The Tennessee Titans are dealing with uncertainty around their top receiving threat as they prepare for Sunday’s matchup in Arizona. Calvin Ridley is managing an injury that limited his playing time significantly last week against Houston. For fantasy football managers relying on the veteran receiver, what is his current status heading into Week 5?
Calvin Ridley Injury Update
Ridley’s injury first became apparent during last Sunday’s shutout loss to the Houston Texans when his snap count dropped dramatically. After playing at least 86% of offensive snaps in each of the first three games, Ridley was on the field for just 54% against Houston.
Head coach Brian Callahan revealed on Monday that Ridley’s reduced playing time was directly related to a back injury he sustained during the game. While the exact nature of the injury has not been specified, it was significant enough to limit his involvement throughout the contest.
The veteran receiver managed to finish the game despite the injury, catching two passes for 30 yards on three targets. However, he notably did not play most of the fourth quarter despite other offensive starters remaining on the field, suggesting the Titans were being cautious with his condition.
Ridley did not participate in Wednesday’s practice session to begin the week. This is unrelated to the back issue that flared up on Sunday, as the WR was listed as having knee and elbow concerns. While this could simply be precautionary management of a veteran player’s workload, the timing is concerning given his injury from Sunday’s game.
If Ridley misses Thursday’s practice as well, he would officially be trending toward sitting out Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. His participation level on Thursday will provide the clearest indication of his availability for Week 5.
The injury comes at a challenging time for Ridley, who has struggled to find chemistry with rookie quarterback Cam Ward through the first four weeks. He has yet to score a touchdown this season and has been held under 30 yards in three of four games.
Should Ridley be unable to play, Elic Ayomanor would step up to serve as Tennessee’s primary receiver. The team may also benefit from the potential return of Tyjae Spears this week, whose receiving ability could help compensate for the lack of depth at wide receiver.
With Spears’ pass-catching skills, the Titans could deploy both him and Tony Pollard on the field simultaneously to create more receiving options if their wide receiver corps remains depleted. Tyler Lockett remains well off the fantasy radar and would not be expected to shoulder a significant load.
Fantasy managers should monitor Ridley’s practice status closely throughout the week, with Thursday’s session serving as the key indicator of his Week 5 availability.
Ridley Fantasy Outlook
The Titans made a change in play-caller ahead of Week 4, and that kind of felt like switching from an umbrella to a poncho when dealing with a hurricane.
Tennessee didn’t score a single point against the Texans, and that left Calvin Ridley again out in the cold. Their presumptive WR1 is without a top 50 finish this season, and if Eric Ayomani is coming for his role as the top target in this offense, I’m not sure things turn around in the short term.
I’m OK with being stubborn in situations like this. You didn’t plan on having Ridley as a weekly lineup lock, and you were buying some stock in the Cam Akers development project.
That stock is on shaky ground right now, but we see these young QBs spike at a moment’s notice (see 2024 Bryce Young), so as long as you can field a competitive roster around benching Ridley, I’d keep him on the team.
— PFSN Fantasy Analyst Kyle Soppe