely complement fellow wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks, providing the Titans with a solid three-receiver group alongside new top running back Tony Pollard and third-year tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: Deciding between Jags and Pats
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Ridley's current contract negotiations have narrowed down to the Jaguars and Patriots as two potential landing spots, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.
Ridley would reportedly prefer to return to Jacksonville, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, but New England appears to be making a strong push for his services. The 29-year-old wideout managed a 76-1,016-8 receiving line across 17 regular-season games with the Jaguars in 2023, his first NFL action since 2021, and it's possible that another offseason to build chemistry with Trevor Lawrence could allow Ridley to truly become the No. 1 option he was billed as last season. In New England, Ridley would immediately step up as the top dog with JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) and Kendrick Bourne (knee) ready to operate as complementary options, but potentially have his fantasy ceiling capped by having to pair with either Jacoby Brissett or a rookie, should the Patriots select one in April's draft, under center.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: Not ruled out for Jags
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The Jaguars hope to re-sign Ridley despite reaching an agreement with fellow wide receiver Gabe Davis on Monday, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.
That may be so, but the signing of Davis decreases the odds of Ridley staying in Jacksonville. If the team somehow ends up with both guys, Zay Jones' chances of sticking around for the final year of his contract would be close to nil. Jones has a non-guaranteed $7 million base salary and another $1 million in non-guaranteed bonuses.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: Big performance in Week 18 loss
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Ridley recorded six receptions on 10 targets for 106 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 28-20 loss to the Titans.
Ridley finished second on the team in targets, but he paced Jacksonville in yardage thanks to four catches of more than 11 yards. His biggest contribution of the day came early in the second quarter via a 59-yard touchdown reception on which he beat the Titans' secondary over the top for his eighth score of the year. Ridley narrowly missed a bigger game, as he beat Tennessee's defense for a second time late in the game, only to see the ball slip through his hands on a slightly overthrown ball. His season was inconsistent, but Ridley still managed the second 1,000-yard effort of his career and now has at least eight touchdowns in three of his five campaigns.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: Quiet day in win
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Ridley secured four of eight targets for 39 yards in the Jaguars' 26-0 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Ridley led the Jaguars in targets, checked in second in receptions and ranked third in receiving yards. The speedy veteran's underwhelming numbers weren't entirely surprising considering C.J. Beathard was at quarterback in place of Trevor Lawrence (shoulder), and Jacksonville didn't exactly have to be aggressive with the Panthers' lackluster offense on the other side. Ridley could encounter more success irrespective of who's under center when the Jaguars close out the regular season on the road against the vulnerable Titans pass defense.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: Catches two second-half touchdowns
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Ridley caught six of nine targets for 90 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 30-12 loss to Tampa Bay. He suffered a loss of 12 yards on his lone rushing attempt.
Ridley finally broke out with a huge fantasy score after managers were forced to endure three weeks of inefficient play. Jacksonville's top wideout scored both of his touchdowns in the second half of Sunday's loss, but the second came from the arm of backup quarterback C.J. Beathard after Trevor Lawrence (shoulder) left the game with a shoulder injury. The latter was already playing through a high-ankle sprain before injuring his shoulder, so Ridley's production may not take as big of a hit as it normally would have if the Jaguars' backup QB is forced to start against the Panthers next Sunday.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: Sleeper WRs
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I'm putting Ridley in the sleepers column because of the uncertainty with Trevor Lawrence (concussion). There's a chance Lawrence could play in Week 16 at Tampa Bay, and that makes Ridley clearly more appealing than if he's catching passes from C.J. Beathard. Ridley comes into Week 16 with three games in a row of scoring fewer than 9.5 PPR points. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 12, and it's not for a lack of trying since he has 25 targets in his past two games against Cleveland and Baltimore. But this is a dream matchup against the Buccaneers, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. In just the past five games, six receivers have scored at least 12.9 PPR points against Tampa Bay. With Lawrence, Ridley is a borderline top-20 receiver in all leagues. Without Lawrence, Ridley should only be started in three-receiver leagues.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: Another inefficient game
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Ridley finished with five receptions and 39 yards off 12 targets in Sunday's 23-7 loss to Baltimore.
Ridley posted a similarly inffefficient stat line to last week's four-catch, 53-yard performance off 13 targets. The absence of Christian Kirk (groin) has resulted in back-to-back games with double-digit targets for Ridley after he reached that total just twice in his previous 12 contests. Despite the increased attention, the results haven't been there for the wideout since quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered, and continues to play through, a high-ankle sprain back in Week 13. That said, Ridley is still a viable starting option for next Sunday's tilt against Tampa Bay based on his target volume alone.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: Little production with 13 targets
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Ridley recorded four receptions on 13 targets for 53 yards in Sunday's 31-27 loss to the Browns.
Ridley benefitted from the absence of Christian Kirk (groin) and saw a season-high 13 targets. However, he struggled to produce, as he averaged only 4.1 yards per target with a long gain of just 16 yards. Ridley's efficiency should have the chance to rebound in future weeks as Trevor Lawrence's (ankle) health improves and in easier matchups. That may not come in Week 15, however, as the Jaguars draw a tough matchup against the stingy Baltimore secondary.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: WRs to Sit
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We're not expecting Trevor Lawrence (ankle) to play in Week 14 at Cleveland, and Christian Kirk (groin) is also out. That puts a big target on Ridley's back, and the Browns are expected to have cornerback Denzel Ward (shoulder) back in action. Even if Lawrence somehow plays, I'd still be down on Ridley given the matchup since Cleveland is No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. I would only start Ridley in three-receiver leagues for Week 14.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: Quiet night as QB gets hurt
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Ridley caught four of eight targets for 26 yards while rushing three times for seven yards in Monday's 34-31 overtime loss to the Bengals.
Ridley was tackled on the 1-yard line on a third-quarter catch, narrowly missing his fourth touchdown in the last three games. The talented receiver had been playing his best football of the season in recent weeks, but the wind was taken out of Ridley's sails by Trevor Lawrence's fourth-quarter ankle injury. Ridley officially had just one catch for minus-4 yards in C.J. Beathard's two drives after the latter replaced Lawrence under center, though he had a 43-yard catch wiped out by a holding penalty in overtime. The Jaguars could be without both Lawrence and Christian Kirk (groin) -- who exited on the opening drive Monday -- for their Week 14 trip to Cleveland, which could lead to extra attention for Ridley from both Beathard and the Browns defense.
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Jaguars' Calvin Ridley: WRs to Start
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Ridley loves it when Zay Jones is on the field. Jones has played in five games this season (Weeks 1, 2, 5, 11 and 12), and Ridley has scored at least 20.6 PPR points in four of those outings, including two in a row. In his past two outings against the Titans and Texans, Ridley has 12 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 15 targets, and he's approaching must-start status in all leagues. I still like Christian Kirk as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver as well, and the Bengals defense should struggle to stop the Jaguars passing attack in Week 13 on Monday night.
