The Atlanta Falcons signed Devin Hester in the offseason to do more than just the return man role he had been relegated to with the Chicago Bears. The Falcons intended to use Hester as his original position of wide receiver and intend on sticking with that. So far, Hester has shined in the expanded offensive role and could end up being a solid fantasy football option for team owners this upcoming season.
Hester is coming off touchdowns in back-to-back preseason. While it is only the preseason and nothing counts, it is a nice preview of just how the Falcons intend on using the record-breaking kick returner. Hester caught a touchdown pass against the Texans in Week 2 of the preseason. He then returned against the Tennessee Titans to catch a 31-yard pass for a score in the first quarter that capped off an efficient 11-play, 79-yard scoring drive. So far the Falcons appear to be succeeding in their attempts to make Hester into an offensive weapon are looking successful.
The Falcons have all the faith in the world that Hester can be an explosive player for the team in multiple ways. Yes, he will be returning kicks and helping on special teams, but he is also quickly becoming one of Matt Ryan's go-to targets. Over the past two seasons with the Chicago Bears, Hester had just 611 yards and two touchdowns worth of offensive stats. He already has two scores in the preseason with the Falcons. According to Ryan, Hester is a big compliment to the rest of receiving corps and he intends on taking advantage of that.
"He did an unbelievable job for us tonight," Ryan said, via Atlanta Journal Constitution. "That's something that we've seen during OTAs and during training camp. When you get him out onto the practice field, everybody has been impressed. He showed what he is capable of doing with the ball in his hands tonight. The ball in his hands."
Hester joins a receiving corps that already has Julio Jones and Roddy White penciled in as the stars. Harry Douglas comes in as the No. 3 guy after putting up career-high numbers last season. However, Hester is going to get his targets. With the absence of Tony Gonzalez, the Falcons want the most dynamic receivers they can get on the field and Douglas certainly fits that look. Should fantasy owners take him over Douglas? No. However, if Hester is around in a later round, he certainly would be a solid option on the roster.