A Huge Falcons Season for Calvin Ridley?
Calvin Ridley is the undisputed No. 1 wide receiver heading into the Atlanta Falcons season. Pro Football Focus (PFF) projects huge numbers for Ridley this year.
PFF projects Ridley with 1,577 yards receiving on 152 targets this year. He had 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in a 16 game 2020 season.
The Falcons open their season with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and for the first time in a decade, Julio Jones won't be on the team.
Jones was traded to the Tennessee Titans in the offseason, but Ridley is no stranger to being the top target of quarterback Matt Ryan. Jones endured an injury-plagued 2020 season, and Ridley was elevated to Atlanta's top target much of the year.
His 1,374 yards tied him for the fifth most yardage in the NFL with Davante Adams of the Green Bay Packers. Only Minnesota's Justin Jefferson, Arizona's DeAndre Hopkins, Kansas City's Travis Kelce, and Buffalo's Stefon Diggs had more receiving yardage than Ridley.
Each of them made the Pro Bowl last season. In fact, of the top 10 receivers by total yardage, only Ridley and the Chicago Bears' Allen Robinson were snubbed by the Pro-Bowl.
There's an adage from Major League Baseball that a player usually gets selected to the All-Star Game the year after he first deserves it. That should be the case with Ridley. If he can duplicate or improve on his 2020 season, he'll likely make the Pro-Bowl following the 2021 season.
However, despite the lofty projection from PFF, Ridley's fantasy value could actually decrease in 2021.
READ MORE: Calvin Ridley's Fantasy Value Could Drop
New head coach Arthur Smith may be the biggest reason Ridley doesn't see a dramatic rise in raw output. The offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, Smith relies on a much more balanced attack than we saw in Atlanta the last several seasons.
Tennessee was 30th in pass attempts last season with 485 while Atlanta was fourth in the NFL with 628. That's nine less attempts per game.
Ridley could be a more efficient and effective receiver, but he could see significantly fewer targets in 2021 as a result of the new offensive scheme from Smith.
Ridley was held out of all three of Atlanta's preseason games. He'll see his first action of the season on Sunday against the Eagles when the Falcons begin their season and new direction under Smith.
