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Stealing a WR 1: Calvin RidleyAugust 05, 2020 | 03:30 PM

Calvin Ridley Introduction Every year we find value in late round receivers and draft busts early on, it's part of the reason why safer running backs get drafted higher than similarly talented receivers. In 2019 the average finish of the top 12 receivers taken was 28 spots lower than their ADP, and 11 spots lower in points per game ignoring games missed. 7 of the top 12 finished 12 spots or worse than their ADP. Even ignoring Antonio Brown, half of the receivers we picked as WR1's did not finish that highly. This means that there were another 6 players drafted outside the top 12 receivers who finished as WR1's, and drafting one of those players can make the difference between a playoff berth and being stuck with Juju or Beckham, players that did not produce but are extremely hard to bench because of their potential over players on your bench. In this series I will try and make a case for receivers being drafted outside the top 12 who could finish there and provide value in your fantasy league. I'll compare their projected numbers with where they would have landed in 2018 and 2019. You'll likely see a LOT of "this players ceiling would have been WR2 in 2019". That's because last year was a historically down year for WR's not named Michael Thomas. 2019 Recap After emerging as the clear #2 behind Julio Jones as a rookie in 2018, Calvin Ridley solidified his role in the offense in his sophomore campaign. With the departure of Mohamed San midway through the year and Austin Hoopers injuries, Ridley was an extremely valuable fantasy asset until his season ended after week 14. While he didn't have any week breaking games like his 150 yard 3 touchdown breakout his rookie year, Ridley was a fairly consistent option in 2019. Catching a touchdown in 7 out of 13 games and receiving 5+ targets in all but 1 week made him a plug and play WR2 or Flex for the whole season. Despite his affinity for touchdowns his first two seasons, Ridley has shown flashes of disappearing at times. He had 4 games in 2019 under 50 yards and no touchdowns, particularly hurting in weeks where Matt Ryan didn't throw for many yards. After Sanu left in week 7, Ridley saw 80% or more snaps in every game until he got hurt. From week 8 to 13 Ridley saw 8.8 targets per game which he dragged in for 5.8 catches, 83.4 yards, and .4 touchdowns. Over a full season this extrapolates out to 140 targets, 92 catches, 1334 yards, and 6.4 touchdowns. While a full season of the additions the Falcons made may lower those target and receptions numbers, we can certainly expect him to haul in more than 6 touchdowns in 2020. 2020 Team Changes