With the Atlanta Falcons trading superstar Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans, Calvin Ridley — who they drafted a few years ago in the first round — becomes the new No. 1 wide receiver for veteran quarterback Matt Ryan.
Can Ridley fill the void left by Jones or will the Falcons’ offense struggle without the future Hall of Fame wide receiver?
Here, we’ll take a look at the prop bets on the table for Atlanta Falcons WR Calvin Ridley on DraftKings Sportsbook ahead of the 2021 NFL season and make our picks.
1350.5 receiving yards: Over (-130) or Under (+100)
Our pick: Under
With Jones now in Tennessee, conventional wisdom says that all the targets and yards will be going to Ridley. However, while that may be true, Ridley will be going up against the best cornerback every week. He will not get the luxury to face opposing teams’ second or third-best defensive backs this season, which will go to Russell Gage and rookie tight end Kyle Pitts.
Last season, the former Alabama wideout had a career-high 1,374 yards on 90 receptions (143 targets) and 9 touchdowns. We do not know what Arthur Smith’s offense will be this season in Atlanta, but what we do know is that as long as Ryan is under center they will be throwing the ball a lot. But I think the best value is the under as the Falcons will spread the ball around to their other receivers.
10 receiving TDs: Over or Under (-115)
Our pick: Under
Ridley has yet to go over 10 receiving touchdowns in his short NFL career. As a rookie, he had a career-best 10 touchdowns but has not reached double-digit threshold in the last two seasons.
The 26-year-old wide receiver could easily get to 10 touchdowns this season without Jones, who only had a pedestrian three touchdowns last season. However, rookie tight end Kyle Pitts will be a major factor in the Falcons’ offense, along with fellow tight end Hayden Hurst and newly-signed running back Mike Davis.
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