Ridley traded to Jaguars

The Falcons are trading WR Calvin Ridley to the Jaguars in exchange for what NFL Network's Ian Rapoport calls a "complex draft compensation that can be worth at maximum a 2023 5th rounder and a 2024 2nd rounder." We'll pass along further details on the return when we have them. Ridley, of course, is suspended for at least the rest of the 2022 season for gambling on NFL games. He'll be able to apply for reinstatement in February. Assuming that gets granted, he'll join Jacksonville as a 28-year-old with a 1,374-yard 2020 season under his belt. It's a risky move for the Jaguars, but one that could pay off big time. Ridley and Christian Kirk have the potential to be a strong duo for QB Trevor Lawrence, who's had an up-and-down start to his NFL career.

Update: Per Rapoport, the 2024 draft pick starts as a 4th-rounder. It becomes a 3rd if Ridley hits a play-time milestone and a 2nd if Ridley agrees to a long-term deal with Jacksonville.

The Titans surprisingly landed WR Calvin Ridley on Wednesday with a four-year, $92 million deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The pact includes $50 million guaranteed, adding Ridley to a WR corps that returns DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks. That's probably the strongest collection of WR talent the franchise has had since moving from Houston to Nashville. And the Ridley move just might be the strongest sign that HC Brian Callahan's Titans plan to throw the ball quite a bit more than the Mike Vrabel version. Even big-money RB Tony Pollard brings more receiving pedigree than rushing. How will all these WRs fit together by target share? Burks figures to sit a clear third, barring some gigantic steps for him this summer. Ridley hasn't been as much of a target earner as Hopkins throughout their respective careers. So we'll likely favor Hopkins between them. But expect both veteran wideouts to garner shares of 20+%. As for scheme fit, Burks enjoyed quite a bit of success from the slot at Arkansas before arriving as a first-round pick. This will be a very interesting offense heading into the 2024 season. And the biggest individual winner might be QB Will Levis. He's available late in best ball drafts (QB27 Underdog Fantasy ADP) but can at least offer high weekly ceilings. There might be top-16 season upside to Levis. Check our best ball rankings for everyone's updated numbers.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says Jacksonville "plans to keep" WR Calvin Ridley, who is set to hit free agency in March. By allowing him to hit free agency before they re-sign him, the Jaguars would avoid upgrading to a second-rounder the third-round pick they currently owe Atlanta for the 2022 trade. We'll see exactly how this situation plays out. If you're drafting now, treat Ridley as though he's most likely to stay with the Jags -- but don't treat it as guaranteed.

The Jaguars already owe Atlanta a third-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft from the trade that brought WR Calvin Ridley to town in 2022. If Jacksonville re-signs Ridley before then, though, the pick would become a second-rounder -- jumping from 79th overall to 48th. That might be enough to keep the Jags from returning the 29-year-old wideout. We'll find out come March's opening of free agency. For now, though, don't treat Ridley as a Jaguar if you're drafting in best ball formats.

Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley racked up 6 receptions for 90 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. That marked his biggest production since Week 11 against the Titans. That followed three straight games of 53 receiving yards or less for Ridley. So do we ignore it as an outlier? No. Ridley has drawn 9+ targets in three straight games and 8+ targets in five of the past six. He was bound for some regression. Next comes a Panthers defense that has allowed the third-fewest PPR points to WRs on the season. But Carolina sits just 17th in pass-defense DVOA and allowed TD receptions to Packers WRs Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks in Sunday's loss to the Packers. Ridley figures to land in WR2 territory in the final Week 17 rankings.

Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley hauled in 5 catches on 12 targets for 39 receiving yards in Week 15 vs. the Ravens. The veteran wideout nearly caught a 13-yard TD late in the fourth quarter of play, though the pass was ruled incomplete by the officials and held up following a Jaguars challenge. Sunday night marks the third consecutive contest in which Ridley has been held to under 10 PPR points. Despite a stellar Week 16 draw vs. the Buccaneers (third-best WR matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed), his inconsistencies will make it difficult to trust Ridley next week in the fantasy playoffs.