Calvin Ridley is a must-start for Falcons if healthy vs. Saints

If Calvin Ridley is active, you must start him vs. the New Orleans Saints in fantasy football.

Despite a foot sprain suffered in Week 8’s road win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley is certainly trending in the right direction to make his return to the gridiron on Sunday afternoon vs. the arch rival New Orleans Saints in Week 11. The Week 10 bye seems to have helped, but how likely are you to start Ridley in fantasy?

The Fantasy Footballers are a bit lukewarm over the possibility of starting Ridley in Week 11 because of the injury. It is the same injury that has kept Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon out for weeks in the middle part of the season. However, Ridley was able to be a limited participant in practice on Thursday. So if he is healthy enough to play Sunday, you must start him.

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Ridley is more than on pace to achieve 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his NFL career. While he may not be the Falcons’ go-to wide receiver vs. New Orleans in Week 11, his mere presence on the field will go a long way towards the Dirty Birds being able to pull off the road upset. Atlanta wins one way on Sunday, and that is by having Matt Ryan sling the football.

Whether the Falcons are leading or trailing, Calvin Ridley will have targets

If Atlanta were to find a way to win on the road vs. its arch rival, players like Ridley and wide receiver Julio Jones will need to have monster days in fantasy football. The Falcons will need to get out to a big lead early in the passing game and hope the Falcons do not do what they do and blow a massive lead. Should they be trailing, passing the ball helps orchestrate a comeback.

In short, Atlanta is not winning in New Orleans with a slow-paced, defensive-minded, ground-and-pound game plan. Sure, this could be a game filled with turnovers and special teams gaffes, but we are more likely to see a good, old-fashioned southern domed shootout like these bitter rivals have given us for years. This is why Ridley is an absolute must-start if he is healthy to play.

In terms of target share, Ridley could approach as many as 10, depending on how the game shakes out. In all likelihood, he is probably getting somewhere in the seven-to-eight range in this ball game. Assuming he is able to haul in at least five of those balls in his first game back, we are looking at a guy who should net you over 12 points in PPR leagues and merit being in the flex.