Julio Jones Injury Update Could be Massive Boost for Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage Fantasy Outlook in Week 5

Julio Jones Injury Update — Inactive

Official:
▫️Julio Jones: Inactive
▫️Lamar Jackson: Active
▫️Mark Andrews: Active
▫️Hollywood Brown: Active
▫️Joe Mixon: Active
▫️Henry Ruggs III: Active
▫️Breshad Perriman: Inactive
▫️Jordan Akins: Inactive
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 11, 2020

Update — 11:46 a.m. EST: Julio Jones has been officially ruled out as an inactive for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers. Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage are both strong fantasy options now.

It looks like fantasy managers will be waiting all the way up until game time to see whether or not Atlanta Falcons' wide receiver Julio Jones gives it a go. He has been dealing with hamstring injury that caused him to miss practice all of this past week.

His status remains up in the air for the team's Week 5 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. If Jones is unable to suit up, it could be a massive boost to the fantasy outlooks of Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage.

Falcons’ WR Julio Jones, who did not practice this week due to an aggravated hamstring injury, is considered a pre-game decision for Sunday’s game against the Panthers, per source. Falcons don’t want to make a final decision on him until they see how he’s feeling pre-game.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 11, 2020

Calvin Ridley Fantasy Outlook

Ridley has been one of the best players in fantasy football so far this season and should continue to dominate as one of quarterback Matt Ryan's favorite targets. With the team's back against the wall, Ridley could be in for a huge day as he tries to help the team get its first win of the season after starting 0-4.

Without Jones, Ridley would be peppered with even more targets than usual. He already averages 10 targets per game and could see even more this week. Ridley checks in as the No. 11 wide receiver in our Week 5 fantasy football rankings and should be in your lineup each and every week.

Russell Gage Fantasy Outlook

The other player that would see an uptick in targets with a Jones absence would be fellow wide receiver Russell Gage. Gage has been productive this season racking up 208 receiving yards on 19 receptions to go along with a touchdown as well.

Gage would slide into the No. 2 receiving role on the team and becomes a solid FLEX option in fantasy football. He draws a touch matchup as the Panthers have only allowed 227.0 passing yards per game so far this season (No. 7 in the NFL), but he could benefit from the defense being focused on stopping Ridley.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.