Making his way from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Tennessee Titans, Calvin Ridley’s fantasy football outlook in 2024 is all projection at this point.
With this big move coming for Ridley, it’s time to examine his fantasy value and see if he’s a good pick or not this season.
Calvin Ridley’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season
With the wide receiver position so deep, you could implement a fantasy football strategy that waits on wideouts, especially when players of Ridley’s stature are going as WR33, per the latest PPR ADP.
This offseason, Ridley signed a massive four-year, $92 million deal with the Titans to help bring second-year quarterback Will Levis to the next level.
Ridley was consistent across all three downs in 2023. Per TruMedia, he ran 642 routes, with 223 on first, 232 on second, and 168 on third down.
In all, Ridley saw 136 targets, had 76 receptions, and went for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. Of his 136 targets, 24.2% of them came on passes 20+ yards downfield. Ridley caught 13 of 32 passes for 388 yards and four scores in these situations.
Ridley’s ability as a deep threat is going to be intriguing in Tennessee. Levis may be a young quarterback, but he has a massive arm and wasn’t afraid to sling it as a rookie.
Although he only played for part of the season, 22.4% of Levis’ attempts went 20+ yards downfield. He completed 22 of 57 passes for 709 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. He had 1,808 passing yards total, so nearly 40% of his yards came on deep passes.
Ridley’s 55.9% catch rate in 2023 was the lowest he’s posted since 2021, when it was just under 60%. He finished as WR24 with five games of 20 points or more.
As you’d assume, Ridley’s value really comes down to the progression of Levis, who completed fewer than 60% of his passes on 255 attempts as a rookie.
The offense has improved on paper, with Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins, Tyler Boyd, and Tony Pollard now on the roster. They also drafted left tackle JC Latham inside the top 10 to protect Levis’s blindside.
The Titans are one of four teams with the earliest bye week, which comes in Week 5.
Is Ridley a Good Fantasy Pick?
After starting as WR33 and finishing as WR24 last season, the drop in ADP likely comes from the uncertainty surrounding Levis.
Levis showed as a rookie that he wasn’t afraid to pass downfield, and Ridley’s skill set — coupled with his new QB’s ability to get the ball downfield — should lead to numerous big-time games.
The Titans roster is diverse enough that defenses may not be able to solely focus on Ridley, but he’ll, of course, get the opposition’s best cornerback since he’s the big-money guy. I don’t think Ridley finishes lower than WR33, especially with Hopkins getting older and dealing with some preseason injuries.
In May, Titans head coach Brian Callahan said Ridley would have a role similar to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, which is certainly a vote of confidence.
And by the way, there are numerous fantasy team names that you can derive from his name, such as Ridley’s Believe It Or Not.
