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Fantasy football: Top 5 collegiate prospects to watch for 2018

By Jay Marsdale

EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 04: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions tries to escape the tackle of Joe Bachie #35 of the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at Spartan Stadium on November 4, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - NOVEMBER 04: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions tries to escape the tackle of Joe Bachie #35 of the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at Spartan Stadium on November 4, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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STARKVILLE, MS – NOVEMBER 11: Calvin Ridley #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide catches a pass as he warms up before the first half of an NCAA football game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS – NOVEMBER 11: Calvin Ridley #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide catches a pass as he warms up before the first half of an NCAA football game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /

No. 3: WR Calvin Ridley (Alabama)

Another receiver for fantasy football players to watch for in 2018 is Calvin Ridley. Another SEC wide receiver, and this time, he is from the powerhouse of Alabama. All Alabama head coach Nick Saban does is churn out talent, and Ridley is proof.

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    • Two of the best receivers in the NFL over the past few seasons have come out of Alabama. Both Amari Cooper and Julio Jones have dominated NFL competition, paving a way for Ridley to do the same.

    Ridley does not enter the league with nearly as much hype or expectations as Jones or Cooper, but he is definitely NFL ready. The experience that Ridley has gained playing in so many high pressure situations at Alabama is invaluable. He will not be fazed by the bright lights in the NFL because he has played and won national championships.

    Ridley is the kind of player to watch for making a big jump in production in the NFL. He is not the biggest, fastest or strongest player in the draft, but he just wins. He does everything well and does whatever the team needs every game.

    Playing time will not be an issue no matter where Ridley plays. Most rookie receivers lose playing time because they do not know how to block in the NFL. Ridley is one of the best blocking wide receivers coming straight out of college in recent memory.

    Teams like Buffalo, Baltimore, Carolina and New Orleans need a player like Ridley. He looks to be the first or second receiver to be drafted this year around the middle-to-late first round. He is especially interesting for fantasy football players if he is paired with either Cam Newton or Drew Brees in the NFC South.

    Carolina is searching for a No. 1 receiver, having dealt Kelvin Benjamin to the Bills, so Ridley would get plenty of looks in that high-powered offense. However, placing Ridley in the Saints offense for next season makes that team scary. The Saints already have the best running back combo in the league, as well as a future Hall of Famer at quarterback in Drew Brees.

    Allowing Ridley to sit as the second option behind Michael Thomas makes the New Orleans offense complete and deadly for 2018.

    It may be a pipe dream, but fantasy football players can only hope that dream comes true.