The Tennessee Titans will face off with the Arizona Cardinals this week and are still searching for their first win of the season. But they could be forced to do so shorthanded, with Calvin Ridley being the latest member of the Titans to land on the injury report. The 30-year-old is battling knee and elbow issues and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup after missing practice again on Thursday.
Through the opening four games, Ridley has pulled in 10 receptions on his 24 targets for 141 yards and has yet to score a touchdown. He has tallied 24.1 total fantasy points on DraftKings scoring, which ranks 76th among wide receivers.
Keep an eye on Ridley’s injury status as kickoff inches closer, but should the Titans wide receiver be in fantasy football lineups if he is active this week?
Calvin Ridley Fantasy Football Outlook for Week 5 vs. Cardinals
The Titans have underwhelmed across the board to start this season. Everyone within the walls of the locker room is aware of this, and Cam Ward has not been shy to address it up front. Their four losses have come against the Broncos, Rams, Colts, and Texans.
Arizona has been vulnerable against the pass this season. Through their opening four games, the Cardinals rank sixth in points allowed, but 23rd in yards conceded. Looking just at their pass defense, they rank 28th in receiving yards allowed and 15th in net yards per pass attempt. They gave up 117 receiving yards to Ricky Pearsall and 100 yards to rookie Tetairoa McMillan already this season.
But truthfully, it is not the matchup that has been the issue for Tennessee to this point. It ranks 28th in points scored, 25th in total yards tallied, 22nd in total passing yards, and 27th in net yards per pass attempt. Ward has posted just a 51.2% completion percentage and thrown for 614 total passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, while adding 42 rushing yards with his legs.
Ridley has pulled in just 10 of the 24 targets sent his direction this year, or 41.7% of the pass attempts. While he is coming off a back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, including last year with the Titans, he has not looked to be on the same page with Ward and the Titans’ offense to this point. This is without even considering the injury issues. He ran a season-low 41% of routes in Week 4, with injury issues being a driving force behind this.
Ridley has missed practice in back-to-back days, and his status seems legitimately uncertain for Sunday. Even if he is healthy and available, I am fading his outlook for this week. It feels like all circumstances need to be just about perfect to have confidence in keeping him in your fantasy football lineup, and this is not quite the case this week. He is a caliber of talent you should not give up on yet, but keep him on the back burner until he is fully healthy and the Titans’ offense finds its full stride.
