Who Should I Start? Calvin Ridley or Zay Flowers

Sunday, August 10, 11:52 AM

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley got off to a promising start with his new quarterback, rookie No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, in a 29-7 preseason-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. Ridley hauled in all three of his targets from Ward for 50 yards, including a game-high 27-yarder. The 30-year-old is heading into his second season with the Titans and looking for a third straight 1,000-yard campaign. Ridley racked up 1,017 yards and four touchdowns on 64 catches (120 targets) last season despite having to work with the less-than-stellar quarterback duo of Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. Ward should provide an upgrade over those two (albeit with some growing pains), and with the Titans lacking other high-end pass-catching options, Ridley will draw plenty of looks from the team's new signal-caller. RotoBaller has Ridley ranked as WR26 going into the season.

Wednesday, July 30, 3:58 PM

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee/leg) did not practice on Wednesday, but head coach John Harbaugh said the Pro Bowl wideout had "camp-like" stuff pop up and will get a day or a few days off. It sounds like Flowers is dealing with a minor ailment, so fantasy managers should not be concerned at this point. In his second NFL season last year, Flowers secured 74 of his 116 targets for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns. The former first-round pick out of Boston College has been excellent to start his NFL career, but high-end WR1 upside for fantasy football is likely out of reach thanks to the Ravens' dominance on the ground. Either way, he's a solid WR2/3 or flex option and has the big-play ability to produce spike weeks. His competition for targets in the wide receiver room remains weak entering 2025.