Calvin Ridley or Eli Raridon: Who Should You Start?
Preliminary board2026 Week 4 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.
Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.
Ridley wins the comparison, but neither belongs in your lineup
Ridley is the only available option, not a sound start: his WR-3 role and tiny target share leave little dependable volume. CBS Sports 2026-09-26 noted he finished Week 1 without a target, reinforcing how fragile his path is. Raridon’s better team environment and softer matchup cannot outweigh being ruled out; even if active, his developmental TE role offers little reason to expect a meaningful workload.
What flips it: A late Calvin Ridley scratch.
Sources: CBS Sports · Sep 26, 2026
AI editor
Calvin Ridley
1.52.02.4 Projected Points
Eli Raridon
1.31.72.2 Projected Points
Calvin Ridley’s market
Eli Raridon’s market
Why Calvin Ridley
SitVeteran outside WR and vertical threat. Polished route runner whose 2025 season was cut short by injury.
Sit — bench-tier WR at consensus WR59: 6% target share, 2.4 PPR projected vs BAL.
- His vertical-threat profile gives him a path to a splash play, but it depends on scarce opportunities.
- He’s the better choice only relative to Raridon; keep him benched in a normal lineup.
Latest on Ridley
Calvin Ridley played 32 offensive snaps in Week 1 against the Jets but did not record a target from Cam Ward, finishing third among Titans WRs in snap count behind Carnell Tate (44) and Wan'Dale Robinson (41).
CBS Sports · Sep 26, 2026Why Eli Raridon
Sit· highRookie TE2 / developmental piece. Big-framed in-line body with limited prior sample.
Ruled Out this week, and even when active he's a 37% snap, 4% target share TE projected for 2.2 PPR points.
- Raridon is ruled out this week, so he is not a start regardless of matchup.
- His developmental TE2 role gives little fallback value even when available.
The call
- Availability is listed as Out, which settles it. He can't score from the bench, so he can't be in a lineup.
- The role is marginal anyway: a 37% snap share and 4% target share across 2 games make him a non-factor in PPR formats.
- The matchup doesn't help. BUF ranks 11 of 32 vs TEs, a tougher-than-average draw, though that's on a thin 3-game sample at 0.25 confidence.
- The unverified patriots.com headline about him making the trip is dated 2026-09-26 and concerns a Jaguars game. It doesn't override this week's Out designation. This confirms the model's sit-lean.
Latest on Raridon
Raridon (thigh) and Woodson (shoulder) are both questionable for Week 3 in Jacksonville.
Mike Reiss breaks down Eli Raridon's return to practice as the Patriots monitor his status ahead of Sunday's matchup with Jacksonville.
New England wants Maye to be patient but aggressive. Can he have success against the daunting Pittsburgh defense?
Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.
Head-to-head stats
| Metric | Calvin Ridley | Eli Raridon |
|---|---|---|
| Projected points | 1.52.02.4 | 1.31.72.2 |
| Consensus rank | WR59 | — |
| Opponent vs position | BAL · 19 of 323-game sample | BUF · 11 of 323-game sample |
| Receptions | 31 of 32 | 13 of 32 |
| Receiving Yards | 24 of 32 | 9 of 32 |
| Receiving TDs | 3 of 32 | 10 of 32 |
| Targets | 31 of 32 | 16 of 32 |
| Anytime TD | 6 of 32 | 9 of 32 |
| Target share | 6% | 4% |
| Reception share | 6% | 6% |
| Implied total · spread | 19.5+8.5 | 23.3+3.0 |
| Depth chart | WR3 | TE2 |
| Snap share | 48% | 37% |
| Injury designation | — | Out |
Recent form
Calvin Ridley — last 3 weeks
| Week 3 | vs NYG | 0.00.00.0 |
| Week 2 | vs PHI | 3.54.55.5 |
| Week 1 | vs NYJ | 0.00.00.0 |
Eli Raridon — last 3 weeks
| Week 3 | vs JAX | DNP |
| Week 2 | vs PIT | 3.03.54.0 |
| Week 1 | vs SEA | 6.26.77.2 |
Signal breakdown
- 2.4 vs 2.2 projected PPR pointsCalvin Ridley +
- Consensus position rankeven
- Opponent DvP rank 19 vs 11 (32 = softest)Calvin Ridley +
- Implied 19.5 vs 23.3 team pointsEli Raridon +
- A ruled-out player cannot be a startCalvin Ridley +
- 48% vs 37% snap shareCalvin Ridley +
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