The WR2 slot can be a landmine in fantasy football at this time of the year. There are no guarantees at the wide receiver position, so we have to make some tough decisions. Should you start Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin or Jacksonville Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley this week? Let’s find out.
Chris Godwin’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Godwin is the WR2 on a Baker Mayfield-led Bucs passing attack, and his performance has been very up-and-down this season. The consistency Godwin experienced with QB Tom Brady is long gone, but his talent as a route runner is still on display weekly.
The veteran receiver has averaged 3.7 catches for 41.3 yards and one-third of a touchdown over the last three weeks with a 19% target share.
We need to disassociate ourselves from the name and the production. This is not the 2019 Chris Godwin, who had 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns; the 2021 Godwin, who caught 98 balls for over 1,100 yards; or even the 2022 Godwin, who caught 104 passes.
This iteration of Chris Godwin still has value, but more as a WR3 with WR2 upside than the dominant force he once was. We have Godwin ranked as the WR31 this week in our PFN Consensus Rankings against the 30th-ranked defense versus fantasy wide receivers.
The Bucs will pass the ball often if the game script goes as Vegas thinks it will — the San Francisco 49ers are 10-point home favorites.
Calvin Ridley’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
The Week 1 performance Ridley put up in his first game as a member of the Jaguars seemed to put him in the upper echelon of fantasy wide receivers. Unfortunately, that was not entirely accurate, but Ridley has still had productive weeks this season.
His issue is consistency. Ridley can just as easily catch one ball as eight in a given week. He has averaged three catches for 36 yards over the three weeks with an 18% target share. Still, his catch counts followed his inconsistent trend, as he caught only one ball three weeks ago and followed that with six for 83 yards, followed by another two-catch dud last week.
Ridley and the Jaguars face the Tennessee Titans, the second-to-last-ranked defense against wide receivers, this week. We have Ridley ranked as the WR32 this week, and I see him as the Jaguars’ WR3 but with WR2 upside due to his great matchup. He has a low floor but an incredibly high ceiling this week.
Should You Start Godwin or Ridley This Week?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say Godwin is the player to start. His projected 11.5 points include a projection of 5.3 receptions and 52.3 yards. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection of Ridley’s 11.0 points.
My ranking for these two receivers aligns with the consensus due to Godwin’s consistency. If you’re the underdog team this week and want to take the chance that Ridley has a peak game, I can completely get behind that, but I personally value the higher floor of Godwin for my teams.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!