What to do with Calvin Ridley? Projections and trade options explored for Jaguars receiver in Week 11

It's Week 11 of the 2023 NFL season and Calvin Ridley has been a tough watch for his fantasy football owners. After a lot of preseason hype and being drafted in most leagues in the third round, Ridley has only broken 20 points once (HPPR leagues) and that was in Week 1.

Having not managed to break six points on five occasions thus far, Ridley has become a risky start in fantasy football. With the only people more frustrated than those who drafted him being those who traded for him, the question of what to do with Calvin Ridley has become more relevant as the season progresses.

In Week 11, the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Tennessee Titans in an AFC South rivalry game. While this could be a great chance for Ridley and the Jags to bounce back from an ugly loss to the San Francisco 49ers, you should only start him if you are hampered by bye weeks or injuries.

In reality, his trade value has suffered due to a string of disappointing weeks and it's best to keep Ridley on your bench and hope he has a breakout game or two. When that time comes, you might find better options available in trade or feel more comfortable starting him.

Calvin Ridley's Week 11 fantasy outlook

Calvin Ridley's Week 11 fantasy outlook

Using Sportskeeda's Start/Sit tool, we can get an idea of where Calvin Ridley stands in Week 11 in comparison to other WRs who are having similar seasons. As the tool suggests, starting Ridley is a huge risk in Week 11. This is due to his lack of endzone activity this season and his declining targets and receptions.

Calvin Ridley's Week 11 fantasy outlook

Many of the issues Calvin Ridley is experiencing in fantasy football stem from the scheme the Jaguars are using. They are happy to use Ridley down the sidelines, keeping defenses honest and making space for tight end Evan Engram, Christian Kirk in the slot and Travis Etienne in the running game.

Sideline catches often have a lower percentage success rate and there have been many occasions where Ridley has caught the ball but couldn't get both feet down in bounds.

As Jacksonville is 6-3, this is unlikely to change anytime soon. However, after a harrowing 34-3 defeat to the 49ers, it will be interesting to see if the Jaguars do change their approach going forward.

Potential trade targets for Calvin Ridley

DeAndre Hopkins - Titans vs. Steelers

While trading Calvin Ridley on the back of a string of disappointing performances will be tricky, some may have lost faith in him and just want a fresh start. At this moment, the return for Ridley is not going to be huge, so players having similar seasons or short-term injuries are the likely targets.

A good trick would be to find another player in your league who is either desperate for a win or hamstrung by bye weeks or injuries and see if you can exploit their situation.

One reasonable target is DeAndre Hopkins, who has been equally frustrating in many ways but had a huge 32.8-point performance in Week 8 (HPPR). While he has since dropped off, Hopkins feels like a better option than Ridley for the rest of the season (especially with Will Levis at QB and the Titans throwing the ball more).

Sportskeeda's trade analyzer agrees that this is a fair trade, but you may have to offer a small stipend of a bench player to convince a rival manager.

Sportskeeda's trade analyzer

Other fair trades include:

Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals

Marquise Brown could see an uptick in production with the return of Kyler Murray as the starting QB in Arizona. Brown started the season well but has dropped off dramatically since Week 5, recording under 7 points (HPPR) in four of his last five games. This would be a real gamble, but if Murray starts to look his way, it could pay off spectacularly.

Quentin Johnston, LA Chargers

With the LA Chargers losing receivers to injuries, Quentin Johnston is now WR2 in LA and got his first NFL touchdown last week. While he has not exactly set the NFL on fire, the rookie could break out and is well worth trying to land.

Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers

While trusting the Pittsburgh Steelers' WR1 to get in the end zone has been tough since 2021, Diontae Johnson is their main man and sees more targets than George Pickens. Since returning from IR, Johnson has been strong and broke his TD drought, however, he did put up a sad 2.2 points (HPPR) last week.

DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

DK Metcalf has had a frustrating season in fantasy football, and in reality, he is a similar prospect to Ridley. The Seahawks run the ball effectively while utilizing Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba as well, so Metcalf struggles for targets and TDs. This would essentially be a coin toss of a trade, but if you want to try something new, this could be it.

Players with bye weeks or short-term injuries as trade targets

While trading for an unavailable player is a risk, it could make a difference in the remaining games of the season. If the below players are with managers with losing records or struggling to put out a team in Week 11, they may be viable options.

Here are some players that might be realistic targets in exchange for Calvin Ridley due to bye weeks or short-term injuries:

• Drake London, Atlanta Falcons (Bye)
• Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans (Q)
• Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots (Bye)
• Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons (Bye)
• Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints (Bye)
• Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts (Bye)
• Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals (missed TNF but could return in Week 12)