What It Means:

Ridley stepped away from the Falcons earlier this season due to mental health reasons, and the league specified that Ridley's betting occurred over a five-day period of time while he was away from the team. It's a devastating blow for a Falcons offense that was already bereft of receiving talent behind tight end Kyle Pitts. Ridley will need to wait until the conclusion of the 2022 season before he can apply for reinstatement with the league, and could potentially be looking at missing multiple seasons.

Ridley entered the 2021 season as one of the top-drafted wide receivers in fantasy football after his 1,374-yard 2020 season, but stepped away five games into the year to focus on his mental health. The Falcons already had a lack of depth at wide receiver when Ridley was available, making them a near lock to either pursue a free agent wide receiver or to draft one in the 2022 NFL Draft.