CalvinRidley

News: 5 days agoRidley, who did not play after Week 7 to focus on his mental health, has not contacted members of the Falcons' front office regarding plans for next season, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Spin: There's still very little information regarding Ridley's abrupt leave of absence from the Falcons and it doesn't seem as if the franchise or player has any intentions of accelerating the issue anytime soon. Garafolo even went on to say it's possible both sides could mutually seek a trade this offseason, though that's by no means something that has been confirmed by either party. The 2018 first-round pick had his $11.12 million fifth-year option exercised this past offseason, though it remains to be seen if that compensation would be fully guaranteed given that distinction is normally reserved for injury only. The 27-year-old finished the 2021 season with 31 receptions for 281 yards and two touchdowns across five games.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: After spending his first two seasons in Julio Jones' shadow (resulting in zero top-20 fantasy campaigns), Ridley finished no lower than ninth among WRs in targets, receiving yards, TDs and end zone targets in 2020. He was fantasy's No. 5-scoring WR. During the seven games Jones missed completely, Ridley managed a 31% share (11.9) and was WR3 in fantasy. That's notable with Jones now in Tennessee. Ridley is now Matt Ryan's unquestioned top option, with the 26-year-old's top competition for targets rookie TE Kyle Pitts. Arthur Smith's run-oriented scheme could cut Ridley's volume, but the 2018 first-round pick should still deliver fringe top-5 WR numbers.