Calvin Ridley

Per Jay Glazer, the Eagles were closing in on a deal to acquire Falcons WR Calvin Ridley before he was suspended by the NFL for gambling.

Fantasy Impact

With the Eagles rumored to be aggressively pursuing WR help via free agency, trade, and the draft, reports dropped Thursday that the team was close to acquiring Calvin Ridley before he was suspended by the NFL for gambling.

In a shocking update from Tom Pelissero, he reports that Falcons WR Calvin Ridley has been suspended for one year by the NFL. Ridley was found to have been gambling on NFL games last season after leaving the Falcons for personal reasons. ESPN reporter Adam Schefter also tweeted out that Ridley placed multiple bets on the Falcons to win as part of several multi-game parlays. Ridley did this of his own volition with no help from anyone, and placed the bets out of state.

Fantasy Impact

This is a sharp blow for a Falcons team that was hoping to have Ridley back to augment a passing corps that is severely short on talent besides Kyle Pitts. Fantasy owners will leave Ridley on waivers in redraft, and savvy dynasty owners should stash, and see what happens once the suspension is up.

According to Mike Garafolo who spoke with Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Calvin Ridley may look for a fresh start with a new team this offseason.

Fantasy Impact

Reports dropped on Wednesday after talks with Falcons owner Arthur Blank, that veteran receiver Calvin Ridley may be interested in a fresh start. Blank was quoted as saying "We'd love him to stay in Atlanta. Whether or not he wants to do that -- he may decide that he wants a fresh start someplace else." The 27-year-old missed a significant portion of last year dealing with a mental health issue and it's unclear the timeline that he will be away from football.

There is a strong possibility that Calvin Ridley is traded at some point this offseason, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Fantasy Impact

After stepping away last season due to personal reasons, it sounds like Ridley may be ready to return next season. If a team trades for Ridley, they will need to extend him as he will be playing on his fifth-year option. This will be one of the top storylines to monitor this offseason.

Falcons coach Arthur Smith says he doesn't have an update on Calvin Ridley, who is now eligible to return from the reserve/NFI list.

Fantasy Impact

Ridley was placed on the list three weeks ago when he stepped away to focus on his mental health. He can now be activated anytime, but it's unclear when or if that will happen.