Getty Calvin Ridley is going to be a top waiver wire pickup.
No, Calvin Ridley’s fantasy production is not a fluke, and yes, you should pickup the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver if he is available on your waiver wire. Ridley is not going to get three touchdowns every week, and the Falcons are taking advantage of a plus matchup against the Saints secondary.
That said, this is the second straight week that Ridley has been heavily involved in the offense. Ridley was also fantasy relevant in Week 2 against the Panthers in a much more difficult fantasy matchup.
I had the opportunity to cover several of the Falcons training camp practices, and Ridley was heavily involved in the offense back in August. Ridley is going to be a legit WR2/WR3 threat the rest of the NFL season. Given he is a rookie receiver, there are going to be a few duds mixed in, but overall he could be one of the reasons teams win their fantasy league.
One particular practice Ridley spent time working with Matt Ryan on red zone routes after practice. It looks like the extra work is paying off, and you can expect the Falcons to continue to involve their young wide receiver in the Atlanta offense. After the Falcons used a first-round pick on the Alabama wide receiver, Ryan had flashbacks to the potent Falcons offenses of old.
Matt Ryan Was Pumped the Falcons Drafted Calvin Ridley
“I don’t think anybody in the state of Georgia or the city of Atlanta was happier than me when he was available for us at that position,” Ryan said per SEC Country. “I think he’s going to be a great addition to what we do offensively. Reminds me a lot of 2011 when we drafted Julio, where we had Roddy White in his prime and multiple targets on the inside with Harry Douglas and Tony Gonzalez. It was difficult for a defense to defend. We’re different now than we were. We’re a different scheme now than we were at that time. But we’ve got a lot of talent at those positions. I know [Jones is] fired up to get another guy from ‘Bama here.”
Ridley had a strong start to his college career at Alabama, but trailed off towards the end. Ridley was expected to be a top ten pick after his freshman season, but his regression caused his draft stock to fall. Ridley still landed in the first round and finds himself in a much more explosive offense now that he is in the NFL. Ridley ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard-dash at the NFL Combine prior to the draft.