Calvin Ridley Becomes Fantasy Asset With Will Levis Ruled Out

Will Levis has been ruled out for the entirety of the 2025 NFL season, elevating Calvin Ridley’s value as a fantasy asset.

Any debate over who would be the Tennessee Titans’ starting quarterback has vanished, giving Ridley stability and the opportunity to develop chemistry with first overall pick Cam Ward.

Ward is due to take all the first-team reps in training camp and will be backed up by Brandon Allen. Levis, who had 21 starts over the last two regular seasons, could have started the season as QB1 for the Titans if they wanted to give Ward some extra time to prepare for his NFL debut.

Instead, Titans head coach Brian Callahan is looking to follow the blueprint he used as Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator when Joe Burrow was drafted first overall.

Turron Davenport, writing for ESPN, explained, “The adjustments to the playbook will be based on Ward’s strengths and preferences, rather than forcing him into a rigid system. This was the exact plan Callahan was a part of with the Bengals under Zac Taylor when they drafted Joe Burrow first overall in 2020.”

Tennessee finished 3-14 last season and has won 16 games over the last three regular seasons. It’s a blank slate to build around Ward, with Ridley, Tyler Lockett, and fourth-round pick Chimere Dike offering a diverse range of skillsets. Known for his pinpoint long-range passing, Ward should be able to make full use of the speed of Ridley and Dike downfield.

Evaluating Ridley’s Fantasy Potential

Ridley’s 120 targets were 50 more than any other Titan in 2024. He had over double as many yards, too, with 1,017 receiving yards and 15.9 yards per reception. It is back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the former Atlanta Falcon, who averages 64.8 receiving yards per game for his career.

Paired with the highly talented Ward, there’s the upside for Ridley to return to his All-Pro peak of 2020. He averaged six receptions per game and posted 1,374 receiving yards with nine touchdowns.

Ridley was WR4 in total fantasy points in 2020. His best season other than that, was WR17 in 2023, and he was WR25 in 2024. Heading into 2025, Fantasy Pros’ ADP has Ridley as WR32, with George Pickens, Jerry Jeudy, and Chris Godwin getting drafted ahead of him.

This seems like an undervaluing of what Ridley could produce with Ward under center. It’s risky banking on a rookie quarterback, but Ridley was a top 25 receiver in a much less favorable situation in 2024. It’s not far-fetched to see Ridley as WR10 or better if following the Burrow blueprint works for Ward in Tennessee.