The Atlanta Falcons have injuries piling up at the wide receiver position in a time when they cannot afford it. The Falcons have been in an offensive funk the past two games as scoring has been an issue. With a game against Tampa Bay coming up and the Carolina Panthers looming in the distance, there is urgency to fix things quickly. However, injury setbacks to Leonard Hankerson and Nick Williams could hurt the effort.
According to ESPN's Vaughn McClure, Hankerson has already been ruled out for Week 8 play. That leaves quarterback Matt Ryan without one of his favorite targets on the field outside of Julio Jones and Roddy White. In his place, Williams was expected to step up as he is getting more looks each game. However, the former Connecticut star is also sitting out of practice. According to McClure, Williams is dealing with a hamstring injury that makes him doubtful for Week 8 as well. Williams had a career-high 43 yards against Tennessee in Week 7 as he was expected to move into the No.3 spot against the Buccaneers. Now that is in question.
With Hankerson out and Williams hurt, rookie Justin Hardy will see his first bit of action Sunday. The rookie receiver had a lot of hype around him in the preseason as he impressed coaches and teammates, but the rise of Hankerson and Williams forced him to be a healthy scratch since the start of the season. Now Hardy is getting his chance to shine and several Falcons players believe he can make the most of it.
"We've got that mindset around here, one man down the next man up. You are one play away. Justin Hardy, he is going to come out and play if (necessary). He will be ready. He's definitely going to be ready. He comes to practice every day. He's got a great motor, and he listens," Jones said, via MyAJC.com.
Ryan and White echoed those words of praise for the receiver. With the run game set with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, the Falcons are also capitalizing off the depth at the receiver position which Hardy highlights. In years past, that has been an issue for the Falcons, but this season they have talent to make up for injuries. In need of a big-scoring game, Ryan likes the impact the rookie can have.
"I think he's a guy who has improved," Ryan said, via ESPN.com. "Obviously, we'll see where [Hankerson] is at in term of getting healthy. But at some point this season, I really believe Justin's going to make an impact for our football team. And I'm excited about that. I look forward to what he can bring for us on the offensive side of the ball."
The Falcons are not panicking over their recent struggles. The team remains extremely confident that they can fix the issues and move forward. White told the media that with a game against Carolina coming up in a few weeks, the team must iron out the issues beforehand.
