Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season is finally here and opening weekend will continue on Sunday with the Tennessee Titans visiting the Denver Broncos at 4:05 p.m. ET on FOX.
The Titans bottomed out with a league-worst 3-14 mark in 2024 and will look to begin the climb back up with a better performance this season. No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward will make his debut as the team’s franchise quarterback in this game and he will have veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley to lean on. Ridley enters the year with an ADP (average draft position) in the 28-29 range among receivers across multiple scoring formats according to FantasyPros, so fantasy managers are already tabbing him as a low WR2/Flex option right out the gate.
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Below, we’ll go over Ridley’s outlook in fantasy football for Week 1.
Fantasy Football analysis: Titans WR Calvin Ridley
Ridley arrived to Tennessee last season and was one of the lone bright spots on a team that ultimately cratered to the bottom of the league. He ended up hauling in 64 targets for 1,017 receiving yards and four touchdowns on the year, finishing as a top-30 wideout in both standard and PPR leagues for a second year in a row. Notably, his 15.9 yards per reception ranked fifth among receivers in the entire league and fantasy managers are certainly hoping that explosiveness can continue with the No. 1 overall pick now throwing to him in Nashville.
Start or sit in Week 1 standard/PPR leagues?
Sit. Ridley would’ve been a no-brainer start in fantasy leagues this week if not for the extremely tough matchup that he’ll have right out the gate. He’ll be going up against reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II, who shut down nearly every top receiver he shadowed last season as pointed out by FantasyPros’ Derek Brown. Having a rookie QB trying to complete deep passes against the league’s top corner in his debut isn’t exactly a recipe for success, so if I were a Ridley manager, I’d hold off putting him in my starting lineup until next week.