Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Can Calvin Ridley have 1,100 receiving yards for the 2020 Atlanta Falcons?
There is a lot to like about the Atlanta Falcons offense in 2020. While they struggled to run the ball a year ago, adding Todd Gurley over Devonta Freeman should help the Dirty Birds get out of the bottom-eighth of the league in rushing. Atlanta will also continue to move the sticks with Matt Ryan in the passing offense. Are we ready for a true breakout year for wide receiver Calvin Ridley?
The Fantasy Footballers try to estimate who many receiving yards the third-year receiver out of The University of Alabama will have in 2020. As a rookie in 2018, the former first-round pick had 64 catches for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns in 16 games. Last year in 2019, Ridley had 63 catches for 866 yards and seven touchdowns in only 13 games. Can he have 1,100 yards in 2020?
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Surely, Ridley would be able to haul in at least 1,000 yards in 2020 if he plays all 16 games. In fact, his 66.6 yards per game average in 2019 would have netted him 1,066 yards had he played the entire year. But to get to 1,100 yards, with future first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Julio Jones playing opposite of him, that’s a completely different animal.
Is Calvin Ridley a 1,100-yard receiver for the Atlanta Falcons this season?
Andy Holloway is only selling this because he has Ridley projected to have 1,091 yards. If he’s proven wrong and Ridley gets an extra 10 yards, so be it. Jason Moore is barely buying this, as he has Ridley going for 1,101 yards in 2020. Had he caught one fewer pass he would be totally out on Ridley going over that threshold. Mike Wright is more bullish than both of them over 1,200 yards.
The notion of Ridley playing opposite of Jones shouldn’t be a huge deal. We’ve seen Ryan throw for over 4,500 yards in a season annually with his eyes closed. His touchdowns may come and go, but the passing yardage is always there. The other thing to keep an eye on is the Falcons replacing Mohamed Sanu and Austin Hooper with Russell Gage Jr. and Hayden Hurst, respectively.
In short, the early part of 2020 is the time that Ridley will make that breakout jump we’ve been looking for. Gage really came along in the second half of last year, while Hurst will need some time to build up a rapport with Ryan like Hooper and Tony Gonzalez did before him at the tight end position. All things equal, Ridley is a good bet to go over 1,100 yards and hit the benchmark.